I dream of one day having a house big enough to store all the things I wish I had. I collect a few things already; shot glasses, hair accessories, Escada perfume bottles, sunglasses and things with butterflies on. But there are so many things I wish I could hoard alongside those. Las Vegas memorabilia, vintage movie posters, Varga girl prints, vintage sewing patterns…and the latest, limited edition Barbies.

I first went through this phase about five years ago, when I wrote a feature on the evolution of Barbie as part of my final University project. Jenni bought me a book full of collectors (ie adult) Barbie dolls and I became obsessed. I used to search ebay on a daily basis trying to find the doll I still maintain will be the basis of my collection. The rule was I couldn’t buy any more until I had this one. It’s Barbie dressed in the Dior ‘New Look’ suit from 1947. The Ultimate Fashion Moment in miniature, if you will. Who cares if Babs is genetically impossible and so busty she’ll fall over. She looks good in couture.

Yep, even I sometimes worry that I am becoming a parody of myself.

Anyway, if anyone knows how I can get hold of it, that’d be lovely. It’s my birthday in a couple of weeks…

ps. Dear eBay sellers, those ’40s style tea dresses’ you’re selling as vintage for upwards of a tenner? We know they’re from BHS in the early 90s. They’re still ugly.