Obsidian Tear, a co-production with The Royal Ballet, premiered in London in May 2016. At Boston Ballet’s Costume Shop, Charles Heightchew, manager of costumes and wardrobe, now faces his own challenge of fitting dancers into the different pieces without making significant alterations.
“We can put some elastic in to make the waist a little tighter, or let out the back a bit to make the trousers a little bit bigger, but we can’t actually cut into the fabric because then it can’t go back to what it was,” said Heightchew. “They’re not traditional ballet costumes, which is good because it gives you a little bit more freedom.”
Shillingford’s selections reflect the duality of the title of the ballet, where “tear” can be interpreted as both destructive and vulnerable. Each piece—from an asymmetric vest to a shirt dress to chiffon skirt—straddles the edge of feminine and masculine.
“I suppose the overarching theme that I was looking at in designers’ work was gender ambiguity—playing with codes of masculinity and femininity and making those worlds collide,” Shillingford reflected. “Some of the pieces, although incredibly simple are quite provocative, perhaps a cut more known to a female garment, but worn on a man’s body for instance or a cut-out that reveals a provocative part of the body. We also used a very graphic color palette; it’s a simple, quite stripped back collection of clothing, but it’s quite loud. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea!”
Spoken like a true Londoner. Yet whether you prefer Earl Grey or English Breakfast, there’s no doubt you will savor McGregor’s and Shillingford’s collaboration.
“I hope that people enjoy watching this collection of clothes in motion and find our overall idea interesting—creating a kind of time capsule with these garments as well as something visually engaging to watch in movement,” said Katie Shillingford. “It’s an exciting and very unique idea which I’m very thankful to Wayne for dreaming up!”
