Fashion

Get a Glimpse of Her NYCB Costume Design

by Erin Mayer

As a ballet enthusiast and fashion writer, I was obviously thrilled by the news that Carolina Herrera, Mary Katrantzou, Sarah Burton and others had been tapped to design costumes for the New York City Ballet. After all, fashion and dance go together like root beer and ice cream (flawlessly, that is). Now we finally have a glimpse of some of the looks, thanks to a sketch of Mary Katrantzou's ballet costumes, released on the designer's website. They are already stunning on paper so I can't even imagine how gorgeous they'll be in the flesh.

The costumes will debut at New York City Ballet's opening performances on September 23rd, also known as the Fall Gala. It's a big freaking deal in the ballet world, and it comes just a few weeks shy of New York City Fashion Week, making this month a busy one for Lincoln Center. Katrantzou has created coordinating male and female looks while working in conjunction with choreographer Justin Peck. The lace confections (a full bodysuit for the male and a long-sleeved dress for the female) were inspired by Katrantzou's Resort 2015 collection.

"I didn’t want to go costumey,” the designer told Style.com, "I thought, Why don’t we do something that’s a second skin instead of something with lots of volume or construction? I wanted to do something subtle. Justin’s work is very clean. It evokes a certain emotion, and I wanted the costumes to mimic that.”

No word yet on which lucky dancers will get to rock these stunning looks on stage, but I can tell you from experience that sometimes the costume is what really makes the dance come to life. I can't wait to see more of the designs as the Fall Gala draws closer.