The San Francisco Ballet is gearing up to perform its first full run of George Balanchine’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” ballet in nearly 40 years.
And for the first time for the company the Shakespearean comedy will come to life with costumes on loan from the Paris Opera ballet that were designed by the famed French couturier Christian Lacroix.
The costumes debuted in Paris in 2017 but have never before been seen on a North American stage.
For the SF Ballet wardrobe department working with Lacroix’s dazzling costumes is more than just borrowing clothes.
“A common method to evoke the presence of magic onstage is simply by adding visual sparkle,” said Wardrobe Workroom Lead Wesley Crain. “And these costumes apply that trick very skillfully in the scenes that involve magical elements, by using lots of sequins and metallic patterns.”
Crain said Lacroix fully understands that designing costumes for dance is not the same as designing clothes for the fashion runway.
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“The costumes are constructed with practicality and display a strong, confident color palette like much of his work--there's a willingness to combine colors in a playful and eye-catching way,” Crain said.
Megan Gulla, Head of Women’s Wardrobe, said that in addition to sparkle, Lacroix’s designs help differentiate the characters that are portrayed in overlapping storylines. That’s important when outfitting 100 dancers.
“Lacroix’s costumes make it really easy to identify the characters, which is especially helpful for younger audiences,” said Gulla. “For example, the lovers are dressed in all red or all blue which makes it extremely clear when the couples are mixed up. Everyone gets the humor of the moment because the costumes make the story so clear.”
While the costumes are not meant for the runway, San Francisco fashionistas will see signature Lacroix couture elements sprinkled throughout the show.
“Midsummer” has a children’s cast who dance the role of bugs. Many of Lacroix’s bug costumes feature his ‘le pouf’ skirt—the wide, puffy silhouette that appears to float like a cloud.
