A look at its glamorous history, plus an interview with Singapore Dance Theatre’s wardrobe supervisors Florence Sim and Alison Roigard.
The ballet costume is unquestionably synonymous with glamour, beauty and elegance.
The tutu was once an ankle-length skirt. But over time, designers realised that the dancer’s beautiful movement, or dancer’s line, was hidden beneath the skirt. As a result, the skirt was shortened to reveal more of the dancer’s movement, serving to captivate audiences over the years.
The tunic, worn by male dancers, are inspired by the formal garments worn by kings, princes and military regiment lines. Like the tutu, they were also longer and designers have trimmed them for the same reasons.
To ensure that the costumes free the dancers instead of constrict, each costume is handmade and tailored to suit each dancer. The Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) painstakingly creates up to 125 to 150 costumes to fit every dancer, especially for big-time classical ballet productions like Swan Lake and Don Quixote.
The most common fabrics used are silk, satin, brocade, tulle, lace, lycra, chiffon, organza and velvet. They are often decorated with enbellished braid, embroidered crystal, rhinestones or an elaborate mix of everything, to lend character to the costume.
Today, designers such as Christian Lacroix have lent ballet costumes a touch of artistic flair, by bringing to the table his knowledge of haute couture.
Singapore Tatler goes behind the scenes with SDT’s wardrobe supervisors
1. What needs to be done when creating a wardrobe for a ballet production?
Florence Sim: We will first need the cast list to know who is performing which characters in that ballet. For a new ballet, we will need to liaise with the costume designers to be briefed on how the costumes should look and feel like. A costume plan with the specific details of what each character would require would then be created.
And that plan would specify every single detail, from what type of cloth to use, to how many layers of tulle for the tutu, the specificity of the colour and texture, and even the head pieces or jewellery that the dancers will need to wear. The next thing would be to source out the fabric and materials that is required, and decide on what needs to be made first or pre-made by other makers.
2. Where do you go to source for materials and cloth?
Alison Roigard: We source for our materials all around Singapore. From Arab Street, People’s Park, Geylang, Mustafa, and we even go to Johor Bahru (JB). There’s a particular shop in JB where we recently discovered that has a large variety of lace, textures, and materials.
Florence: The price ranges from different sources and quality. You will be surprised to find unique pieces and gems around, and even cloth from Italy that could cost up to $500 per metre! If we can’t find the exact colour that we want, we will have to figure out the proportions of cloth dye, and create the colour.
We also need to make sure that the costumes are top grade, and that it looks grand and beautiful on stage. Because you want it to last, you can’t sacrifice the quality of the costume.
3. How is the process different for classical and contemporary costume making?
Florence: For classical pieces, we will have a plain tutu made, before doing the fitting and the necessary adjustments for each dancer. Once that is done, we will then add the details in terms of the decorations and jewels according to the design.
For contemporary pieces, we will have a mock costume made before doing anything much. Contemporary costumes are less detailed, but they are also more dynamic than classical costumes because there is no specific guideline of what contemporary costumes should look like. So we usually do a mock-up as contemporary costumes are not standardised, and we need to make sure that the costume not only fits, but it is easy for the dancers to move in.
Alison: Each costume is unique to each dancer as they are custom-made specifically for that person. Particularly for ballet, and in Singapore Dance Theatre, the fit has to be perfect as the costume has to be comfortable to wear and dance in.
4. How long does it take to make one costume?
Florence: If there is a large cast – for example the swans in Swan Lake, where a costume has to be made for many dancers – we usually make one costume and finalise that design. Once the first one is out, then copying it for the entire cast is easier. Making the first piece is the tough part.
Right from the very start, it could easily take three months to liaise with the designers, find the fabric, get the approval from the choreographer and designer, and putting the costume together. It does take a few months to make one costume. Of course, we are making all the costumes concurrently.
Alison: And we are usually working on a few performances’ costumes at any one time. So while we were preparing for Masterpiece in Motion a few weeks back, we were also preparing for Intermezzo (Da:ns Festival), and for Don Quixote. So we are always working on different stages for varying items at one go.
Costuming is also more than just a pretty-looking costume, I also have to make the costumes wisely. To ensure that it is easy to put on and take off, as the dancers are often doing quick-changes between items. But it has to be secured so that they feel comfortable dancing in them.
5. What is it like the week before showtime?
Florence: It definitely gets a lot busier. Most of the time, alteration still happens minutes before the show, and even during the show at the backstage. We also have to sew on the spot at the wings if the costume feels loose, or uncomfortable at certain areas.
Alison: Our full-dress rehearsals are usually a day or a few days before performance days, so between the first fitting and the full-dress rehearsal, some of the dancers would have lost weight, and we will have to alter and tighten it immediately. Or the costume might feel comfortable during the fitting, but when they actually dance in it during the full-dress rehearsal, the costume would feel different when they are in movement.
6. Have ballet costume designs or style changed over the past years?
Florence: Contemporary costumes have definitely changed quite a lot in its style, and classical ballet costumes have become more and more intricate and detailed over the years. Designers have developed in their style, and have added more jewellery and accessories. Material has also become of better quality compared to earlier years, so although the current costumes are replicated to look like the old designs, the quality is much better.
But classical ballet costumes always have a similar feel of grandeur and poise. So no matter how costumes have changed, ballet costumes always remain elegant and beautiful in its appearance.
Singapore Dance Theatre will perform its rendition of "Don Quixote" from December 4-7, 2014 at The Esplanade Theatre. For more information, click here.
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