It is undeniable that the fast rhythms of fashion are not allowing many designers to come up with the most innovative ideas. The main consequence of this lack of time is that you may find one great inspiration on one runway and another five shows inspired by the same exhibition or artist or mentioning for the umpteenth time a specific reference that has been going around on the runways for decades.
The grace of dancers in their training attire or performing in their sparkling costumes and ethereal tutus has for example been a constant trend in the history of fashion: in January Dolce & Gabbana showcased for instance their ballet-inspired Alta Moda (High Fashion) Spring/Summer 2015 collection at Milan's La Scala (a collection that in turn borrowed from their own A/W 2009 ready-to-wear opera inspired designs...).
But there is another inspiration linked with dancing that doesn't seem to go away – the Ballets Russes. Being one of the most visually extraordinary stories in the history of dance, the tale of this astonishing corps de ballet has been retold by many designers, the first one being Yves Saint Laurent in his Autumn/Winter 1976/77 Haute Couture collection.
Designs inspired by the Ballets Russes reappeared during Paris Fashion Week on Olympia Le-Tan's runway. Known for her tongue-in-cheek sexy moods, Le-Tan tried to morph her passion for Bettie Page into an obsession for classical ballet.
Some of the garments in this collection - that comprised chiffon and satin blouses with ample sleeves, quite a few tutu numbers and ballet-themed bags - were characterised by prints drawn by the designer's father Pierre.
The dresses, jackets and tops with columns and other architectural features were instead literally borrowed from the costumes designed for the Ballets Russes' "Le Bal" by Giorgio De Chirico (though random columns also appear in the set of the opening ballet at the beginning of The Red Shoes; see first image in this post). There were also references to Léon Bakst's brigands' tunics with bold geometric patterns from "Daphnis and Chloé" and to his cossack costumes in vivid colours from "Thamar" that were turned into a velvet coat with frog fastenings (though that could have been a modern rendition of the Moor's costume from "Petrushka"; or maybe that was just a reinvented look from YSL's Ballets Russes collection...)
There were also hints at Schiap's "Commedia dell'Arte" collection in the Harlequin decorations (that also called to mind "Petrushka"), mini-tricorn hats and trompe l’oeil stage curtains on shirt dresses and A-line skirts, while "The Nutcracker" reappered in the embroideries of wooden soldiers.
Surreal cheekiness reappeared in a top with a curtain unveiling a sequinned embroidered breast, while the ankle-strapped Louboutins, that should have been reminiscent of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Red Shoes film taken from Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, re-shifted the mood towards fetishistic inspirations.
There were also some other assorted references: Kate Moss was evoked in Stephen Jones' feather crowns that called to mind the early days of the model with Moss photographed by Corinne Day; drugs and Kate Bush (on the soundtrack). Luckily for Le-Tan, rather than being caught up in horrific ballet madness like the wretched protagonist in the Black Swan (though "Swan Lake" came back in the White/Black Swan belts...), her models seemed to be having a rather good time.
Yet it all makes you think: Le-Tan aimed for sophistication not just by focusing on ballet, but also via her outerwear created in collaboration with French mill Malhia Kent. She should have gone a bit further in her experiments with textiles, since they may have taken her away from trite inspirations and onto a more personal path.
Designing a modern collection recreating in a very literal way certain looks seen several decades ago on a theatrical stage certainly guarantees you not to be sued by the people who originated those designs (surely Diaghilev & Co will not cause Le-Tan any problems copyright-wise...), but one dilemma remains, is it possible to consider such collections terrifically original or extremely new? Maybe the answer lurks in what ballet impresario Boris Lermontov tells Julian Craster in The Red Shoes, "It is worth remembering that it is much more disheartening to have to steal than to be stolen from".
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