Tutu Reimagined

Overview

How much do you know about the tutu, the fitted bodice and round skirt combination that ballerinas wear? Well, you know that. You might not know that they were designed to promote maximum movement while exposing fancy footwork. And they debuted back in 1832 in Paris, making them almost 200 years old.

Over those two centuries, they've become an icon of the ballet world, with dancers and audiences alike accustomed to seeing them in pale, single shades. If you've ever wondered what a different take on the tutu would look like, now you can find out. That's the task the Australian Ballet charged the nation's top designers with for a one-off Sydney performance in 2003 — but a great item of clothing never goes out of fashion.

QUT Art Museum are bringing these timeless garments to Brisbane, including creations by Akira, Collette Dinnigan, Dinosaur Designs, Easton Pearson, Alex Perry, Sass and Bide, Scanlan and Theodore, Harry Seidler and Tigerlily. Here, dance meets design in the most stunning, stylish way, and a romanticised costume gets reinvented.