What does a ballerina wear when she isn't onstage, en pointe?
More than 73,000 videos tagged "balletcore" on TikTok say looking like a dancer requires tutu-like tulle, infinite hair ribbons, and blush pink leggings. Actual ballerinas and ballet-appreciators say there are more ways to channel a dancer's grace and poise than the balletcore trend. For stars like Misty Copeland and Violetta Komyshan, dressing to sit in the audience is a matter of mixing playful summer tailoring with subtle center stage references—and bringing out their Chanel best.
These dancers were among the stars who gathered in Lincoln Center on Tuesday, July 30, to cheer on five of New York City's major companies—Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispánico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New York City Ballet—at the opening night of New York City's BAAND Together Dance Festival, an annual showcase of the city's premiere dance institutions supported by Chanel. They gave a lesson in dressing for a night at the ballet, the elegant way, at the same time.
American Ballet Theatre star Misty Copeland left almost all the codes of her spotlight costumes behind for the evening. She matched a Chanel puff-sleeve leather blouse with coordinating shorts, plus a quilted double-C bag dangling from one hand. A low bun and dainty stud earrings were the most quintessentially balletic aspects of her look.
Other references to pliés and jetés were kept to a chic minimum. Ballerina-slash-actress Violetta Komyshan paired her puff-sleeve coordinating set with a pair of black Chanel flats resembling the Black Swan's famed pointe shoes. Havana Rose Liu, star of Bottoms and a former dancer, elevated her summer sandal heels with a pink Chanel co-ord including a long-sleeve blouse and tie-waist joggers. The comfortable look felt like a barre-session uniform dialed up by several degrees.
From actress Tommy Dorfman to stylist Beverly Nguyen, the rest of the evening's VIPs incorporated the lightest ballet touches into their outfits: a satin ballet flat here, a hair ribbon there. Stepping away from obvious references—like a ballet sneaker with ribbon ties or a wrap cardigan fit for rehearsal at the barre—reflected the modern costumes their peers wore to perform later. The dancers themselves eschewed traditional tutus and baroquely embellished leotards, instead pirouetting in a range of wispy chiffon skirts (American Ballet Theatre), oversize shirting (Ballet Hispánico), and velveteen unitards (Dance Theatre of Harlem).
An unofficial Chanel dress code wasn't only a sign that the house has supported the BAAND Dance Festival since its first installment in 2021. Stretching further back into Chanel's history, a love of dance is as prevalent as a love of tweed and fine tailoring. Gabrielle Chanel facilitated the 1920 revival of The Rite of Spring, a monumental ballet, and designed costumes for several productions throughout the 1930s. Decades later, former creative directors Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard also lent their design talents to special occasion pieces for the Paris Opera Ballet.
Out in the crowd at Lincoln Center, nods to the balletcore classics were still all over the audience. Little girls wore their finest tutus; twenty-somethings cosplayed as performers in off-the-shoulder tops resembling a rehearsal leotard. And in a testament to both the history of ballet and Chanel's influential designs, even some of the dancers in attendance wore their best ballet flats.
The BAAND Together Dance Festival is running at New York City's Lincoln Center through Saturday, August 3.
