Since last year there have been quite a few exhibitions, tributes and ballet performances to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Ballets Russes.
At the end of the week, the Victoria and Albert Museum will celebrate the centenary of the first performance by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes with the opening of a major exhibition entitled “Sergei Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes 1909-1929” (running until January 2011).
The event will mainly focus on the company's designs, costumes, choreographies, music and art, showcasing different objects, including accessories and theatre props.
Fashionistas will be happy to know that the museum is offering also a dedicated shop to celebrate the event with exclusive items such as scarves designed by Erdem incorporating costume designs by Léon Bakst for Narcisse (1911), L'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird, 1911) and La Peri (1915), a "Diaghilev" fragrance by Roja Dove and a T-shirt by Tata-Naka inspired by The Firebird.
To my great satisfaction Ballets Russes fever has descended also upon the London Fashion Week runways, inspiring some of the collections showcased yesterday.
David Koma’s tight bodice and full skirt designs called to mind in their neutral palette Degas’ paintings, with a touch of Giorgio De Chirico’s costumes for the Ballets Russes’ Le Bal and Proteé.
The young Georgian designer focused indeed in the first part of his collection on pale colours, adding architectural elements and motifs such as rigid pleats in the light pink skirts of his short dresses or in asymmetrical tutu-like snakeskin skirts incorporated in a dress or worn as belts.
Koma then introduced designs that included zigzagging motifs in black and white that seemed borrowed from the Russian Constructivists, geometrical elements and gold or black python inserts that were maybe derived from Vladimir Tatlin's abstract sculptures and that brought back the collection into the realm of futurism and cyborg-like armours Koma has favoured up to his previous collection.
Erdem Moralioglu's collection was rather romantic, but deep down it had a strong connection with the Ballets Russes, with a couple of references to costumes as well.
Erdem’s lace and florals weren’t missing, but they were inspired this time by an experience that will make jealous every fashion design academic, costume/dance fan and museum curator.
Erdem followed indeed the work of Jane Pritchard, co-curator of the Victoria & Albert Museum's Ballets Russes exhibition, and was even allowed to touch (hopefully with proper gloves on...) some of the costumes.
Seeing the costumes preserved in calico inspired Erdem to come up with ethereal white designs showcased while Petroushka's soundtrack could be heard in the background (by the way, thumbs up for the music choice...).
The neutral colour and structure of the first few designs - mainly white lace dresses, at times embroidered in red matched with Nicholas Kirkwood's sandals in a floral prints covered in tulle that tied up the calf like ballet shoes - echoed the attire of ballerinas.
The floral harlequin patterns of some dresses - created by juxtaposing photos, Monet-like paintings, digital images and flowery patterns - seemed instead to
be a reference to Léon Bakst's costume for Harlequin, a character from The Sleeping Princess (1921), or to José-Maria Sert's costume for the Giampaolo character in Le Astuzie Femminili (1920 - remember the velvet coat with floral patterns?).
It’s undeniable that there was some repetition in the collection and a bit of editing wouldn’t have hurt, yet it was interesting to see how an intense inspiration such as the elaborate and colourful costumes of the Ballets Russes led to a well-balanced collection and how Erdem managed to escape any kind of attempt at overloading his designs even when Swarovski crystals appeared here and there on the harlequin designs.
Ballerinas must have been also on Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff’s mind while working on the Spring/Summer 2011 collection.
A ballerina from a music box sat on top of the crown by milliner Nasir Mazhar matched with the opening ensemble hinted at children's dreams, but the glittery pink and pale blue legwarmers worn with colourful sparkling sandals matched with frayed pink knitted dresses, T-shirts and jackets with slogans and yellow pleated dresses with geometrical cut out motifs (the best designs out of this collection and maybe a colour borrowed from Henri Matisse's costume for the Chamberlain in Le Chant du rossignol?), hinted at a sort of lost innocence and at punkish/gothic ballerinas.
Maybe if Petrushka were a female puppet living in our confusing times, she would go around dressed like this and listening to punk tracks rather than classical music. Who knows.
I guess what we really know for sure is that, while in the past designers like Yves Saint Laurent were inspired by the more folkish or exotic aspects of the Ballets Russes' costumes, contemporary designers seem to be going beyond the costumes, discovering the heritage they left us through exhibitions and trying to reinvent and reinterpret the art of the Ballets Russes for modern women.
In a couple of weeks we will see if this inspiration has somehow reached also the designers showcasing their collections in Paris.
For the time being, it looks like the Spring/Summer 2011 season may be another glorious "Saison Russe".
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