This fall, my Her Campus chapter sent me to see a production of the ballet Jewels at the Boston Ballet. I had never been to a professional ballet before, only musicals and my friend’s local Nutcracker performances as a child, so figuring out what was an appropriate outfit to wear was a little trickier than on other occasions.
Musical theater vs. opera house
While I hadn’t been to a ballet or opera before, I had seen many musicals on Broadway, the West End, and off Broadway. There is some overlap between what is commonly worn at these events, but there are key differences. For starters, while neither of the dress codes are strictly enforced, the semiformal/formal dress code is much more closely followed at opera houses and ballets, as opposed to musical theater showings, where I’ve seen much of the audience in casual clothing. I did not see much casual clothing at the ballet, and when I did, it was smart casual. Another thing I noticed was that there were significantly fewer children and large families at the ballet compared to what I’m used to seeing on Broadway. Overall, the atmosphere was similar to that of a musical theater performance, but was evidently more formal and mature.
a Ballerina’s Take
Before the show, I asked my friend Natalie, who has been a dancer since she was in preschool, for advice on what to wear. She had recommended cocktail, formal, or semiformal attire, and was in favor of the outfits with pencil skirts, fitted sweaters, cute boots, vintage knee-length dresses, and tights as opposed to low-cut tops and dresses, summer patterns, large platforms, or baggy outfits. Jumpsuits, blazers, blouses, button-ups and trousers are also great options if your style is more masculine. The overarching themes in the styles she recommended were evening attire, more on the modest side, age and season appropriate, but still fun and practical enough to walk around the city in.
What not to wear
While there is a lot of freedom around choosing what to wear to a ballet, and it is certainly a great time to express yourself in a more formal setting, there are still some choices I would advise staying away from. As you are attending a traditional performance, athletic clothes, streetwear, and loungewear are not appropriate. I would also avoid wearing clothes that are too summery or daytime. Contrastingly, I also wouldn’t recommend wearing anything overly glamorous, as usually ballets aren’t white or black tie, so ball gowns and prom dresses are typically a little over the top for these kinds of events.
A creative opportunity
While the attire for a ballet might seem confusing or restricting to some, it truly is an opportunity to get creative with your style while under a certain theme. After all, constraints inspire creativity. This is the perfect occasion to challenge yourself with styling a vintage accessory, spicing up your “little black dress,” or trying to style that one dress you haven’t had anywhere to wear yet. There are so many ways to achieve a unique look that is still fitting for the event.
What I wore
I was torn between two outfits: a white turtleneck underneath a fitted black V-neck sweater, paired with white tights, a pink hair bow, and a geometric patterned pencil skirt with silver jewelry and Mary Jane shoes, and a white puff sleeve top layered underneath a vintage knee-length tweed dress from the 1960s, white booties, gold jewelry, and the same white tights. While both outfits were appropriate and got Natalie’s stamp of approval, I chose to wear the vintage dress outfit to feel more fancy.
My experience at the Boston Ballet was absolutely wonderful, and part of what added to that joy was seeing everyone’s beautiful and interesting outfits in the audience. It was a nice contrast from what I’ve seen in Broadway audiences, and it was nice feeling like I fit right in with the well-dressed crowd.Â
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