Legendary choreographer George Balanchine succinctly stated: “Ballet is Woman.” Indeed, few art forms are as decidedly female as classical ballet. Its reigning practitioner, the ballerina, is a respected artist who embodies modern ideals of beauty and grace, but her elevated position is a relatively recent phenomenon. For centuries, ballerinas were relegated to the margins of society and had little impact on other creative fields such as fashion.
Although ballet consistently reflected the latest modes, fashion rarely borrowed elements from classical dance costumes. Beginning in the early 1930s, however, this one-sided relationship changed. Thanks to the tremendous impact of early modern Russian dancers, a widespread and enduring craze for ballet, or “balletomania,” took hold in the west, particularly in Great Britain and America. Ballet ascended into their pantheons of modern high culture and influenced other creative disciplines.
The ballerina blossomed into a revered figure while, for the first time in history, couturiers appropriated elements of her glamourous raiment. This phenomenon can be seen in this exhibition’s selection of dazzling tutu-inspired gowns, functional ready-to-wear separates that resemble leotards and tights, and footwear ranging from “ballerina” flat slippers to fetishistic “pointe” shoes. These fashions, when placed alongside costumes of legendary performers such as Anna Pavlova, Margot Fonteyn, and stars of the New York City Ballet and the Dance Theatre of Harlem, dramatically illustrate the ballerina’s mid-century impact.
Ballet’s sway on fashion diminished by the onset of the 1980s. Even so, ballerinas benefited from the shifting cultural winds that elevated their art, and they have not lost their emancipated position. The revered ballerina, one of fashion’s modern muses, remains a cultural icon whom we embrace to this day.
Patricia Mears, Deputy Director
“The Ballet Slipper,” Harper’s Bazaar, July 1941. Photograph by Henle
Claire McCardell was perhaps the first designer to pair her garments with real ballet slippers. In 1942, she chose footwear by the dancewear company Capezio. They later collaborated and the popularity of their joint efforts led to the creation of now ubiquitous, street-worthy “ballerina” shoe.
Claire McCardell for Townley, active wear ensemble with ankle boots by Capezio, 1945-1955. The Museum at FIT, 72.61.60. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Adrian McCardell. ©The Museum at FIT
Beautiful and magical on stage, the pointe shoe has become a fashionable fetish object. Christian Louboutin stated that in his Fetish Ballerine, the wearer, like a dancer, is “closer than any other woman to the sky, closer to heaven!”
Christian Louboutin, “Fetish Ballerine” patent leather and grosgrain pointe shoes, 2014. The Museum at FIT, 2014.35.1. Gift of Christian Louboutin. ©The Museum at FIT
Noritaka Tatehana’s extreme version of the ballerina’s pointe shoe, was designed for Lady Gaga’s Marry the Night video. Eighteen inches long, its fetishistic appeal was enhanced with Gaga’s latex costume.
Noritaka Tatehana (born in Japan, 1985) pink leather heelless platform ballerina pointe-style shoes, 2012. The Museum at FIT, 2012.39.1 ©The Museum at FIT
Pierre Balmain, off-white tulle evening dress, circa 1955. The Museum at FIT, 76.42.24. Gift of Mrs. John Thomas Trippe. ©The Museum at FIT
The British lead the western ballet craze while passionately embracing the neo-romantic revival. Ballets such as Frederick Ashton’s Apparitions, with costumes by Cecil Beaton, had a direct impact on couturiers such as Norman Hartnell, who produced an array of frothy, ballerina-inspired gowns for actresses, socialites, and even Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Norman Hartnell, beige silk tulle gown embroidered with metal sequins, circa 1939. Collection of Beverley Birks. ©The Museum at FIT
The romantic style tutus in George Balanchine’s 1932 ballet Cotillon were designed by the artist Christian Bérard. His star-covered, tulle costumes inspired couturiers such as Coco Chanel. Although an avowed modernist, Chanel’s dark blue tulle gown is one of many she created during the 1930s that took its cue from the ballerina’s stage costume.
Chanel, American licensed copy of “Etoiles” navy blue tulle evening dress, 1937. The Collection of Beverley Birks. ©The Museum at FIT
The role of Odette, also known as the White Swan, is one of the most famous and coveted ballerina roles in the classical ballet canon. From the 1930s to the 1960s, Odette’s white feathered costume inspired an array of couturiers including Robert Piguet, Pierre Cardin, and Pierre Balmain.
Pierre Balmain, pink satin and white coq feather-trimmed tulle evening dress, circa 1950. The Museum at FIT, 91.244.1. Gift of Barbara Louis. ©The Museum at FIT
Photograph of Anna Pavlova as the Dying Swan, 1905. Photograph by Herman Mishkin. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations
The character of Odile in Swan Lake, the second of two roles danced by a single ballerina and frequently referred to as the “Black Swan,” also inspired designers. After World War II, the name “Black Swan” became so popular that couturiers named their creations “Odile” as well as “Le Cygne Noir” (or “Black Swan,” in French).
Howard Greer, “Odile” black silk tulle evening dress embroidered with sequins, circa 1951. Collection of Beverley Birks. ©The Museum at FIT
Ballerinas who dance the vibrant and magical role of the Firebird don a brilliantly feathered costume. The exhibition features a contemporary version created for the Dance Theatre of Harlem that retains the color and spirt of the 1910 original. Coco Chanel’s 1920s red feathered cape echoes the Firebird costume, illustrating fashion’s growing influence on ballet during the interwar years.
Chanel, red silk crepe de chine and feather evening cape, 1927. The Museum at FIT, 96.69.15. Gift from The Dorothea Stephens Wiman Collection. ©The Museum at FIT
Barbara Karinska (original), Marc Happel (recreation), La Valse costume based on the 1951 original for the New York City Ballet. Lent by Marc Happel, Director of Costumes, New York City Ballet. ©The Museum at FIT
Before embarking on a full-time costume career at the New York City Ballet, Barbara Karinska worked briefly as a couturier. Her innovations, such as long tutus made with different colored layers of tulle, may have influenced couturiers such as Charles James.
Charles James, silk chiffon and satin “Swan” evening dress, 1954-1955. The Museum at FIT, 91.241.136. Gift of Robert Wells In Memory of Lisa Kirk. ©The Museum at FIT
Marc Happel, costume for George Balanchine’s Symphony in C for the New York City Ballet, 2012. Lent by Marc Happel, Director of Costumes, New York City Ballet. ©The Museum at FIT
Marc Happel’s unique knowledge of fashion history can be seen in the scalloped peplum of the Symphony in C. It echoes that of the Cristobal Balenciaga gown which, in turn, was inspired by the Royal Ballet’s 1946 The Sleeping Beauty costume designed by Oliver Messel and worn by Dame Margot Fonteyn.
Balenciaga, licensed copy by Hattie Carnegie of pale pink tulle and embroidered satin gown, 1950. Collection of Beverley Birks. ©The Museum at FIT
Oliver Messel (born in England, 1904-1978)
“Princess Aurora” costume worn by Margot Fonteyn in Sleeping Beauty.
Synthetic chiffons and georgettes, silver and gold braid, sequins, 1960s, England. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Purchased with the assistance of the London Archives of the Dance.
Sara Mearns is one of the most celebrated ballerinas dancing today. A principal with the New York City Ballet since 2008, she rose to prominence in 2006 after performing the lead role in Swan Lake while still a teenager and a member of the corps de ballet. Although Mearns also dances in musicals, her wedding dress on view reflects her balletic roots. Custom designed by NYCB’s costume director Marc Happel, the dress’s fitted bodice, bell-shaped skirt, and pale tulle fabrication evoke the romantic era tutu.
Marc Happel, embroidered pink tulle wedding dress designed for Sara Mearns, 2018. Lent by Sara Mearns
Arguably the greatest ballet in history is The Sleeping Beauty. Both full-length and one-act versions of this 1890 classic was performed throughout Europe during the interwar years. The vibrant blue costumes worn by the Bluebird and Princess Florine inspired fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli to create “Sleeping” blue couture garments. She also named her Princess-inspired perfume Sleeping.
Lenore Fini, illustration of “Sleeping Blue” evening jacket by Elsa Schiaparelli, Harper’s Bazaar, March 15, 1940.
The second color closely associated with The Sleeping Beauty is lilac, the signature hue of the story’s savior, the Lilac Fairy. In ancient time, lilac flowers were harbingers of spring while purple was a color reserved for royalty. During the Victorian era, pale purple became the color of half mourning. Strict mourning rituals fell out of favor by the early twentieth century, and fashion embraces the new-found youthful spirit of lilac. After Sergei Diaghilev’s 1921 restaging of the Russian classic, lilac’s connection to mourning was all but erased as designers created dresses in a range of purple hues throughout the midcentury.
Nettie Rosenstein (Left) lilac and purple silk chiffon and velvet evening dress, circa 1950. The Museum at FIT, Gift of Doris Duke
Gilbert Adrian (Right) lilac and purple silk gauze, taffeta, and tulle evening dress, circa 1947. The Museum at FIT, Gift of Robert Renfield
During the 1960s, Mimi Paul was one of America’s finest ballerinas. A principal dancer with both the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre, she was the American incarnation of the British “dolly bird” who appeared frequently in fashion magazines. With her long, slender physique and large, doe-like eyes, Paul wore costumes and couture with equal aplomb.
Alix Grès
(Left) Pink silk chiffon and crepe evening dress, circa 1967. The Museum at FIT, Gift of Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, Jr.
(RIGHT) White and black polka dotted silk chiffon evening dress, 1967. The Museum at FIT, Gift of Mrs. Michael Batterberry
An image of Paul modeling a polka-dotted chiffon evening dress by the Parisian couturière Madame Grès (identical to the one on view), illustrated her dancerly spirit as well as the kinetic nature of Grès’s work.
Mimi Paul, full-length portrait, standing before sculpture at the New York State Theatre, 1967. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-120876 (b&w film copy neg.)
In 1984, the Dance Theatre of Harlem restaged its version of the romantic classic Giselle. DTH, the brainchild of Arthur Mitchell, the pioneering African American principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, was founded in 1969 in order to provide dancers of color professional opportunities that racism had long denied them. Mitchell’s restaging of the romantic-era classic, renamed Creole Giselle, was a hit. Relocated from the Rhineland to the Bayou, the production’s original, frothy tulle tutus were reimagined as degraded chiffon frocks, created just as the “deconstruction” aesthetic entered the fashion realm.
Carl Michel, “Wilis” costume from “Creole” Giselle, 1984. Lent by the Dance Theatre of Harlem
Tina Leser, pink rayon evening dress, circa 1950. Lent by Beverley Birks. ©The Museum at FIT
Vera Maxwell was a leading, mid-century American sportswear designer. Prior to her entry into fashion, she was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet between 1919 and 1924. She also worked as a model and began sketching for clothing manufacturers before opening her eponymous firm in 1947. Like her fellow female designers, Maxwell’s output was inspired by sports and the modern American lifestyle. Her work also reflected ballerinas’ practice clothing. Leotards, leggings, and wrapped tops were the inspiration for outfits such as the gray knitted ensemble and the evening dress with a jersey top and full, floor- length skirt seen here.
Vera Maxwell
(Left) Grey and black wool knit top and pants set, circa 1959. The Museum at FIT, Gift of Vera Maxwell
(RIGHT) Black wool jersey and brown satin “Speed Suit” dress, 1975. The Museum at FIT, Gift of Vera Maxwell
Claire McCardell, nylon knitted bathing suit, 1948. The Museum at FIT, 72.61.54. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Adrian McCardell. ©The Museum at FIT
During the 1970s in New York, fashion and dance thrived. One reason for this creative boom was increased diversity. Black ballerinas garnered rave reviews and African American models graced fashion runways and magazines. Meanwhile, designers Stephen Burrows and Scott Barrie were turning out jersey dresses and separates that took their cues from ballerinas and disco queens alike.
Stephen Burrows, jersey knit dress and jacket, circa 1979, The Museum at FIT, 2000.110.1, Gift of Nonnie Moore. ©The Museum at FIT
The creator who exemplified the intersection between fashion and dancewear was Bonnie August, design director of Danskin, Inc. Her appropriation of the ballerina’s class and rehearsal wardrobe matched the company’s catchy slogan—“Danskin, not just for dancing”—and perfectly described garments that moved seamlessly from the ballet studio to the disco to the street.
Bonnie August for Danskin, mock turtleneck cat suit and wrap skirt, circa 1985 and 1975, The Museum at FIT 2003.61.10 and 2003.61.2, Gift of Bonnie August. ©The Museum at FIT
Christian Dior, silk faille “Tambourin” evening dress worn by Alicia Markova, autumn/winter 1955. Fashion Museum Bath collection. Photograph by William Palmer
Maria Tallchief was the most famous of the “Five Moons,” or American Indian ballerinas, who danced for leading national and international companies. Of Osage descent, Maria Tallchief was prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet and the first American to dance with The Paris Opera Ballet. She was also a couture client who wore designs by Christian Dior.
Christian Dior, black wool crepe and silk velvet dress worn by Maria Tallchief, 1947. Chicago History Museum, ICHi-063245
No mid-century ballerina exemplified the idea of the ballerina as a woman of style more than Margot Fonteyn. Although she was a stellar example of the restrained British style of dancing, Fonteyn loved Parisian haute couture and massed an enviable wardrobe by Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. Nearly one dozen of her garments examples on loan from the Fashion Museum in Bath, England.
Christian Dior, tulle “Debussy” evening gown embroidered with sequins worn by Margot Fonteyn, spring/summer 1950. Fashion Museum Bath collection. Photograph by William Palmer