Je Veux... J'Adore...: Fashion in Motion: Ballet as Muse

The love affair between the fashion world and ballet, a grand and torrid one at that, shows no signs of slowing.

Though inextricably connected in some way, shape or form, recent years have shown a marked increase in ballet as muse within the fashion industry. Ballet-inspired editorials have been featured quite regularly in various editions of Vogue and other fashion publications, and ballet dancers themselves have even served as models in such spreads, as well as fashion campaigns.

Back in 2009, Karl Lagerfeld notoriously created a custom tutu made of over 2,500 feathers for Elena Glurjidze, of the English National Ballet. 2010 saw the dancers in Black Swan outfitted in Rodarte creations which surprisingly to some, was not the design duo's first dalliance in ballet costume design. Apparently it will not be the last either. In 2011, the New York City Ballet production Ocean's Kingdom debuted, featuring costumes designed by Stella McCartney (not to mention a musical score composed by her father, Sir Paul McCartney). 2012 finds none other than Jean-Paul Gaultier , designing the costumes for Ballet Preljocaj's Blanche Neige (or Snow White), currently making it's North American tour debut. Blanche Neige, a dark take on the already sinister fairytale created by Merce Cunningham-trained Frenchman Angelin Preljocaj, features Gaultier's daring, unabashed aesthetic in the form of non-traditional costuming. Dancers appear barefoot, for the most part, while the wicked Stepmother reportedly dons fetish-inspired wear, including spiked-heel, thigh-high boots and corseted bustiers. Though these are among the most recent collaborations, history has seen many other partnerships between designers and ballet companies, namely Ballet Russe's 1929 production of Apollo (or Apollon Musagete), which featured costumes designed by the one and only Coco Chanel.

View below for Gaultier's designs for Blanche Neige, and for other images of a fashion's romance with the dance form.