THE BALLETCORE PHENOMENON

Thanks to the mainstream rise of “TikTok aesthetics”, getting dressed ideals have gone through novel addendums that have normalized cosplay’s inclinations to embody a vibe through targeted looks. Among the most recent to captivate the fancies of fashionista circles are the markers of the balletcore trend – a trend which basically plays up the basics in ballerina wear as everyday wear.

As hinted in its name, balletcore entails the “everyday-fication” of the tutu – a dress that’s worn in classical ballet performances – and traditional dancewear items like dance belts, legwarmers, unitards, leotards, tights and dance shoes.

More than a dress worn by ballerinas, the tutu was designed to allow dancers freedom of movement, while its overall aesthetic enhances the fluidity of motions and dance movements. This aspect to the dress is embodied in balletcore without being overtly literal in doing so, and makes it distinct from the hybrid candidness of athleisure styles.

Though the trend can’t be described as something new, the fashion sphere’s renewed interest in it is tied with Gen Z’s obsession with 90s nostalgia and the disruptive-but-progressive culture that’s definitive of the Y2K era.

Called by other names in the past (it was, at one point, referred to as the “off duty dancer” look in the 2000s), its current iteration still stands by the precepts of femininity, body, movement and comfort that put it on the map – only different in that it has been upscaled to work with athleisure-tinged off-the-rack pieces which wearers can mix and match to pull off.

Here are takes on how fashion influencers have been channeling their inner-ballerinas with items that you can pull off with those which you may already have on hand.