www.roanoke.com

Barbie turns 50 this year, and she seems to be holding up well -- even in the age of Bratz.

I never had a Barbie. Mom couldn't see spending more on dressing a doll than on dressing her daughters. But I had some knock-off model that just happened to be Barbie's size and I had a friend with a Barbie and, as important, she had an aunt willing to buy the clothes, the car, the boyfriend. And said friend was willing to share.

Even Aunt June would have been priced out of the market, though, with the designer wear planned to keep Barbie's spirits up when she turns the big 5-0. The International Herald Tribune reports:

"During New York Fashion Week in February, Mattel is staging a full-scale Barbie fashion show with 50 designers creating life-size outfits inspired by the doll. Although the names of the designers have yet to be announced, Christian Louboutin has confirmed that he will be designing pumps in Barbie's favorite shade of pink to be worn with each of his outfits.

"[Vera] Wang has concocted a Barbie wedding gown with a sale price exceeding $15,000. The dress comes with a Barbie doll wearing a miniature version of the same gown."

Oh, well then, totally worth it.