FEB 18th, 2026
VOL. 013
This interview is extracted from The Wardrobe Collective Volume Two: On Stage, the second editorial edition of the magazine. To access the digital magazine, click here!
If this format doesn’t work, you can read this work on my substack here!
If this format doesn’t work, you can read this work on my substack here!
What is clothing if not a costume? Our perhaps mundane day-to-day outfits are simply the dress we wear for our character. What we put on our body showcases who we are and who we want to show up as every day. If the world is our stage then we are surely its performers.
I have always been fascinated by the performing arts and theatre; mesmerised by costume, colour, stage, and music. Theatre is a world where anything can exist and one where fashion can merge with fantasy in a way so many of us shy away from in real life. The one facet of this rich and magical world that has always captured my attention and impacted my sense of style is ballet.
I, as many young children do, attended baby ballet classes and soon discovered a tenacious connection to the colour pink and beautiful glittery dresses (one that has only intensified throughout my adolescence). I was mesmerised by the music and elegance of the art-form and discovered a great deal of my identity through it. I danced until I was fourteen I will harness a great adoration and appreciation for the craft my entire life.
Dance-wear has influenced my own personal style so much and has weaved its way into fashion trends for many years. Ballet flats, wrap tops, tulle skirts, coloured tights, ribbons, and leg warmers all have their roots in dance. As a fashion writer and dance enthusiast, I am incredibly fascinated by the ways dance (specifically ballet) and fashion overlap.
Furthermore, the style of ‘ballet-core’ has sky-rocketed in contemporary fashion trend-cycles and with almost every popular shoe brand releasing a ballet flat it is a trend that is not going anywhere anytime soon. I am fascinated to discover what dancers actually wear behind the scenes, how fashion intertwines with their work and how clothing and costume allows them to express themselves, move freely, and step into different roles.
This month Birmingham Royal Ballet opened their doors to showcase their newest ballet production: Don Quixote. I was kindly invited to attend the opening night performance and a chance to see the fabulous costumes on stage. Additionally, The Wardrobe Collective got the incredible opportunity to interview two members of the Birmingham City Ballet and the chance to peer behind the curtain into the world of costume design and ballet fashion!
I got to speak with a member of the costume team to learn about what goes into creating the wonderful pieces that we see on stage. To transform a performer into a fantastical character through the use of clothing is an incredible art.
As for the performance, Don Quixote is a hypnotic explosion of colour, material, and movement. The talented dancers performed in vibrant green and pink tailored satin suits paired with billowing capes. The townspeople sported adorable frilly headpieces and twirled in tiered ruffle skirts, brandishing fans and clicking castanets as they performed. Each costume was radiant and dynamic, allowing movement to extend beyond the dancers body and into the fabric of the garment itself. The costume team excelled in creating a wardrobe that transported the audience away from the theatre, allowing the dancers to truly become entirely new characters.
This project was a joy to produce and I am very grateful to the Birmingham Royal Ballet for their kindness and support along the way! Thank you to Hannah and Isabelle for your contribution to my work; you are both incredible.
Hannah Martin, Dancer at the Birmingham Royal Ballet
I wonder if you could share a little of your perspective on the stereotypical ‘ballet’ uniform
To be transparent, when I was growing up, my family found it quite hard to afford all of the ballet bits and bobs. I was always so in awe of the new leotards and warm-ups my friends would show up in, following the latest ballet trends that would pop up from time to time.
My mum, however, being the thrifty person she was, would never let me go without and getting a job lot of 3 leotards for £10 on eBay was somewhat of a speciality of hers at the time.
I think this upbringing makes me more grateful now that I am a professional and am blessed with such a colourful array of dance wear and ballet paraphernalia. I never want to take it for granted, and each stylistic choice feels like a gift not just an expression of my own individuality.
How do you dress for ballet class? What colours excite you, what shapes and materials allow you to move freely, what makes you feel the most beautiful?
At first, I loved wearing super bright and bold colours! Leopard skin prints, bright pinks, you name it! But as I’ve gone on I’ve taken a more neutral approach and actually love beiges and more muted colours (with the exception of my favourite sky-blue colour, or a tasteful deep red). I think this change could be due to the fact that when you are at ballet school you are often only wearing one leotard for a full year (school uniform), so when I first had freedom of choice I think I enjoyed exploring what would suit me and my personality the best.
I find as my dancing has evolved so has my choice in what I wear to ballet class. As I have adopted a more classical style of dance I tend to lean towards more classical cuts of leotards and more simplistic prints as to not distract too much from the purity of the technique.
Every morning I pick out my outfit, and it certainly has to fit my mood. Some days I am feeling more the soft blues, whites or nude pinks, other days I like to go in chic black, often with a matching skirt of choice. I do find that what I wear can affect how I dance on that given day as there is nothing worse than an ill-fitting leotard! After all, it is an aesthetic art form— expressing what you feel on the inside by showing it on the outside, through movement, through emotion, and yes, through costume/outfits too.
In terms of warm-ups I tend to stick to something simple— some trash bag pants and a loose top, or a little jumpsuit with some leg warmers. Warmups tend to go on rotation and some weeks I get in a groove with a certain set of items and then the following week I find something new that I give a go. Most important asset of a warm up, is they must be comfortable, easy to move in, and easy to get on and off.
How has this has changed throughout your dance career? Were there any ‘trends’ you followed or ‘mistakes’ you made? I’m so fascinated by how we all uniquely develop our own style, and I am intrigued to see how this is integrated into a ballet environment.
When it comes to pointe shoes, well… that’s been a whole journey. Pointe shoes are really nothing about style and all about what fits your foot the best and helps you achieve the lines you need as well as the function to be able to do all the twists, turns, and jumps you see on stage. You may have heard that no pointe shoe make or brand fits every dancer, and I can certainly say from experience that this is true. I went through a phase where I tried almost every pointe shoe I could get my hands on to see if there was one that could fit all the necessary criteria. I ended up going with the Freed of London make.
The specific shoe I went with is handmade, so getting a steady stock was also an issue at the beginning as I was trying to figure out which maker agreed with me best (because yes, all the makers at the Freeds factory have a unique way of making the shoe which greatly effects how they feel and look on your feet).
I also have special specifications of how hard I like my shoe, what drawstrings I prefer, and how high or low the vamp (or outer cut on the front of the shoe) is.
Dancers spend their careers looking for their Cinderella slipper, and I even know Principals who still try new specifications, makers, and brands, searching for the perfect match to their foot. I think it is a process that never quite ends, because as a dancer you are always evolving. Stagnation can feel like death as an artist, so as we change, explore, and create new patterns and techniques, we also must have footwear that adapts with this natural shift.
Costume is a huge part of any stage performance. How does this piece fit into the puzzle of transforming from dancer into character?
Costume is something that is like the last piece of the puzzle when you get on stage. You’ve done all the work in the studio, often stared at yourself in the mirror for hours trying to perfect every morsel of technique, and then when you place the costume on it transports you to a different place. It’s crunch time, a time to bring all the work, blood, sweat and tears together, and whatever issues you may have been struggling with before are swept aside as you step into the character.
Certainly, some costumes make you feel more elegant than others. There really is nothing that makes you feel more ‘ballet-core’ then when you get to put on a classical tutu from the dryads scene in Don Quixote, or Mirlitons in The Nutcracker.
It’s the sort of thing you dream of as a kid when the world is your oyster and there seems no barriers to what could be possible. When you look down and see the pulls of tulle and realise that you are wearing your dream, it’s quite a special moment.
Tell me about a stand-out costume you have worn in your career.
Tutus have always had a special place in my heart. I also love some of the contemporary pieces that incorporate more abstract ideas into their costume design.
Luna for example - we had the opportunity to wear a catsuit that made us look like the moon. It was so different to anything I had ever worn! In Black Sabbath Act 2 I got to wear a 1970s inspired outfit which was very different, not to mention Interlinked where I got to mix my love for more beige nude colours with a Giselle like tulle romantic tutu.
Aurora’s friend’s tutu in Sleeping Beauty was also a beautiful costume with its pretty addition of dropdown earrings and a crown-like headdress.
Every costume holds its own story, and my own memories attached to whatever role I was doing at the time.
So more than even the way it looked, I think the emotions attached to each costume and the way I felt within the role is what makes certain costumes more special than others!
What would be your dream role to play based on the costume specifically?
This is a hard one. There are so many beautiful costumes to choose from! I would say if it was based on costume alone - the red dress that Clara’s mother wears in Act One of the Nutcracker is a standout.
I remember when I first saw the production as a student, I had never seen a dress so spellbinding in my life! I also love Kitri Act 3 Tutu with its golden notes and halter neck feature. I also love the flowing style of Juliet’s dress in the ballroom scene of Act One of Romeo and Juliet, the way the material moves makes the already elegant movement look somewhat ethereal!
When in a costume, are there times where it feels more difficult to perform certain movements due to the shape of the garment or any physical restrictions?
I have always been fascinated by the performing arts and theatre; mesmerised by costume, colour, stage, and music. Theatre is a world where anything can exist and one where fashion can merge with fantasy in a way so many of us shy away from in real life. The one facet of this rich and magical world that has always captured my attention and impacted my sense of style is ballet.
I, as many young children do, attended baby ballet classes and soon discovered a tenacious connection to the colour pink and beautiful glittery dresses (one that has only intensified throughout my adolescence). I was mesmerised by the music and elegance of the art-form and discovered a great deal of my identity through it. I danced until I was fourteen I will harness a great adoration and appreciation for the craft my entire life.
Dance-wear has influenced my own personal style so much and has weaved its way into fashion trends for many years. Ballet flats, wrap tops, tulle skirts, coloured tights, ribbons, and leg warmers all have their roots in dance. As a fashion writer and dance enthusiast, I am incredibly fascinated by the ways dance (specifically ballet) and fashion overlap.
Furthermore, the style of ‘ballet-core’ has sky-rocketed in contemporary fashion trend-cycles and with almost every popular shoe brand releasing a ballet flat it is a trend that is not going anywhere anytime soon. I am fascinated to discover what dancers actually wear behind the scenes, how fashion intertwines with their work and how clothing and costume allows them to express themselves, move freely, and step into different roles.
This month Birmingham Royal Ballet opened their doors to showcase their newest ballet production: Don Quixote. I was kindly invited to attend the opening night performance and a chance to see the fabulous costumes on stage. Additionally, The Wardrobe Collective got the incredible opportunity to interview two members of the Birmingham City Ballet and the chance to peer behind the curtain into the world of costume design and ballet fashion!
I got to speak with a member of the costume team to learn about what goes into creating the wonderful pieces that we see on stage. To transform a performer into a fantastical character through the use of clothing is an incredible art.
As for the performance, Don Quixote is a hypnotic explosion of colour, material, and movement. The talented dancers performed in vibrant green and pink tailored satin suits paired with billowing capes. The townspeople sported adorable frilly headpieces and twirled in tiered ruffle skirts, brandishing fans and clicking castanets as they performed. Each costume was radiant and dynamic, allowing movement to extend beyond the dancers body and into the fabric of the garment itself. The costume team excelled in creating a wardrobe that transported the audience away from the theatre, allowing the dancers to truly become entirely new characters.
This project was a joy to produce and I am very grateful to the Birmingham Royal Ballet for their kindness and support along the way! Thank you to Hannah and Isabelle for your contribution to my work; you are both incredible.
Hannah Martin, Dancer at the Birmingham Royal Ballet
I wonder if you could share a little of your perspective on the stereotypical ‘ballet’ uniform
To be transparent, when I was growing up, my family found it quite hard to afford all of the ballet bits and bobs. I was always so in awe of the new leotards and warm-ups my friends would show up in, following the latest ballet trends that would pop up from time to time.
My mum, however, being the thrifty person she was, would never let me go without and getting a job lot of 3 leotards for £10 on eBay was somewhat of a speciality of hers at the time.
I think this upbringing makes me more grateful now that I am a professional and am blessed with such a colourful array of dance wear and ballet paraphernalia. I never want to take it for granted, and each stylistic choice feels like a gift not just an expression of my own individuality.
How do you dress for ballet class? What colours excite you, what shapes and materials allow you to move freely, what makes you feel the most beautiful?
At first, I loved wearing super bright and bold colours! Leopard skin prints, bright pinks, you name it! But as I’ve gone on I’ve taken a more neutral approach and actually love beiges and more muted colours (with the exception of my favourite sky-blue colour, or a tasteful deep red). I think this change could be due to the fact that when you are at ballet school you are often only wearing one leotard for a full year (school uniform), so when I first had freedom of choice I think I enjoyed exploring what would suit me and my personality the best.
I find as my dancing has evolved so has my choice in what I wear to ballet class. As I have adopted a more classical style of dance I tend to lean towards more classical cuts of leotards and more simplistic prints as to not distract too much from the purity of the technique.
Every morning I pick out my outfit, and it certainly has to fit my mood. Some days I am feeling more the soft blues, whites or nude pinks, other days I like to go in chic black, often with a matching skirt of choice. I do find that what I wear can affect how I dance on that given day as there is nothing worse than an ill-fitting leotard! After all, it is an aesthetic art form— expressing what you feel on the inside by showing it on the outside, through movement, through emotion, and yes, through costume/outfits too.
In terms of warm-ups I tend to stick to something simple— some trash bag pants and a loose top, or a little jumpsuit with some leg warmers. Warmups tend to go on rotation and some weeks I get in a groove with a certain set of items and then the following week I find something new that I give a go. Most important asset of a warm up, is they must be comfortable, easy to move in, and easy to get on and off.
How has this has changed throughout your dance career? Were there any ‘trends’ you followed or ‘mistakes’ you made? I’m so fascinated by how we all uniquely develop our own style, and I am intrigued to see how this is integrated into a ballet environment.
When it comes to pointe shoes, well… that’s been a whole journey. Pointe shoes are really nothing about style and all about what fits your foot the best and helps you achieve the lines you need as well as the function to be able to do all the twists, turns, and jumps you see on stage. You may have heard that no pointe shoe make or brand fits every dancer, and I can certainly say from experience that this is true. I went through a phase where I tried almost every pointe shoe I could get my hands on to see if there was one that could fit all the necessary criteria. I ended up going with the Freed of London make.
The specific shoe I went with is handmade, so getting a steady stock was also an issue at the beginning as I was trying to figure out which maker agreed with me best (because yes, all the makers at the Freeds factory have a unique way of making the shoe which greatly effects how they feel and look on your feet).
I also have special specifications of how hard I like my shoe, what drawstrings I prefer, and how high or low the vamp (or outer cut on the front of the shoe) is.
Dancers spend their careers looking for their Cinderella slipper, and I even know Principals who still try new specifications, makers, and brands, searching for the perfect match to their foot. I think it is a process that never quite ends, because as a dancer you are always evolving. Stagnation can feel like death as an artist, so as we change, explore, and create new patterns and techniques, we also must have footwear that adapts with this natural shift.
Costume is a huge part of any stage performance. How does this piece fit into the puzzle of transforming from dancer into character?
Costume is something that is like the last piece of the puzzle when you get on stage. You’ve done all the work in the studio, often stared at yourself in the mirror for hours trying to perfect every morsel of technique, and then when you place the costume on it transports you to a different place. It’s crunch time, a time to bring all the work, blood, sweat and tears together, and whatever issues you may have been struggling with before are swept aside as you step into the character.
Certainly, some costumes make you feel more elegant than others. There really is nothing that makes you feel more ‘ballet-core’ then when you get to put on a classical tutu from the dryads scene in Don Quixote, or Mirlitons in The Nutcracker.
It’s the sort of thing you dream of as a kid when the world is your oyster and there seems no barriers to what could be possible. When you look down and see the pulls of tulle and realise that you are wearing your dream, it’s quite a special moment.
Tell me about a stand-out costume you have worn in your career.
Tutus have always had a special place in my heart. I also love some of the contemporary pieces that incorporate more abstract ideas into their costume design.
Luna for example - we had the opportunity to wear a catsuit that made us look like the moon. It was so different to anything I had ever worn! In Black Sabbath Act 2 I got to wear a 1970s inspired outfit which was very different, not to mention Interlinked where I got to mix my love for more beige nude colours with a Giselle like tulle romantic tutu.
Aurora’s friend’s tutu in Sleeping Beauty was also a beautiful costume with its pretty addition of dropdown earrings and a crown-like headdress.
Every costume holds its own story, and my own memories attached to whatever role I was doing at the time.
So more than even the way it looked, I think the emotions attached to each costume and the way I felt within the role is what makes certain costumes more special than others!
What would be your dream role to play based on the costume specifically?
This is a hard one. There are so many beautiful costumes to choose from! I would say if it was based on costume alone - the red dress that Clara’s mother wears in Act One of the Nutcracker is a standout.
I remember when I first saw the production as a student, I had never seen a dress so spellbinding in my life! I also love Kitri Act 3 Tutu with its golden notes and halter neck feature. I also love the flowing style of Juliet’s dress in the ballroom scene of Act One of Romeo and Juliet, the way the material moves makes the already elegant movement look somewhat ethereal!
When in a costume, are there times where it feels more difficult to perform certain movements due to the shape of the garment or any physical restrictions?
Yes, some costumes are certainly more restrictive than others. The huge Czardas costumes in Swan Lake being a particular highlight with headdresses that are so tall I can hardly get them to stay secure on my head. These big period pieces in the classical ballets are so well designed to the times they were set in. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been back then, as our costumes have been adapted for dance and they already feel like they weigh a ton!
Mazurka in Sleeping Beauty is also one of the hardest roles in terms of costume as our Georgian headdresses are so tall and at times difficult to secure discreetly.
I think this is certainly something you must learn as a professional - never leave any headless mishap to chance - lots of pins and hairspray are needed!
What costume/s are you wearing for Don Quixote? Which one is your favourite and why?
As I said before the Dryads costumes are always quite breathtaking on stage, but I also love the gypsies’ costumes, as they all have a bit of uniqueness and individuality about them! But perhaps what I am most excited for is the halter neck bright blue Kitri Friend costume. It will be my debut of this role, and I lucked out with getting to wear my favourite colour!
What is your relationship like with the wardrobe team? Do you get to be involved in the process of costume design and are the costumes tweaked and tailored to fit you and your style of dancing?
The costume team here are amazing. I remember once when one of my costumes in the Nymph scene ripped on stage, a member of the team sewed me back up in 30 seconds before I had to go back flying on stage. We often have a laugh in our fittings and joke about what we like about each costume, and perhaps what is more difficult from their perspective in terms of the material and makeup of the garment. They are always there to make sure we look our best and feel as comfortable as we can while we are trying to produce our best performance.
Isabelle Homer, Costumer maker at the Birmingham Royal Ballet
When designing a costume for a character, where do you begin and what is your usual process from taking a costume from initial idea to final outcome?
When making a new costume, the design is done by the costume designer who has usually also designed for the set. A maker will receive the design drawing for a character and any reference for the costume that the designer has supplied, and fabric samples labelled for each item or placement on the costume.
For a new show, the maker will produce a prototype of the shape before continuing to make that set of costumes, which the designer will check in a fitting. The maker will then usually have 2-3 fittings with each dancer for this costume before finishing, and will be present for the tech week rehearsal if the designer has any more notes before the show opens. Makers usually cut the pattern for the costume, then work with a team to put them together and do finishings.
How do you edit and tweak costumes, do you develop multiple prototypes for an outfit, will a dancer test out the piece and give you feedback on how it feels when moving?
For principal costumes you might make a couple of prototypes if the design isn’t clear, but usually you just make one and then do alterations.
Sometimes you have to have a second prototype fitting if the design changes or you’ve misunderstood the brief. If there’s any specialist costume items - such as transformation pieces, anything that gets taken off on stage, or items that might constrict movement or visibility such as heads or stilts - the dancers will get lots of rehearsal in the studio with those items.
How has this process changed throughout your career?
Since becoming an in-house member of staff at the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the process is a little more fluid than when freelancing. When you freelance as an outside maker you come into the company and have all fittings in one day, which you do 2-3 times.
As an in-house person, it’s much more flexible around mine and the dancer’s schedules, so I might not see everyone in the same week.
I’m also doing a lot less making from scratch here, and refitting costumes that dancers have worn in previous runs of a production, so there has to be time allotted for maintenance and repairs.
What are your favourite materials to work with, and why do you like these in particular?
Silk organza and crepeline.
I love silk organza because it is so useful in many applications. It has a really great smooth and strong structure when unwashed while also having transparency, so it can be used to add body to skirts, makes a beautiful top skirt and is also used to make headdresses and decorative motifs - it’s very easy to work with.
Crepeline is very hard to work with but the effect it gives is very special. It’s a very wobbly and unstructured fabric, with a beautiful floating movement, almost completely transparent and it distresses in a gorgeous way. It’s used for the top three layers of our snowflake costumes and that’s what gives them the airy movement in the skirts.
Could you give me a few examples of the costumes you have created for Don Quixote and examples of how you have taken a character and transformed their story and emotions into clothing?
As a freelancer I worked on the team at Parkinson Gill Costumiers to make the costumes for Kitri and Mercedes in 2021-2022 which was a wonderful experience. I also designed the gold embroidery for the Act 3 costumes for Kitri and Basilio.
Recently, I’ve had first fittings with Tim Hatley, the designer for Don Quixote, for the new costumes that I’ve cut for the Rascals. We spent time with each rascal costume making sure that they showed that they’re raggedy street urchins, using scraps and rags to patch the costume. We agreed that the costumes will be distressed and painted to make them look worn and dirty. Now that the initial patterning has been completed and design features set, the costumes are being sent to a local maker for finishing. The dyeing and finishing have been made possible through generous donation from the public through The Big Give.
Please could you talk a little about a stand-out costume you have made in your career?
There’s a lot to choose from! My favourite costumes that I’ve made for the Birmingham Royal Ballet are probably the snowflakes for The Nutcracker, for which I was on the team at Parkinson Gill as one of Jane Gills’ assistants.
We finished those costumes to a really high quality that I’m very proud of, and I love seeing them come out every year - the quantity of them is quite overwhelming to see them all. Jane cut the pattern, and I then cut them out of the fabrics and got them ready for first fitting, altering each bodice to bespoke standard before first fitting for each girl. It felt great to be involved at every step of the process.
What is the most important thing for you when it comes to designing and creating a costume?
It’s important for me to successfully deliver a marriage between the designer’s vision and practicality for the dancer. The closer I can get to the design drawing in all its detail, while also allowing the dancer full range of movement and comfort, the happier I am.
The wardrobe for a performance is a crucial element to creating the fantasy we see on stage, please could you speak a little on how it feels to be part of the team behind this magic?
It will never stop being exciting seeing costumes that I’ve made on stage! I feel very lucky to be in this position working creatively on shows that I’m passionate about.
I don’t work directly backstage on the shows either- there’s a full team of people that prep and maintain the costumes during the run, do quick changes and laundry. Their jobs are so much more fast paced and reaction based. It’s lovely to be a part of a team which is so varied in skill and experience- we’re all constantly learning from each other- and they’re also just a lovely group of people to work with every day.
In your personal experience, how has fashion, clothing, and costume shaped who you are?
I went to London College of Fashion for university which was quite formative - I did the Costume for Performance course there which I loved. I found it exciting to see what people would wear around the buildings while I was there.
I’ve always been someone who dresses quite plainly, and most of my creative energy goes into work. I’m much more partial to a plain white shirt with a red lip than anything too much. I actually hate ironing my own clothes!
Has costume always been your passion and why do you prefer it over creating clothing for ‘day-to-day’?
As a child I used to obsessively watch the behind-the-scenes features on DVDs like Pirates of the Caribbean or Lord of the Rings. I loved that the artistic teams could create a fantasy world completely different from our own. If I wasn’t in costume I’d probably still be making some fantasy furniture or working in an art department for a film.
Costume for me is much more about transportation to a different character in a different place rather than making the clothes themselves so I very rarely make ‘human clothes’.
When I work in a team I can always tell which one of a set of costumes I’ve put together but don’t think I’ve found my style yet as a cutter. I’m sure it’ll be heavily influenced by Jane and Suzanne at Parkinson Gill, as they’re who I learned from, and I’m excited to see where my career takes me in that direction.