From ballet to hip hop, dance has been influencing fashion for centuries in a repeated cycle of mutual admiration with designers throughout time like Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Coco Chanel all drawing ideas from this ancient art form. But its not just womenswear exploring the relationship between these two worlds, the SS15 menswear collections could easily argue that dance is now also enticing the boys. Designers like Dries Van Noten, Marc Jacobs and even Rick Owens, have all referenced classical and world renowned dancers like Nureyev, Baryshnikov and Nijinsky as key influencers for their seasonal collections.
But its not just designers who are enticed to the sensuality, skills and discipline that dance requires, it seems magazines have also fallen for the magic with numerous editorials filled with half naked men gracefully leaping across sets showcasing a juxtaposition of new season styles against traditional dance attire. Featuring male models like Garrett Neff and Simon Van Meervenne to the new boys of ballet like Sergei Polunin, Jesse Inglis and Roberto Bolle, fashion seems to be fascinated with exploring the the body in motion. Maybe it’s our longing desire to emulate these otherworldly creatures with their gracefulness and romanticism that has us a little bit infatuated with them at the moment or maybe it’s just because it does take a real man to wear tights… Or in the case of Miami City Ballet dancers Jovani Furlan and Neil Marshall’s fashion debut, speedos.
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