Ballet Russes

The trip started at 7:30AM(I had to get out of the house at 6AM coz i live far away :( it was not the best morning of my life.) and the bus ride took 4hours to Canberra and 4hours back to Sydney. However, the excursion to see the Ballet Russes exhibition was amaaaazing!!!
The costumes were so intriguing and the details/techniques used on the garments were exquisite.
Each garment told a different story and even by simply looking at the costume, we were able to sense what character it was because the representation was so well done.
From the exhibition, the three garments i chose to focus on were Costume for the Countess, Costume for an Oriental Dancer to the Queen of Shemakhan and Costume for a male guest.


Costume for the Countess
This costume was in Les Tentations de la Bergère (The temptations of the shepherdess) produced by Les Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev. The story: A shepherdess is courted by a lord. However, she prefers the attentions of the local shepherd to the nobleman. The ballet ends with the king, agreeing to the shepherdess and shepherd’s marriage union.
The deep navy colour of the velvet dress, and the elegant long cape that trailed at the back was what drew my attention to the garment. For the bodice, skirt and cape; silk, cotton, metallic braid and lamé were used. Applique was the technique used throughout this garment and there was a zipper down the centre back, allowing the wearer to easily fit into the clothing.


Costume for an Oriental Dancer to the Queen of Shemakhan
This costume was within Le Coq d’Or (The golden cockerel) produced by Les Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev. The story: An astrologer catches and enchants a golden cockerel which he presents to King Dodon, who in turn promises anything the astrologer desires. As the King sleeps, the cockerel watches over the city waking Dodon, to alert him of danger. The King then sends both his sons to war. The cockerel again wakes Dodon, this time the King himself goes to war, to find both his sons dead on the battlefield. This grief is short-lived as he falls in love with the Queen of Shemakhan, whom he marries. As the astrologer asks for the Queen as his promised gift, Dodon refuses and beats the astrologer to death for his impertinence. The cockerel then swoops down and strikes the King on the head, killing him, and magically the Queen and the cockerel disappear. The astrologer then comes back to life to explain the moral of his tale.
 The lined pattern on the fabric which was draped over really stood out to me. The light colour combinations of purple, pink and navy was an interesting mix.  Acetate taffeta, cotton, felt, paint, braid, and metal fasteners were used to create the garment. Layering and gathering is used to create a peasant-like look.


Costume for a male guest
This garment was within Le Bal also produced by Les Ballets Russes de Serge Diaghilev. The story: A young man, dressed as a military officer, attends a masked ball where he meets a beautiful masked lady accompanied by an old astrologer, and falls in love with her, even as she flirts with his rival, a young Italian man. While overseen by the ballroom’s giant classical statue, which is possessed of magical powers, the sylphides mischievously dresses to imitate the couple in order to confuse their suitors. The young man finally persuades the lady to remove her mask and is dismayed to see her as an old woman. He tries to leave but she pursues him, and as the ball ends the old woman leaves on the arm of the astrologer. As she passes the young officer she and the astrologer both remove further masks, revealing them as a beautiful young couple. Attempting to follow them, the dazed young officer is held back by the statue to contemplate his behavior.
The colour combination of an orangey-brown, light khaki green, black and ivory, was what grasped my attention, and the boldly painted patterns made it even more intriguing.
For the dickey, jacket and trousers; wool, cotton grosgrain, rayon ribbon, linen, Bakelite, and paint were used.