Today, Design Limited Edition brings an exclusive look at the Ballet Costumes Dior designed for the New Philip Glass Ballet in Rome.
In 1955, Margot Fonteyn wore a custom-designed Christian Dior gown for her wedding. In fact, the dancer and the designer collaborated many times throughout their artistic careers, bringing fashion to the ballet and the latter to the runway.
Decades later, Maria Grazia Chiuri continues the long tradition of synergy between both expressions. Last season, her Spring/Summer 2019 collection for Dior, was dedicated to dance and to several pioneers in the field-those like Isadora Duncan and Loïe Fuller.
The event was even marked by a special performance by choreographer Sharon Eyal in which dancers weaved in and out of the line of models, adding physicality to space already charged with emotion and elegance.
Just days ago in her birth city of Rome, the designer debuted a series of ornate costumes for Nuit Blanche. One of three ballet performances that are being staged to homage Philip Glass, the piece is made in collaboration with Eleonora Abbagnato, director of ballet at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and an étoile at the Opéra National de Paris.
The Dior artistic director collaborated with Eleonora, who also stars in the performance, on the exclusive designs which feature a series of black and white tulle worn over powdery hued skirts.
Like Christian Dior in his time, dance has been a lifelong passion for Maria Grazia Chiuri, who sees the art form, in all its variations, as a liberating gesture expressed through body movement.
The pieces feature knits and tulle layered together on bodysuits and ensembles, while Abbagnato’s design is a full skirt dotted with romantic silk flowers visible between two layers of tulle. This was inspired by the idea of pressed flowers against the pages of old books, a symbolic floral reference in tribute to Dior’s heritage.
Looking at the uniforms, the connection between the ready-to-wear line and the energy of the performance is more than symbolic. It’s a relationship that has and will continue to inspire one another for more years to come.
The Nuit Blanche ballet dancers will also appear in a new Dior advertising campaign, further celebrating the fashion house’s strong connection between ballet and fashion.
See also: Illulian Celebrates 60 Years in Milan Design Week
