Sigh, there is really nothing quite like ballet. Tonight I was lucky enough to attend opening night of The Jeoffrey Ballet's Cinderella. And it was MAGICAL! The dancing was beautiful, as were the costumes and sets.
The last ballet I attended didn't have a single tutu and I was heartbroken. Thankfully The Jeoffrey did not disappoint and now I can't stop thinking about tutus, tiaras, and glitter, every little girls dream. I felt as if I was watching a Degas painting come to life.
Next stop Norton Simon Museum to drool over their Degas collection! Especially my all time favorite statue, "Little Dancer." I remember as a little kid being dragged from museum to museum by my artistic parents and being enchanted by Degas from an early age. I mean, what's not to relate about his work. I think "Little Dancer" has been my favorite work of art since I was 4 and ballet class consisted of running in circles in pastel pink leotards.
After tonight, I'm also dying to order Harvey Edwards' prints to hang all over my walls. I remember his famous photographs from when I actually started dancing (ie not skipping in tutus but 1st position, 2nd position, plies and grande jetes) as they were hung all over the studio I danced at.
One year I had his calendar and it was BEAUTIFUL.... must find that and save the prints...
Anyway besides reminding me of all this art I liked, Cinderella also had me craving tutus and pointe shoes.
Sadly, I hung up my pointe shoes (Freed Studios to be exact) almost 5 years ago now so neither new ballet shoes nor tutus are quite practical anymore (although Louboutin heels aren't
practical per-say but that didn't stop me... hmmmm)
After hours of exploring sites like Capezio and other dance stores looking for a wearable version of a legit tutu I gave up and wandered over to Bloomindales to see what I could find.
To my pleasant surprise they had quite a few ruffley, pastel and glittery pieces that popped out right away. I really love the first two! Although they look difficult to pull off I just adore how straight out of this version of Cinderella they look! (Well save for the fact that the skirts aren't horizontal but it echos some similar exuberance)
I was also enchanted by Cinderella's white ensemble which just re-ignited my hunt for the perfect white dress, which I have been searching for ever since this song came out a couple years ago... (The girl in the music video is inexplicably not wearing a white dress which boggles my mind, but maybe they had just a hard a time finding the perfect white dress as I've had.... so ignore the girl, it's just the lyrics and the song in general, the music video isn't all that exciting)
However, I feel my luck is about to turn around! Look at these cuties! I want all 3! Especially the Alice + Olivia (center) and the Herve Leger (right)... well actually top choice is def the Alice + Olivia one. Ugh and I love that Shoshanna one too (left)!!! ugh Shopbop just made it so easy, they have an entire "White Dresses" section. Brilliant!
And last but not least, the story of Cinderella wouldn't be the same without shoes!
Since I already own the perfect pair of ballet flats, I thought I'd share them with all of you. It's the Kate Spade Felice in pale blush and it's so chic and sweet. The color is identical to that of ballet shoes but the peep toe and black bow details help prevent you from looking like you've just rushed off stage. And check out those Louboutins!! Now THAT trumps a glass slipper any day! The shine, the sparkle! loves! I die!
Alright, that was a long blog full of tangents and extra thoughts but I hope you enjoyed it! Off to practice arabesques and bourrees (for those of you that don't speak ballet bourrees are shown in the video below and the same user has posted videos for all sorts of ballet moves)
