admin Unlike previous designer collaborations produced for the ballet, which are envisioned for new works that don’t always have a life beyond their premiere, Gordon’s new costumes (pleated and embellished mini dress leotards in a trio of cranberry, periwinkle, and ballet-pink) will be seen by audiences for every future performance of “Who Cares?”
“The idea of merging fashion and choreography is her brainchild, and it has been going strong for over 10 years,” said Diana Taylor, chair of the New York City Ballet board of Sarah Jessica Parker, introducing the actor and balletomane to the stage. It was just over a decade ago that Parker had the brilliant idea to welcome contemporary fashion design talent to the ballet to whip up costumes for new premieres. Over the course of the initiative, choreographers (like Kyle Abraham, Justin Peck, Gianna Reisen, Sidra Bell) have been paired with fashion talent (Valentino Garavani, Dries Van Noten, Sarah Burton, Carolina Herrera, Virgil Abloh, Christopher John Rogers) to debut new pieces with new costumes produced in collaboration with NYCB’s director of costumes Marc Happel.
“This evening is a jewel within our season, a centerpiece of this 75th-anniversary diamond jubilee year. 75 years for a brilliant idea to grow into one of the world’s cultural treasures,” Taylor continued before welcoming Parker to the stage.
Dressed in a tutu-esque black Carolina Herrera dress with an exaggerated satin bow in her hair that swept down past her hips, Parker then welcomed her guests. She started with a song and then pivoted to prose. “This fall gala is one of my favorite times of the year when a few of my favorite things converge—the fine art of fashion, the metropolis of New York, and the New York City Ballet. It’s been 75 years of extraordinary artistry from this otherworldly company…All of this, so that all of us can experience this collective and magnificent creation that is the New York City Ballet so that we can enliven our collective imagination so that we can pause, together, breathless in wonder.”
Guests also heard from executive director of New York City Ballet Kathy Brown, artistic director Jonathan Stafford, and associate artistic director Wendy Whelan before enjoying the full program and a gala dinner to follow. Sponsored by Vacheron Constantin and Wells Fargo, with additional support from The Macallan, the gala raised $3.75 million—funds to ensure yet another dazzling 75 years of ballet.
