As one of my first Christmas break activities here in Texas, I attended the Houston Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker. As I mentioned in my first post, I’ve been dancing for ten years, and out of every style of dance I’ve done, ballet has always been my favorite. I performed in The Nutcracker just a few weeks ago back at Pitt, which made it even more exciting to watch the professional performance. Connor Walsh, as the Nutcracker Prince, was particularly amazing. I haven’t been so impressed by a male lead since I saw Angel Corella and Sascha Radetsky at the American Ballet Theatre in New York.

H&M dress, Aldo heels, Ann Taylor Loft purse, Giorgio Armani sunglasses

Both dancers and dance-fans alike are embracing ballet-inspired fashion this season. Designers are even creating entire lines around ballet, such as Holmes & Yang, who said in Elle, “Ballet is superclassic, and there are so many rules…But you’ve got to have a little rebellion…you can always tell a dancer by the way she puts her clothes together.”

For those of us who can’t afford a $2,375 Holmes & Yang cocktail dress, bargain brands like Forever 21 are jumping on the ballet bandwagon too.

I will take everything on that display, please! :)

Here are a few more ways to incorporate the beauty and grace of classical ballet into your wardrobe:

Ballet flats, like these perfect ones from J. Crew.

Tulle skirts! Although pretty hard to pull off regularly, it doesn’t get more ballet-inspired than this. The picture on the left is from a December 2010 Self magazine spread, and the picture on the right is Ashley Olsen for the September 2009 Marie Claire. Gorgeous.

For just a touch of ballet’s inspiration in your everyday look, nothing beats a ballerina bun! A little bit of texture makes this style wearable for anything.

Mix pale pinks and peach tones with neutrals like beige or gray for an undeniably romantic, ballet-inspired color scheme.

If you haven’t made it to The Nutcracker yet this year, there are still a few days left before Christmas to make it to a performance! Every major ballet company in America should be performing this Christmas classic, and it is worth setting aside the last minute to-do list to take in a show. Plus, it’s the perfect opportunity to try out your favorite ballet-inspired style!

Love,

Lisa