wwd.com: Say ballet costumes, and most people probably think of tutus and leotards.
If you’re Iris Van Herpen, you think 3D printing, laser cutting and vaporous honeycomb structures.
All of the latter will be on display Wednesday night at the New York City Ballet‘s fall fashion gala, where choreographer Jamar Roberts’ latest work will premiere, with music by Arca and costumes by the Dutch couturier, synonymous with cutting-edge technologies and fabrics, scientific collaborations and otherworldly silhouettes. Five performances are planned.
6 comments:
I think it’s really cool how this collaboration between Iris Van Herpen and the New York City Ballet shows that technology and artistry can actually work together to create something completely new. Iris’s take on ballet costumes goes way beyond the usual tutus and silk. It’s almost like she’s turning them into living parts of the performance. Since she used to be a dancer, it’s amazing how well she understands movement, and that really shows in how her designs flow with the body instead of fighting against it. I also love how she plays with the idea of “chaos and calm” through different materials and textures, making the costumes part of the story rather than just decoration. The honeycomb fabric flowing like a ghost sounds so haunting and beautiful, and the “glitched” patterns add another layer of uniqueness to the design. Overall, this project feels very modern, introducing a new direction for stage design.
Not only are the designs focused on the idea of evoking calm and chaos, but I think that these designs will also evoke calm and chaos within the consuming world, and also for the people watching the show. The collaboration is really interesting in terms of what is being done. When thinking of ballet, you think of leotards and tutus, but this is definitely not the case for this production. The use of technology that Herpen uses to create these pieces really makes the designs what they are. I love how she is using modern-day tech and melding it with these costumes. It also shows that the different textures and materials used are a different way to look at the movement of the dancer, and would be a really cool and different way to tell the story. Overall, the designs of these pieces are really next-level and could shape the next phase of costuming or even fashion.
Throughout my childhood, I have always been a follower of Van Herpen’s career. From her shows that traveled through Pittsburgh museums, to looking at her work in magazines, her shape that she uses for her work is absolutely fabulous. For her to partner with a ballet, the new york ballet, that makes absolute sense. From the looks of what she's working on too, it is very promising. It is typical in her work to really focus on large shapes, but that would be too limiting for ballet. So it looks that she has focused on texture and pattern within the designs to give it that flare. Not only that, but she is focusing on new tactics in order to create these patterns specifically for ballet costumes. This tactic being the honeycomb pattern that was used in her past 2025 fashion line season. The other element here is how tedious the process is with the choice of fabric. Overall, I can't wait to see what this show ends up looking like.
These costumes are amazing! The pictures of the wings are amazing and truly give the feeling that they are floating through the air and that the wind really is flowing through the feathers, giving the vibes that they are light and airy, giving a natural breeze that greatly matches the model's graceful pose. The careful and decorative designs and patterns are really what make these designs so appealing to look at. As a dancer and choreographer, I think shapes are some of the most important details that go into a dance looking good. When I start choreographing, sometimes I like to think about the shapes that are involved and the best shapes to match the story and feeling behind the dance. For instance, circles are smooth and flowing, while angles and sharp edges give an angry and sharp emotion to the dance, so adding these elements to the costumes really illuminates the movement.
I’ve managed a decent amount of high school dance shows, and this is always the first problem to show up- disagreements between costume designers and the dancers. There’s always someone stuck in dress pants, and someone else in pants with so many tassels that everyone else trips over them too, nothing ever starts perfect. Van Herpen's design work is not only incredible by aesthetic, but because she has walked in the shoes of the people she has designed for. She can consider everything so carefully. It’s probably the biggest wall I’ve put up between me and costume designing; making the wearer happy too. Now I’ve heard a lot of people tell me that if the performer doesn’t love their costume, it’s none of your business, but I also come from a program where the beef between performers and costume designers went really crazy. I think any costumer has something to learn from Van Herpen’s designs.
I absolutely love innovation in the dance world. It is rare to come by, especially when it comes to design, specifically costumes. The art form of Ballet at its core is based in aesthetics. I know that costumes within dance are always recycled. Ballet companies always have an insane back stock of costumes they built 30 years ago that they still use. When they do finally design and build new costumes they send their costumes off to other companies that need costumes for their shows. Iris Van Herpen's designs use the silhouette aesthetics of ballet by combining it with modern day fabrication technology. The photos of her pieces onstage have the perfect balance of being something new I have never seen before while also still feeling familiar and not rejecting the classical lines and silhouettes of ballet. The aesthetics of ballet costumes are not for no reason, they need to be malleable, light, and show off the lines, all of which these new costumes still adhere to.
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