Merchandising Inspiration: Breaking Pointe, Bringing Ballet Back

Words by MPDClick’s guest contributor Selena Marie Norris.

Feature films like Black Swan, documentary First Position, and American television shows like Bunheads are bringing ballet inspired style back into the mainstream. We interviewed Ballet West Principal Artist Christiana Bennett and Demi-Soloist Allison DeBona from the US reality TV show Breaking Pointe, to discuss fashion from a ballerina’s perspective.

On Femininity and Body Image: Christiana: “I think there may be a rise in more feminine, flowing, and complimentary clothing. Perhaps, focus will be shifted to emphasizing the positives of your body instead of highlighting things you shouldn’t. I hope that there will be more trends that showcase long arms and legs, and of course, necks.”

Allison: “Women are feeling empowered. We are wearing what makes us feel confident. We are all unique and beautiful! I hope the trends continue down this path!”

On Hair-Styles: Christiana: “I always try to look professional and make sure my hair is up-swept neatly and out of my face. Stage is more formal and exact so there’s a lot of hair product, pins, and ties involved! Onstage hair-dos are decided by artistic staff.”

Allison: “I have really long, thick hair so I stick to the usual bun or French twist. I don’t have enough time in the mornings to sit and braid and hairspray. In performance we are told how to wear our hair, so we obey!”

Christiana’s Prima Ballerina Bun How-To:

- Start with a ponytail that you can see on the top of your head while your chin is parallel with the ground.

- Gently twist the hair. Without twisting too tightly, wrap the hair around the ponytail, forcing the hair to lie flatter. Do not overlap the hair until the very end.

- Pin to secure.

- Avoid a cone bun. “Don’t overlap the hair too soon.”

- Consider adding hair jewelry, “the occasional twist or braid,” or “a slight side part for femininity.”

- Try wrapping a snood or “hairnet over the bun, then loosen the hair to shape before pinning.”

While the ballerina bun is clean and precise in high fashion features, merchandisers should remember that casual street looks, as highlighted on street style blog The Sartorialist, for this popular summer style show slightly messy interpretations, though we may see more clean lined styles with the addition of headbands going into fall.

Christiana reminded us, “The whole purpose of a bun is to highlight the neck and compliment your profile. Play with the height and shape of the bun to best suit your look.”

There is no word yet if there will be a Breaking Pointe Season 2. Tweet #BreakingPointeSeason2 @CW_network on Twitter.com to support.

Image source, main: Christiana Bennet, photo by Christopher Ruud. Below: Ballet West Principal Artists Christiana Bennett and Christopher Ruud in “Swan Lake.” Photo by Luke Isley.

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This post originally appeared on JULY 23, 2012 in A/W 12/13, AW 12/13, S/S 12, TRENDS on MPDClick.com, a leading trend forecasting company based in the UK.

Updates:

– Breaking Pointe went on to complete 2 seasons but was not renewed for a 3rd season.

– MPDClick.com and Mudpie Trend Journal were acquired by WGSN in 2013. All Mudpie and MPDClick links are now void. A cached copy of the original post can be viewed here.

Words by MPDClick’s guest contributor Selena Marie Norris.