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Models at Sandy Liang Spring 2023 show
Photo: Imaxtree
10 As someone who spent most of my formative years studying ballet, I have no choice but to notice the intersection of the worlds of fashion and ballet. But as aesthetically pleasing as ballet pink satin, sheer knits, delicate skirts, girly ribbons, whimsical leg warmers and fiery tulle, these crossovers don’t always evoke the joy in me that others seem to.
When the first sneaker preview for Sandi Liang — a designer I’ve always been a fan of and whose NYFW show I’m excited to attend — hit my inbox, I immediately felt that jaded hatred, even though it’s Mary Jane Pointe. Pretty cool stuff that fits perfectly with a brand of serotonin boosting products. But where was my serotonin? Two colleagues who are former ballerinas say they feel the same way.
I love ballet as an art form and while I respect it, my relationship with it is complicated, my memories from that time range from pure joy to intense pain, both physical and emotional. If I could pinpoint a time when the struggle of ballet began to become more interesting to me (and probably many ex-dancers), it was around the age of 12 or 13 that we were allowed to go. At the end. (Before that, the bones in the feet are not fully developed and pointe work is more likely to cause permanent damage.) It is a very exciting time – I still remember the joy of fitting the first pointe shoe – which is covered in pain and confusion. .
Miu Miu Fall 2022 Shoes
Photo: Imaxtree
For a person, it often coincides with the onset of puberty, which suddenly transforms the human body into the world of ballet, which has its own challenges. In my case, it wasn’t long before I learned that I had (and still have) extra bones in my ankles – extra bones in my ankles – a very unnatural position to get into a foot anyway – almost impossible for me. (If I had decided I wanted to pursue ballet as a career, I would have had them surgically removed; luckily, I didn’t.) Then the missing toenails, the plantar fasciitis, the blood…
It’s just to say that, like most sports, ballet is really hard in a way that people who haven’t done it to some degree have no way of knowing (though movies like “Center Stage” and “Black Swan” are pretty accurate about how accurate they really were). If so, the hallmark of a great ballet dancer is the ability to make it all look easy. Ballet has a notorious reputation for diversity, its doors open to those with money, privilege, white skin and a different body type. No wonder fashionistas love it.
Fashion is forever drawing inspiration from ballet: in the 2000s, John Galliano and Jean-Paul Gaultier created stunning gowns in homage to Edgar Degas. Each year they collaborate on costumes, pairing New York City Ballet choreographers with big-name designers. And ballet has always been a popular theme for fashion editorials, campaigns and videos. Lately, ballet has been popping up in fashion again and again, from Rodarte’s celebrity-studded Fall 2022 campaign and Miu Miu’s satin ballet flats dominating fashion-week street style, Liang’s latest collection and ballet slipper-esque shoes and tulle dresses from Simone Rocha. He sent the runway in London. Not to mention the rise of “Balletcore” charm via TikTok.
Rodarte Fall 2022 campaign
Photo: Daria Kobayashi Rich/Courtesy of Rodarte
Cuteness aside, actual dancers are at odds with the way they are represented in these situations – especially when a model with little or no dance experience is cast as a ballerina. The most famous example is Kendall Jenner doing it in a horrendously bad way. Vogue In the year Drawing the ire of many dancers in Spain in 2016, “Dance Moms” Abby Lee Miller and The spirit of dance Magazine.
“Vogue Spain Just released a video featuring Kendall Jenner — and it’s a very, very facepalm,” the magazine wrote in a blog post at the time. “Why? Because they decided to dress Jenner in tutus and leg warmers and ‘do ballet’, even though she’s not trained in ballet…the video is a little girl’s nightmare in ballerina-ness. Which, okay, but to our eyes, the whole thing comes across as disrespectful to the artists who dedicate their lives to this painstaking craft.
Over the years, videos for free people, Useless fair (c/o Petra Collins) and Love He drew similar criticism from the dance community. To the general public, I’m not sure if this criticism is patronizing or condescending or silly, but it gets to me. As a ballet student, perfect technique is instilled in you so hard, so often, that when you watch Kendall Jenner do… whatever she does in that video, you’re wired to panic—even if it’s something unexpected. Ten years since your last ballet class
Sandy Liang Spring 2023
Photo: Imaxtree
All of which is to say that it’s refreshing to hear that a designer takes some time before turning a ballet into a salable product.
In response to Sandi Liang’s shoe press release, I had a wall of trauma when I saw her post this on Instagram. It evoked nostalgia rather than anxiety. As a young ballet student, I used to write letters to my favorite company members (ie professional ballerinas) begging for a signed pair of their used pointe shoes. In retrospect, this is a tough one, but every time I received them in response, it was like Christmas morning. (I put them all in a big basket in my bedroom and, no, it didn’t smell good.)
On the stage after her spring 2023 runway show at New York Fashion Week — which included several references to ballet in addition to Mary Jane points — Liang explained how, despite coming to ballet as a beginner, she took time to discover. Things right.
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“I think ballet dancers are so beautiful. My parents never put me in ballet, even though I begged them, but I remember I got a pair of pink satin shoes from Macy’s and they pretended they were my ballet shoes,” she said. “I used to worry about shoes, because when I was a child, I couldn’t understand how they got on the toes and I was always drawn to them.”
A few years ago, Isabella Boylston, a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater (who posts outfits as much as her dance on Instagram outside of work), approached Liang to invite her to one of her shows. Later, Boylston gave her the signed pair of pointer shoes pictured above.
“That’s when I was like, wait, Mary Jane with a real toe, let’s do it structurally, and it really looks like this.” She let me touch the pair she was wearing and, thankfully, Liang’s version is softer and more comfortable than a real pair of sandals, but made very similarly.
Ultimately, getting the shoe just right was a challenging two-year process for which Liang actually sent a real pair of shoes to reference manufacturers. “I really wanted them to fix it up and make it beautiful,” she said. “I worked with a couple of factories before I finally settled on this and I was very new to the game. A shoe guy from the get-go didn’t help me. But I’m so glad I found out how they do it. It happened.”
So are many people, it seems. Within days of its launch, the $495 Mary Jane Points sold out in all sizes and colorways. A representative of the brand confirmed that they will be available for two to three months and that there will be pre-orders “in the coming weeks”. Additionally, the brand’s upcoming shoe launch is likely to see the point shape in new images.
“To me, they’re kind of like forever shoes,” Liang said. “I feel like I’ve always had a point and I want to own that and express it in different ways.” In other words, ballet isn’t just a trend for Liang, it’s contemporary though it may be.
Landfall 2021
Photo: Imaxtree
“I feel like ballet is one of those things that will always be beautiful and timeless, and I prefer to celebrate it as something beautiful,” she says. “It may be trendy and outdated or whatever, but it never loses its charm to me.”
But how does a true ballet dancer feel about the resurgence of ballet in fashion?
“I feel like a lot of fashion designers and pop culture ambassadors, they love ballet as a concept, but they don’t buy tickets to the ballet. And I feel like Sandy took the time to show up and get to know a little bit about my art,” Boylston shared backstage after Liang’s performance. .
“What pisses me off the most is when brands hire non-dancers to do ‘ballet,’ and there are so many incredible dancers out there. So I’ll just say: do your research; stick with actual ballet dancers.”
Simon Rocha Spring 2023
Photo: Imaxtree
As with any property, cultural or otherwise, there is a question as to whether the money being sold is going back into the community. The beauty of ballet can never be compared to embracing the culture of a historically oppressed people. However, like most performing arts, dance companies are not thriving because of Covid-19. The New York City Ballet’s annual Fall Fashion Gala, scheduled for September 28, will be one upcoming opportunity for fashion to help give back. Beyond that, Boylston has a message:
“I love that people are inspired by ballet and I think it almost has this mystique about it, but I just encourage people, if they’re interested in any way, just buy a ticket. Go to the show.”
Homepage photo: Imaxtree
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