Balletcore takes the clothes dancers wear to rehearse (wrap cardigans, leotards, leg warmers, tights, soft shoes) and turns them into everyday fashion. It is soft, pale and graceful, with a hint of discipline underneath. Between 2022 and 2024 it moved from Pinterest boards to the most influential runways in the world, and it made the humble ballet flat the shoe of the moment again.
What is balletcore?
Balletcore is a romantic, feminine aesthetic inspired by ballet: not the costumes of the stage, but the layered, practical wardrobe of the studio. Think fitted wrap tops, bodysuits, knitted shrugs, tulle and chiffon skirts, slouchy leg warmers, sheer tights and, above all, ballet flats with satin ribbons. The colours are pale: blush, cream, powder pink, grey and black. The hair is a neat bun. The mood is graceful, quiet and a little nostalgic.
Where it came from
Ballet has influenced fashion for a long time. In 1947 Rose Repetto began making dance shoes in Paris for her son, the choreographer Roland Petit; in 1956 she created a ballet flat for Brigitte Bardot to wear in And God Created Woman, and the shoe became a style icon. Audrey Hepburn, a former ballet student, made flats and slim black clothes part of her signature look. In the 1980s, Fame and Flashdance brought leg warmers and leotards to the street.
The modern wave began around 2022. Miu Miu’s Spring 2022 show featured satin ballet flats that quickly became one of the most wanted shoes of the year. Sandy Liang’s bow-trimmed flats, Simone Rocha’s tulle, and later Alaïa’s mesh ballet flats followed, and “balletcore” spread across TikTok and Pinterest. Leg warmers, wrap cardigans and bun tutorials became everywhere content.
The codes
- Clothes: wrap cardigans and shrugs, leotards and bodysuits, tulle and chiffon skirts, slip skirts, knitted shorts, off-the-shoulder tops.
- Accessories: ballet flats (satin, mesh, bow-trimmed), leg warmers, sheer or pink tights, satin hair ribbons.
- Colours: blush pink, ivory, powder blue, grey and black.
- Beauty: a sleek ballerina bun, rosy cheeks, light make-up.
- Labels most associated with it: Repetto, Miu Miu, Sandy Liang, Simone Rocha, Molly Goddard, Alaïa and Danskin.
See the mood
IMAGES: PINTEREST. TAP ANY IMAGE TO SEE IT ON PINTEREST AND ITS ORIGINAL SOURCE.
The references
Art: Edgar Degas’s paintings and pastels of dancers in rehearsal, many of which are now freely viewable in museum collections.
Film: The Red Shoes (1948), Center Stage (2000), Black Swan (2010), and documentaries about the Royal Ballet and New York City Ballet.
People: Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn and real dancers on Instagram, whose rehearsal outfits are often the purest form of the aesthetic.
Why it caught on
Balletcore combines comfort with elegance. After years of trainers and sweatpants, it offered soft, stretchy clothes that still felt graceful. The ballet flat was a practical alternative to heels. And the aesthetic tapped into the Pilates and wellness boom, where athletic clothes became daywear. It also fit neatly beside the coquette trend’s love of bows and pink.
The debate
Many dancers had mixed feelings. Some were delighted to see their world celebrated; others pointed out that ballet involves gruelling physical work, injury and low pay, which the aesthetic glosses over. Ballet has also long struggled with harmful body ideals and a lack of diversity, and some worried that the trend romanticised extreme thinness. The second video below, from a ballerina, offers a thoughtful view from inside the studio.
Where it is now
The peak of balletcore was 2022 to 2024, but the ballet flat has firmly returned as a classic, now in mesh, leather, satin and even sporty hybrids such as ballet-style trainers. Wrap cardigans and leg warmers come back every winter. Balletcore has become less a trend than a permanent strand of soft, feminine dressing.
Related aesthetics
Coquette · Clean Girl · Vanilla Girl · Cottagecore
Learn more: hear from more voices
A fashion historian’s explanation of the ballet trend, and a dancer’s honest take on balletcore.
Sources: Repetto company history; coverage of balletcore and the Miu Miu ballet flat (2022–2024). Videos are embedded from YouTube and remain the work of their creators.
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