“Ballet is woman.” So goes the saying by legendary ballet choreographer George Balanchine, who intimates at the everlasting appeal of the revered dance form. Evoking beauty, grace, romance—there is little reason to question why fashion brewed a distinctive obsession with the performance art. For the ballerina, and whoever she was on the stage, could transform by leaps and bounds with the costume she wears. It’s a sentiment easily attested to; think Natalie Portman’s iconic Black Swan (2010) or the feathered swan tutu now synonymous with Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova’s masterful portrayal of ‘The Dying Swan’ for The Swan in the 1920s.
Fast forward to today’s revived balletomania, it seems the obsession is far from waning—only the younger set (also known as Generation Z) is making it their own. Rather than the exalted, avant-garde and theatrical collections one might have seen in decades past—think John Galliano’s spring/summer 1996 or Alexander McQueen’s fall/winter 2008—the current youth have decidedly entered with their own Y2K-meets-athleisure twist to the revival. Enter: balletcore.
As with much of the fashion trends led by an all-encompassing aesthetic, the ultimate end goal demands that we be as experimental, playful and creative with it as possible, whilst maintaining its wearability. In balletcore’s multitude of variations then, it only stands to reason that the sartorial resurgence is being reclaimed by ballet tights, leg warmers, corsets, ribbons and a whole load of ballet flats. It’s a looser interpretation, rather inspired by the ‘off-duty’ dancer who traipses from home to her dance studio.
But that’s not to say the tutu has been completely left out the door. In fact, certain celebrities who’ve also notably contributed to the aesthetic revival, have sported it with finesse: see Blackpink’s Jennie array of looks on her group’s recent Born Pink world tour. Elsewhere, it’s easy to conjure up an image of Olivia Rodrigo or Ariana Grande in outfits that scream balletcore—be it the Sour singer’s preference for tights or the latter’s recent love for her Miu Miu ballet flats in light of her upcoming role as Glinda in the highly-anticipated film adaptation of Wicked.
Amidst balletcore’s reigning movement, here’s Vogue Singapore’s kickstarter guide to acing the genteel look. Break a leg, or so they say.
