Darling, have you noticed how absolutely breathtaking costumes are becoming on the worldâs stages? Iâm so excited, because this season is bursting with all things dramatic, bold, and undeniably fabulous. Weâre not just wearing costumes anymore, darling, weâre wearing art - a statement! And you just *know* how much I adore that! I mean, you look fabulous in a simple tutu - but the world of dance has elevated this season - and I adore every single dramatic minute of it. And oh! You absolutely must see the amazing things designers have done! Let me tell you all about it...
London
The first stop, darling, is always Londonâs Royal Ballet. A beautiful, historic, and deeply moving tradition. And what they did this season was positively magical! Oh my goodness - such exquisite detail! Weâre talking a **new âSwan Lake**â, a breathtakingly dreamlike experience in a sweeping story of tragic beauty. The Swan Queen looked ethereal in her **sparkling, ethereal tulle** costumes - absolutely divine, you could just imagine her gliding through the air! And her darker half, the Black Swan, was utterly spellbinding. **Gossamer, dark and deep,** with black lace and feathers creating such drama, it's the most hauntingly beautiful contrast, a captivating reminder of love lost and regained. **You have to see this for yourself!** The male costumes, my dear, have a new lightness in them too, **not a single tight in sight**. Let's call it âa beautiful new lightness for the ballet boysâ! So much grace and refinement - a delightful trend!
Paris, darling, oh Paris. Always a true style icon. **This seasonâs ** âLa Sylphideâ was simply breathtaking. Such an ethereal quality! The Sylphides float through the air like silk spun from starlight. Imagine it: **a delicate cream chiffon tutu with a light, billowing skirt, and intricate beaded embellishments on a bodice - so dreamy and light, a true embodiment of the mystical fairy spirit.** It made the hearts of every ballet dancer soar - you really felt like you could fly in those tutus. This, my dears, is why Paris is such an influence - simply elegant and dreamy, it makes the stage glow! The dancers are breathtaking too - and that beautiful combination of costume and performer - an artistry so incredibly beautiful, you find yourself caught in a web of beauty - a wonderful sense of delicate loveliness. It's worth crossing the English channel, I'm telling you!
New York, New York
Now, darling, who could possibly forget **The New York City Ballet?** The boldest and most thrilling costumes you've ever seen! If London was an enchanted fairy tale and Paris, an elegant dream, then New York is the ultimate dramatic spectacle. And don't get me started on the **new âThe Firebird**â. A firework of a costume! What you get here, is a **stunning, glittering tapestry, with bursts of colour in swirling patterns, like an inferno painted on the stage. ** This is truly dramatic costume design, darling - it truly brought the Firebird to life. Bold and boldly confident! This is dance at it's most glamorous, it just made you gasp! Of course, New York being New York, they never miss a beat and you just know they will have the most incredible makeup for this production too! A total smokey eye that would make your jaw drop! And we have to talk about **that finale costume**. This **show-stopping costume of scarlet red**, with a trail of flames on her skirt! It is utterly brilliant.
And oh, the costumes in the new âJewelsâ - my word, utterly dazzling! A dazzling explosion of color - **every colour of the rainbow.** The ballet is in three parts - and each part had a costume that just stopped the breath, with every dancer embodying the colors in a way that was both exciting and emotional! These were more like **living sculptures,** with **perfectly coordinated colour palettes** creating beautiful art forms that will remain imprinted in your memory long after the curtain drops.
Milan, Italy. Ah! I have to say - **the Italians understand drama!** **They always push boundaries** and I adore them for it. Their interpretation of the famous âDon Quixoteâ was a revelation - a triumph! My darling, the costumes were just unbelievable. **They've reimagined traditional Spanish style and just added more **. And more**! I just loved the amount of detail on the costumes - it was like looking at a piece of artwork. **A thousand shimmering gold beads, the red tassels of the bullfighter, the black silk of the dancing gypsies - it's so intoxicating and passionate**! You can feel the energy in the air when they dance on stage. Milan, as always, understands the beauty and passion of the Spanish style!
Tokyo, my dear - Japan - the Land of the Rising Sun. The stage designers in Tokyo really know how to push boundaries - they understand how to use the power of color and movement to tell a story. One example, their new interpretation of âGiselleâ was amazing! The Giselle costumes had a real **goth vibe,** but **in a beautiful, refined Japanese way. It's the perfect balance between darkness and delicacy.** A delicate white tutu adorned with beautiful, dark grey accents and **ethereal ribbons flowing in the air, like whispers in the dark**, making you think of the mysterious and powerful spirit of the forest. Itâs **elegant, but with a haunting edge** and it adds an entire new depth and beauty to the production.
And for a final thought - I just want to share the one thing that has truly struck me about this season - the costumes!
Each costume this season has become more than just clothing it has been designed as a part of the dance!
You can tell, just by looking at a costume, the story that it is going to tell, the mood it will create. And that is what I find so incredibly exciting about dance this season. The costumes have become more powerful, more dramatic and have given more power to the dancer to convey the emotion of the story - the costumes truly enhance the dancer's performance.
And my darling - I'm so excited for the next season, for the continued creative exploration and breathtaking pieces we are going to see on stages around the world. **And I just canât wait to share it all with you next season, my darlings. **.