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Ballerina: Fashion’s Modern Muse
A gorgeously illustrated look at the profound influence that classical ballet and the ballerina have had on high fashion
Fashion’s Modern Muse is a revelatory, irresistible treat for dance aficionados and fashionistas alike. Couturiers such as Balmain, Balenciaga, Chanel, Schiaparelli, Charles James, Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent designed ballet-inspired dresses and gowns, many featuring the boned bodices and voluminous tulle skirts of classical tutus. And ready-to-wear designers such as Claire McCardell found inspiration in ballet leotards and other practice clothing, creating knitted separates, bathing suits, and wrap dresses. Written by fashion and ballet experts, the book is illustrated with archival photography by such masters as Richard Avedon, Edward Steichen, Irving Penn, Man Ray, and Cecil Beaton, along with newly commissioned photography of contemporary ballerinas wearing ballet-influenced couture.
Fashion’s Modern Muse is a revelatory, irresistible treat for dance aficionados and fashionistas alike. Couturiers such as Balmain, Balenciaga, Chanel, Schiaparelli, Charles James, Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent designed ballet-inspired dresses and gowns, many featuring the boned bodices and voluminous tulle skirts of classical tutus. And ready-to-wear designers such as Claire McCardell found inspiration in ballet leotards and other practice clothing, creating knitted separates, bathing suits, and wrap dresses. Written by fashion and ballet experts, the book is illustrated with archival photography by such masters as Richard Avedon, Edward Steichen, Irving Penn, Man Ray, and Cecil Beaton, along with newly commissioned photography of contemporary ballerinas wearing ballet-influenced couture.
- GenresFashionNonfictionHistory
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 15, 2019
4 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Mears
19 books4 followersPatricia Mears is the Deputy Director of The Museum at FIT.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 10, 2020
Bought while attending the FIT symposium "Ballerina: Fashion's Modern Muse." I'd intended to visit the exhibition afterward, but it had been a long day, and I put it off. Bad move. Because it was March of 2020 and, before I knew it, the city shut down. So this is the closest I can come to seeing these clothes. (Yes, I know there is/was an online version. But I wanted to SEE THE CLOTHES.)
I'm tempted to quibble over the conclusions that some authors make. Or say that the Isobel Macgowan photos do not fare well in a book full of Avedon, Mili, Steichen, and their like, or that a couple of the contributors will never be praised as prose stylists. But, in the end, I didn't care. Because I can't think of anyplace else where "pretty ballerina" images are treated with such serious scholarship. An example: The way Rosemary Harden's chapter put a new perspective on some very familiar pictures of Margot Fonteyn
In the end, reading this was like going to the ballet. Maybe somebody didn't make her entrance on the beat or somebody else flubbed a step. But if you leave the theater in a state of bliss, do you really care?
Finally, my favorite thing about this book: a dedication to Pat Dokoudovsky. Brava to Patricia Mears for that!
I'm tempted to quibble over the conclusions that some authors make. Or say that the Isobel Macgowan photos do not fare well in a book full of Avedon, Mili, Steichen, and their like, or that a couple of the contributors will never be praised as prose stylists. But, in the end, I didn't care. Because I can't think of anyplace else where "pretty ballerina" images are treated with such serious scholarship. An example: The way Rosemary Harden's chapter put a new perspective on some very familiar pictures of Margot Fonteyn
In the end, reading this was like going to the ballet. Maybe somebody didn't make her entrance on the beat or somebody else flubbed a step. But if you leave the theater in a state of bliss, do you really care?
Finally, my favorite thing about this book: a dedication to Pat Dokoudovsky. Brava to Patricia Mears for that!
February 19, 2021
I read this book after listening to a podcast of the same name on Dressed: The History of Fashion. Although I wasn't fortunate enough to see the actual exhibition at the Museum at FIT in person, this book does a wonderful job of explaining the link between ballet and fashion. Of course, looking at photos in books is not the same as being there to observe the intricate details of an actual dress or costume, but to have the extra text and background of the dress put into chronological and historical context was a definite plus.
The book is a coffee table book, and somewhat awkward to hold and read, but the luxurious paper quality and photos are excellent.
I enjoyed learning more about the history of ballet - how the original ballerinas were treated at the beginning to the celebrations of divas at their peak, to the artist athlete as they are now called.
If a book can send you down rabbit hole after rabbit hole of discovery by mentioning names of ballerinas and designers you don't know, I consider that a good book.
I got this book from the library, but I plan on ordering it to keep as a reference, as well as ordering a book on Diaghilev and the Ballet Russe, and Fonteyn and Danilova's autobiographies.
This book was an escape during the pandemic, just as ballet has been throughout the ages.
The book is a coffee table book, and somewhat awkward to hold and read, but the luxurious paper quality and photos are excellent.
I enjoyed learning more about the history of ballet - how the original ballerinas were treated at the beginning to the celebrations of divas at their peak, to the artist athlete as they are now called.
If a book can send you down rabbit hole after rabbit hole of discovery by mentioning names of ballerinas and designers you don't know, I consider that a good book.
I got this book from the library, but I plan on ordering it to keep as a reference, as well as ordering a book on Diaghilev and the Ballet Russe, and Fonteyn and Danilova's autobiographies.
This book was an escape during the pandemic, just as ballet has been throughout the ages.
July 13, 2020
I found some of these essays more appealing than others, based on my own interests (these cover culture/history/fashion during different time periods and in different countries), and appreciated the gorgeous photos, especially of my favorite ballerinas (Allegra Kent and Tanny LeClerq) - along with the study of the influence of both of these legends on dance as well as fashion.
March 7, 2020
Review to follow
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews