Why Ballet-Inspired Fashion Sticks Around

DanceHere | Aug 20, 2008 | there are 2 comments

(by Isabel Garcia, from LHJ.com)

As the cliche has reminded you time and time again, "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery."

It's hard to know if younger generations really appreciate the art of ballet. But even if ballet has little presence in your city, you can still find its influence everywhere.

More specifically, you can find it in the leggings, wraps, and flats worn by fashion-conscious women in cities around the world. These styles have enjoyed popularity for several years. And, from what I've seen in fashion previews for fall and even spring, the bend toward ballet-inspired style isn't over.

So, is this love of ballet-inspired fashion rooted in something more lasting than fad and designer decree?

Attire Inspired by the Little Girl Inside

Tights and tutus are the tools of your trade. But to the world of non-dancers, they're the stuff of dreams.

Kristin Aoun of UCLA's Daily Bruin commented on studio dancewear's appearance on the streets. She, through several interviews, decided that dancewear's enduring influence on mainstream fashion has to do with the fact that women, secretly, still hold to their little-girl dreams of becoming ballerinas. "The image of a dancer is so beautiful," one of Aoun's interviewees said, "People want to feel that way."

"People want to look like the dreams inside of their heads, which is what dancers represent," said Kim G, another of Aoun's interviewees.

As a dancer, you probably have received adoring looks from the little girls who admire you because you're a dancer. But many grown women--mothers in sweatpants chasing children, or executives in business attire, or doctors in scrubs--may secretly look up to the dancers who actually live the dream that they held as children.

Putting on a Persona

I would argue that, to some extent, the clothes do make the person. Or at least, certain clothes can influence the way you act while you're wearing them. And this is also part of the reason women love ballet-inspired clothes.

If I wore pajamas to work, for example, I'd be wearing the clothes of a person who should be eating popcorn while lounging on the couch at home. This outfit, and my mindset while wearing it, would make me want to relax, slouch, curl up in my chair.

The same sort of transformation can happen when a woman wears ballet-inspired fashions. When a woman puts on the outfit of a dancer, whether or not she realizes it, she thinks about the qualities that she sees in dancers: she thinks about a dancer's grace, confidence, and poise. And, she adopts those qualities.

A blog post entitled "Ballet Inspired" on A Cup of Jo drew one comment on this topic of attitude and fashion. The reader, with username "Cupcakes and Cashmere," confessed that whenever she wears ballet flats she will "stand up just a smidge straighter" and she can trade in her "usual stomp" for a more graceful "glide." Other readers commented, also saying that they carried themselves differently when wearing ballet flats.

The Comfort of Movement

A third quality of ballet dancewear that makes it show up in everyday fashion is its practical comfort.

As most women know, popular fashions aren't always the most comfortable. Dance wear, however, is designed to allow movement. The women who have traded skinny low-rise jeans and heels for leggings, a wrap sweater, and ballet flats have found that freedom of movement makes any fashion more appealing.

Several of Aoun's interviewees commented on the wonderful comfort of ballet-inspired clothes. "It really feels good," Kim G said. "It makes sense that one would like to walk through life like that."

Timeless Elegance

Ballerinas aren't always flawlessly beautiful, especially after a grueling performance. But nevertheless, people associate ballerinas with timeless beauty. This enduring public impression of the elegant and sophisticated ballerina helps renew the popular demand for ballet-inspired fashions.

The colors of ballet also represent timeless beauty. Feminine pinks, soft whites, natural tans, and sophisticated black characterize ballet dancewear. These same colors have appeared in the wardrobes of women throughout all generations. So, when designers use these colors to create ballet-inspired pieces, they are working on time-tested impressions.

Impact Beyond Fashion

Although you might not design clothing, you can think about how you influence fashion the next time you spot someone on the street in ballet flats.

And, when you're dragging yourself to an early-morning lesson after a late night and an energy-bar breakfast, remember that you're lucky enough to be living the childhood dream of many women who will always admire a ballerina.

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