Flowing ivory tulle skirts and lace black bodysuits filled the New York City Ballet on a Monday evening as Reformation took the stage to celebrate its first collaboration with the ballet. Wearing the new collaboration and dressed to play the part of perfectly curated off-duty ballerinas, guests sipped cocktails by Avaline Wine and Agua Magica mezcal with passed popcorn in pretty little branded boxes.
Veronica Webb, Candice Huffine, Ivy Getty, Leigh Lezark, Batsheva Hay, Micaela Erlanger, and a fair number of dancers and supporters of the New York City Ballet then gathered to go inside the venue for a special behind-the-scenes rehearsal. A handful of ballerinas dressed in their Reformation outfits from the newly-debuted collaboration performed a small section from Serenade (Balanchine’s first ballet he made in America set to a chilling Tschaikovsky score) as a live pianist performed. Wendy Whelan, Associate Artistic Director of New York City Ballet, offered her skilled adjustments and knowledge to the audience, live. “This collaboration was really intended to bring the grace and sophistication that you just saw, to everyone,” she said, after the ballerinas refined their arabesques. “We are so excited to do this.”
The dancers couldn’t stay long–since they all had to be whisked away to get ready for the All Balanchine V program opening the next day (and all the practicing that goes along with it). Each one of them chose their outfits for the night–comprised of the Reformation tulle skirts and bodysuits that so closely resemble their everyday uniforms. As Whelan opened up the floor to questions, guests asked about everything from the longevity of the careers of dancers to the new initiatives the ballet is taking in terms of diversity.
“I think with this Reformation collection, there was sort of the honoring of the vintage aesthetic that Reformation has, and the female empowerment, the confidence building idea at Reformation,” said Whelan, when asked about the ultimate inspiration behind the partnership. “That was built into this, with the idea that people could move in them and feel great in them and that it would have a very feminine aesthetic. I think it’s always fun for us to collaborate, and you never know what you’re going to get. I think that these are really flattering and nice. They look exactly like what we would normally wear, but yet they could wear these on the street and still look gorgeous.”
After the Q&A ended and guests were treated to another short rehearsal from Serenade, the crowd flowed upstairs for glittering permanent bracelets by Catbird and live portraits by Blair Breitenstein, alongside custom sculptures of Reformation’s new ballet flats trailing high to the ceiling. There, the off-duty ballet crowd gathered for more drinks and chatter about ballet and fashion’s never-ending love affair.
