Now nearly 50 years after the costumes’ original construction, the Boston Ballet Costume Shop restores them every time the Company performs The Sleeping Beauty, to return them to the rich, colorful palette Walker intended upon their creation in the late 1970s.
“This show is like my weightlifting show,” said Wardrobe and Costume Rental Manager Heather McLernon, “because of how heavy [the costumes] are.” The heaviest costume, The King’s, she estimates, is at least 35 pounds. This is because these costumes are constructed with the same textiles used in the late 1970s, when fewer lightweight, breathable fabric options could replicate the lavish, Baroque look of The Sleeping Beauty’s 17th-century setting.
Velour and brocade, more commonly associated with upholstery and furniture, appear in costumes throughout the ballet. “Now, if we were to make this same costume, we’d make it different materials that aren’t so heavy but still have the same look,” McLernon explains. “Though they wouldn’t be as rich, I feel.”
This is exactly why the Boston Ballet Costume Shop spends countless hours repairing, refreshing, and refurbishing decades-old garments and their rich history rather than creating new replacements; to bring their living history back to the stage, performance after performance.
Maintaining these textiles is no easy feat, as many of the fabrics, detailing, and materials are irreplaceable due to age. Dozens of boxes sit both in the Costume Shop at Boston Ballet’s South End headquarters, and even more at Boston Ballet’s 40,000-square-foot warehouse in Newburyport. Within what McLernon calls “craft boxes” are scraps of various fabrics, disassembled accessories, hand-painted beads and rhinestones, and even synthetic hair, all from the original production.
“These are old tiaras, or what we call them, dead tiaras,” McLernon says while opening a box within a craft box. “These are things that were remade, but we still keep pieces of.” The Costume Shop “harvests” old materials from older versions of accessories, ensuring their look and design stay the same, while replacing elements that have started to dull, or even fall apart.
Even in the midst of repairs and adjustments, a sense of adoration and care remains constant. Each garment carries its own set of challenges, and each stitcher, draper, and supervisor handles each one with the utmost care. “I love these costumes,” McLernon can be heard whispering when shuffling through almost every rack.
Experience these remarkable costumes on stage in THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, May 28–June 7.
