Style of the era and haute couture: theater workshops are preparing for the premiere of the ballet “Karenina”

At the end of the week, the long-awaited premiere of the ballet KareninA, staged by the famous choreographer from St. Petersburg, the Honored Artist of Russia Vera Arbuzova, will take place. The ballet based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy with modern choreography will close the theatrical season at the Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theater.

About 200 costumes for the actors have been made in the theater workshops, and the final fittings are underway. The Production Designer Violetta Zhigalina, working on the collection, attentively studied the gallery of the costumes described by Tolstoy, so that she could create the artistic images of the performance. The main characters of the novel belong to the high society, and the twists and turns of their lives unfold in parlors, in theater boxes, at races, and abroad. So they can all afford to dress fashionably.

Speaking about the aesthetics of the costumes created for the ballet, the artist noted that she drew inspiration from famous designers of the early 20th century, when women's fashion moved away from crinolines and corsets, but however it retained femininity and silhouette. This is precisely why the ballerinas’ costumes will not look like huge multi-tiered cakes, there will be no abundance of ruffles, puffs, bows, and lace. But herewith, elegance and exquisiteness will refer to the work of the fashion houses of Christian Dior and Roberto Capucci.

The main character alone will change six costumes during the performance. Sofia Romanova, one of the ballerinas who perform the role of Anna Karenina, noted at the fitting that the elegance and features of the silhouette will enhance the impression of the arabesque, jump, and spectacular supports. She also stressed that the costume and hairstyle helped the artists to get into the role as much as possible.

If Karenina's everyday St. Petersburg dresses are restrained in color and correspond to the weather of the Northern Palmyra, her appearance at the opera in Rome should be luxurious: he wears an elegant flowing ochre-colored dress, decorated with hand-made embroidery, sequins, and beads.

The costumes of the male dancers are represented by elegant tailcoats, satin shirts, uniform dress coats with epaulettes, and luxurious silk dressing gowns of the main character's husband.

All costumes will become an important part of the psychological portrait of each character, whether it is a participant in a love triangle or a soloist of the corps de ballet. On June 21, 22 and 23, the audience of the performance will not only take part in dramatic events, but will also feel the style of the epoch, when appearance and clothes determined a person's position in society and their social status.