Dance and Fashion

An inspiration in motion

By Condé Nast Archive

By Laird Borrelli-Persson

Christy Turlington in a Jean Paul Gaultier Catsuit, Vogue (1990-09-01) by Arthur ElgortCondé Nast Archive

Fashion’s pas de deux with dance has taken many forms over the years. Tights, leotards, flat slippers, and leg warmers have been borrowed from mirrored and wooden-floored rehearsal spaces, and runways have been enlivened with dancers-cum-models.

Naomi Campbell in a Gray Dress by Azzedine Alaia, Vogue (1987-06-01) by Guy MarineauCondé Nast Archive

Modernism, in general, was immensely inspired by Serge Diaghilev’s multidisciplinary Ballets Russes, whose draw was so great that the likes of Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel, and Claude Debussy collaborated with the troupe.

Models in Yves Saint Laurent Eveningwear, Vogue (1976-10-01) by Duane MichalsCondé Nast Archive

Paul Poiret brought fashion in to the 20th century with innovations borrowed from the performances of the Ballets Russes, like a bold color palette and a fantastical exoticism.

Dancer Karin von Aroldingen in "Firebird" Costume, Vogue (1972-12-01) by Duane MichalsCondé Nast Archive

Unlike his rival Chanel’s clean-lined silhouettes made of humble jersey, Poiret  gilded and embroidered his confections—all the better for a dramatic effect.

Approximately 100 years after this flurry of cross-genre innovation, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri, then working together at Valentino, would channel Diaghilev’s company in their fall 2014 ready-to-wear collection for the house.

Allegra Kent in Lucie Ann Hostess Pajamas, Vogue (1961-11-15) by Bert SternCondé Nast Archive

(Unforgettable, too, was the Irish jig that model Coco Rocha performed at Jean Paul Gaultier one season.)  Designers have found inspiration in the idea of dance and in specific dancers. Here a look at how these types and talents have influenced fashion.

Many designers have become enchanted with the idea of dancers over the years. Geoffrey Beene preferred dancers to models; the likes of Rick Owens, Viktor Horsting, and Rolf Snoeren have sent them down the runways.

Alicia Markova of The Ballet Theatre, Vogue (1941-10-15) by Horst P. HorstCondé Nast Archive

The Prima Ballerina

Her hair drawn tightly back, the prima ballerina is meticulous in her perfection, which is achieved, literally, through blood, sweat, and tears--though one would never know it, so ethereal are her movements—and costumes. (In 1937, Vogue made reference to “Degas and his butterfly ballet-girls.”)

Dancer Melissa Hayden on a Victorian Couch, Vogue (1972-12-01) by Duane MichalsCondé Nast Archive

In her starched tutu, the prima diva is the dance world’s equivalent of royalty and, like one Mlle. Genet who merited mention in a 1909 issue of the magazine, looks like “a child’s dream of a fairy come true.”

Yves Saint Laurent Runway Show, Vogue, Guy Marineau, 1990-05-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Irina Baronova, Vogue, John Rawlings, 1944-05-15, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Alexander McQueen Fall 2011 RTW, Gianni Pucci, 2011-03-11, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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LIFE Photo Collection

Isadora Duncan

Isadora Duncan’s aim, noted Vogue, was to “restore the art of dancing to its Grecian glory.” Rejecting the strict discipline of the ballet, Duncan was a pioneering interpretive dancer. On feet that she described “as little birds with wings,”

Tina Chow in a Fortuny Gown, Vogue (1984-08-01) by Arthur ElgortCondé Nast Archive

It’s no surprise that she favored Mariano Fortuny’s micro-pleated “Delphos” dresses. Other designers who have taken a similarly haute Hellenic approach to fashion include French couturiers Madeleine Vionnet and Madame Grès.

Helen Bennett in Hattie Carnegie, Vogue, John Rawlings, 1938-09-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Jeannette Vondersaar Dancing in Silbley-Coffee, Vogue, Jack Robinson, 1969-08-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Ruth St. Denis, Vogue, Arnold Genthe, 1928-08-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Nadege du Bospertus on Chanel Runway, Vogue, Guy Marineau, 1990-04-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Karen Graham in Zandra Rhodes, Vogue, Irving Penn, 1970-06-01/1970-06-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Marisa Berenson in an Yves Saint Laurent Dance Dress, Vogue (1967-09-15) by Irving PennCondé Nast Archive

The Showgirl

There’s something in the way she moves…. The irrepressible showgirl, whether dancing with Les Folies Bergère in Paris or the Ziegfeld Follies in New York is the embodiment of glitz and sensuous glamour (think Josephine Baker in glittering lamé; Zizi Jeanmaire in Yves Saint Laurent’s fluttering  feathers).

Immortalized in the paintings of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, The showgirl’s also had an impact on fashion, channeled by modern designers such as John Galliano and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Model on the Chanel Runway, Vogue, Guy Marineau, 1992-04-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Jenny Howarth in an Alaïa Dress, Vogue, Arthur Elgort, 1989-09-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Nell Campbell Dancing, Vogue, Arthur Elgort, 1988-12-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2002 Couture, Vogue, Antoine de Parseval, 2002-01-20, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Christian Lacroix Runway Show, Vogue, Guy Marineau, 1990-04-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Julie Kent Leaning on a Scooter, Vogue (1987-07-01) by Arthur ElgortCondé Nast Archive

The Off-Duty Dancer

Long before Alexander Wang popularized the MOD (model off-duty) style of leather jacket and ripped jeans, dancer rehearsal gear was having an impact of fashion. Unlike athleisure, much of which has streetwear origins, the “ODD”(off-duty dancer) look has a different pedigree--the studio.

Jane Fonda made great strides in home exercise in the seventies wearing leg warmers borrowed from barre rooms; and a tap dancer’s shortened rehearsal skirt is said to have inspired Mary Quant’s miniskirts, which helped set off the Youthquake.

Natalia Vodianova Channels Denise Poiret in Dior Couture, Vogue, Steven Meisel, 2007-05-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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Nicole Kidman in Vera Wang Dress, Vogue, Arthur Elgort, 1992-06-01, From the collection of: Condé Nast Archive
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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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