Ballet chic

Blame Kanye’s short film Runaway, which put the spotlight squarely on a flock of ballerinas in black tutus, or Natalie Portman’s much-hyped turn as a scarily focused prima ballerina in Black Swan, but I am currently obsessed with all things ballet-related, especially in fashion!

 The Chloé Spring 2011 show presented a relaxed, elegant ballet dancer on her way to practice in some light-filled, shiny-wood-floored studio, wearing her long-sleeved, boat-neck blush top; floaty, sheer calf-length skirt; and updated ballet flats in shiny pale-pink leather. We really love the perfectly knotted bun; it’s a sleek, pretty style that’s been all over the office. Women who were little girls who dreamt of being ballerinas could transfer that fantasy to owning a look from this collection.

National Ballet’s Chroma & Serenade & Emergence

Great for the ballet fan with a limited attention span, this triple-bill program from the National Ballet features three very different works.

Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, a contemporary piece from 2006, is set to music composed by Joby Talbot (including three songs by the White Stripes) and has only previously been performed by Britain’s The Royal Ballet.

Serenade was first seen on stage in New York in 1934, and was the first work created in America by Russian choreographer George Balanchine, who worked for years with the famous Ballets Russes.

Vancouver-based choreographer Crystal Pite’s Emergence caused major buzz when it premiered in 2009 as part of the National Ballet’s Innovation program. Principal dancer Greta Hodgkinson wrote about Pite on her blog last year: “I think she is one of the few choreographers out there today who possess a truly unique voice and I’m finding the movement incredibly inspiring.”

via fashionmagazine