Queens And The Ballet

Yesterday we had a very exciting day. We were granted special access to the wardrobe department of world renouned Scottish Ballet.

Scottish Ballet was founded in 1978, located in a former Army drill hall in Glasgow. It recently moved to Tramway where £11million was invested in the wonderful new space located in a derelict part of Tramway. I cannot think of a better space for the Scottish Ballet to be located since Tramway is famed as a leading contemporary visual and performing arts venue.

It was the lovely Emily, intern at the Press department, who set us up with this very unique and special visit, and to say we were excited would be a massive understatement. We were positively giddy!

The architecture within the building is beautifully executed, merging many of the old Tramway building with the contemporary one.

We loved the stairwell and the wonderful lights.

This is the set building area - they create all the set on the premises which is a massive undertaking, especially for ballets such as the Nutcracker which is very set heavy.

Now onto the good stuff! The costumes! When we entered the space our mouths dropped open. The costumes are stunningly executed to couture standards in most instances. There have even been costumes which have been designed by the likes of Ben Cho and Jasper Conran.

Our guide, the lovely Emily.

Some tutus in the work area where the costumes are sewn.

When we got into the actual wardrobe department, running our hands through rail upon rail was exhilirating. It was all we could do to stop ourselves from trying everything on.

Many of the materials come from Germany, although even our local branch of Mandors has been used to source fabrics. The thing that really struck us was how contemporary many of the costumes are - you could actually wear them as they are and they wouldn't look out of place.

I had my eye on so many amazing pieces I would introduce into my wardrobe in a heartbeat. My favourite dress was actually very simple, and it turns out it's the dress Cinderella wears when she's in her rags - nuff said!

"Oooh that would fit me!"

"Is anyone looking? I could just put it on under my jacket!"

I could imagine this worn over some leather trousers. There was actually leather a plenty, and the weight of some of the pieces was incredible so the fact these tiny dancers move at all, never mind pull off the kind of elaborate choreography they do, made us realise that these people are more akin to athletes.

Leather and some wonderful cagey goodness!

A sheer hand painted ombre body suit with leather sleeves! Hello!

This could easily be Mark Fast

Military jackets also caught my eye of course.

Queen Marie was naturally loving all the ballgown action and the myriad of colours. It was a feast for the eyes!

Her favourite dress was a mixture of bows and gorgeous muted colours and raw hems.

I think we've found her wedding dress for the day she gets married!

The textures and colours could easily be mistaken for the likes of Marni, Dries Van Noten or Lacroix.

Seeing the drawings then seeing the actual costumes really made me understand just how much the designer and seamstresses interpret the ballet.

Even holding the ballet shoes and realising the sheer strength involved in holding up ones body weight on your toes is deeply impressive.

To say we had a great day would be an understatement. We have a new found respect for the ballet and the process involved in making something so visually beautiful and stimulating on so many levels.

A big thank you to Scottish Ballet, and especially Emily, for making the day possible.

Queen Michelle

Comments

[Steff]

How exciting! I would've snuck out that mouse number with the military jacket top and bustled plaid skirt. Might've even kept the tail on.

[moi]

wow, very cool! You should have taken a big black bag and left with some goodies...thanks for sharing!

[Caitlin]

i heart the scottish ballet. i think they're quite 'in there' with bloggers these days. are you going to see the nutcracker? x

[PonyLoves]

AMAAAAAZING! There have been some amazing fashion/ballet costume collaborations, including Narciso Rodriguez and Gianni Versace. Thanks for sharing this!

[magda]

Wow! So much inspiration. Great posting!

[fi]

amazing!!!!! can you mention the stephen webster malaria no more rings!

[Miss Harry]

I used to dance as a little girl, and seeing these photos reminds me of the excitement of my first ever recital. those tutus are divine, and I love love love the dressed with petals as skirts. I didn't realise I was holding my breath in delight till I got to the end of the post! Thanks so much for sharing these!!

[The Coveted Mag]

NO WAY!
We are doing a shoot for the magazine with some of their dancers tomorrow in their studio!!!!!!!
Great minds, eh?!

xx

[Airam]

♥ My favourite post ever! ♥

You two are the luckiest girls in the world. Really.

[kirsteen]

Oh lovely Emily!

[Sally]

My gosh, you two, what an utterly priceless and unique experience! Every single costume looked divine beyond comprehension, and I'm impressed with your restraint at not stealing them all.

[Isabel]

This is spectacular! I love looking at fancy costumes, so thanks for a peek into the Scottish Ballet!

[Katrina Russo]

I heart the scottish ballet costumes! Thank you for the inside look!

Happy holidays,

~Kat~
@katluvsshoes
http://theshoppingvine.com/

[Green Of Eye]

What a wonderful experience-what lucky queens you are!

If you're still on a ballet trip you should check out a documentary called Ballet Russes-it sparked my interest in it and some of the costumes are breathtaking.

[dust]

Beautiful! Because they are made for dancing, those dresses must be easy to wear, too. It must have been hard to leave them behind, I recon..

[Brandon]

Wow. I don't even know what else to say. WOW! I'm a big, big fan of anything theatrical, and especially dance. What an amazing opportunity for you lucky Queens!! Thanks so much for sharing. GREAT post!!

[enna.]

Jealous! I used to dance with a student ballet company, and my mom did costumes. Dance costumes are so exquisite! Now I'm all nostalgic.

[Shay]

wonderful post, guys! What a visual feast!

[meredith]

one of your better posts! thanks!

[Michelle M]

I never would have made it out of there without being busted for trying to pinch a dress or 2! What a fantastic day! it's like dying and waking up in costume heaven. I only hope to go there when I pass!

[The Starling]

WOW. that look slike such an amazing day...I'd love to get stuck into their costume department - I can't imagine the amount of inspiration you left with. Not such a fan of the meringuey flower dresses, btu the historical ones are stunning. Jealous! x

[Dave C.]

What a treat! There should be more cultural exchanges between the Kingdom and it's neighbours. I really liked that you included some drawings as well - I've been having a bit of a Léon Bakst fad over the last few weeks so this was mighty pleasing! There are too many great costumes to single out any one item, so all that can be said is just... wow!

[Celine]

So beautiful, it reminds me of all my childhood dreams of living in swan lake!!!
I'm giving away some beautiful Kiki lingerie on my blog, check it out!!!
www.thewardrobediaries.com

[Debbie]

How beautiful....

[Carla]

those tutus and feather jackets are amazing!

http://style-studies.blogspot.com/

[FOXYMAN]

oh my god, those costumes!!! how I wish that was my wardrobe

[Bethany]

Have admired/read your blog for a while now and finally this post brought me to come and comment!! Looove all of the gorgeous photos...oh I am beyond jealous but thank you soo much for sharing. I have always been in love with the ballet and think I would prob lose it if I had gone though that place, just all too much with the details in the fabric, beadwork, satin and all that yummy tulle!!

[gwendolyn]

Another fellow childhood ballerina who held her breath poring over the pictures. I gasped at the Cinderella in Rags dress. It looked better held against you (lol in comparison to on the ballerina).

[missmilki]

I am so jealous! I am fascinated by ballet costumes...one of my childhood dream jobs was to be a ballet costume designer...that was after I realised I had ruined my chances of becoming a ballerina by giving up ballet lessons after a year age 5, because we never got to wear tutus! It was always just about the pretty clothes!

[Nickie Frye]

Holy mackerel! What I would give to have some of those items in my shop!!! Amazing!