Before I designed my own wedding set for Ken and Barbie-sized dolls, I would get requests for a wedding set, all the time! Back then, I would refer people to this pattern: Vogue Craft Pattern #9985.

Today’s “throwback” pattern includes a gorgeous Victorian-style wedding dress pattern for Barbie, and a tux with tails for Ken. I enjoyed making this wedding costume set back when I bought the pattern, even though I did find this set challenging.

The pattern holds a copyright from 1998, which is ironic because that’s the year I got married.

And in all honesty, I designed my own wedding dress somewhat like this Victorian Barbie gown. Here’s a picture of me in my hand-stitched, hand-embroidered wedding dress, which I designed myself:

My handmade dress had puffed sleeves, which gathered at the elbow (just like the Barbie dress), and from the elbow to the wrist, the sleeves are closely tapered to fit my arm snugly. I embroidered the sleeves with blue Celtic knotwork for my “something blue” that’s typically traditional at weddings in the US.

Now the Ken outfit in the Vogue pattern is unusual because it’s designed to fit the 1980’s to 1990’s muscular-build Ken. The Ken doll body spent about 20 years looking sort of stocky, but I’ve found it’s kind of hard to locate patterns to fit this guy.

I think it’s kind of funny, too, that he looks sort of like Rhett Butler. I mean, Barbie doesn’t look that much like Scarlett O’Hara, so what’s up there?

I always thought the 1980’s change to the Ken body was spawned by the popularity of professional bodybuilding in the 80’s and 90’s. Remember Conan the Barbarian? Jean-Claud Van Damme? Fabio?

With those icons in mind, the face of Rhett Butler doesn’t look quite right on musclebound Ken, in my humble opinion. I can’t picture Clark Gable slathered in baby oil at a bodybuilding competition!

But this muscular Ken still makes a very handsome Victorian groom, and I have to say I really liked this sewing pattern, even though it wasn’t the easiest one to follow. It’s certainly not for the beginners out there.

If you’re interested in buying this retro Vogue Victorian wedding set pattern, I will close by recommending that you revisit my blog post giving advice for purchasing used patterns online.