elmidae gets it right

long time readers may remember one of my serious fashion pet peeves- fashion stylists who try to create a "ballet" inspired look using models.

you can read about some more and less successful iterations thereof.

refinery 29 recently did a feature on a chicago designer who blends the best of both worlds perfectly....

here are a few images pulled from elmidae's spring lookbook:

(photos courtesy of refinery 29 / elmidae)

the model is clearly either a dancer, or someone who has spent plenty of time en pointe*.

i love how the photographer has done a great job at showing off the clothing, the styling, and the quirkiness of the girl's gesture....

i love that they stylist didn't try to make her look like a ballerina, but just used her training as reference, and used the idea of ballet in a very modern way.

bravo, elmidae! a very nice job at something that is very hard to achieve!

*wow, i just found this amazing image of what it's (kinda) like to be en pointe:

(photo courtesy of the fallout girl)

you can probably get a pretty good idea why most models wouldn't be quite read for this kind of torture, just to get a legit looking shot for a fashion shoot!

and boy oh boy, does it make me glad i gave up dancing when i did!

huge huge fashion pet peeve

as i've mentioned before, i spent most of my school years studying very seriously to become a professional ballet dancer...

like a lot of girls, when i got to be able 16 or 17 i realized that the likelihood of having a successful career in ballet was looking pretty slim, and that the other parts of life that i'd been missing out on were looking pretty good. i quit dancing, and have never regretted it.

but all of that training has left me with a huge pet peeve that comes up with regularity in fashion ads and editorials:

the non-dancer, styled to look like one.

yes, many fashion models are thin enough to fit into some of the same clothes as ballet dancers. generally, that is where the resemblance ends. dancers train for many many years to have the posture, flexibility, musculature and grace that they do.

most models skulk around town with some of the worst posture you've ever seen.

they just don't hold themselves like dancers.

here are a few images from a recent photo shoot featuring lingerie by john galliano, which highlight this perfectly (pay particular attention to the shoes):

(photos via stop stealing my look)

if you want a girl that looks comfortable in pointe shoes, then hire a dancer. or at the very least, a model who has SOME dance training.

pointe shoes aren't meant to fit anywhere nearly like street shoes. and they're incredibly uncomfortable. these are clearly too big on her, and are flopping around as if her foot is about to fall of her leg. it's terrible.

i know that stylists and editors will never stop requesting these kinds of shoots, so it's something i'm going to (continue to) live with....

but i'm not promising that i won't write another rant on it here.