Odette
Final project Year 2, this fully functional classical ballet tutu was inspired by Odette from Swan Lake. Inspried by a 4-day intensive tutu workshop, i was so captivated that i felt enchanted to design and create a full costume to showcase this skill. The piece merges traditional ballet costuming with symbolic design, storytelling, and sustainability. This project marked a turning point in my practice — challenging my technical precision and deepening my understanding of performance costume construction.
This costume reimagines Odette from Swan Lake through a lens of symbolism, tradition, and emotional storytelling. While honouring the classical structure of a ballet tutu, my interpretation focuses on expressing Odette’s fragility, her inner conflict, and the sense of entrapment at the heart of her character.
The addition of a soft tulle veil plays a central role in this narrative. Traditionally associated with purity and innocence, the veil reflects Odette’s naïve, idealistic nature — her longing for love and freedom. Yet it also becomes a symbol of concealment and isolation: she is unreachable, hidden within the constraints of a magical curse she cannot undo. Styled to move with the dancer, the veil shifts between softness and constriction, echoing both the ethereal and suffocating aspects of her existence.
The all-white palette pays homage to classical ballet tradition, while varied textures — satin silk, brocade, net — create depth and richness, referencing the complexity beneath Odette’s delicate surface. Hand-cut feather appliqués add dimension to the skirt, designed not to appear stiff but to evoke the ruffled, organic forms of swan plumage. A single feather in her hair serves as a quiet but constant reminder of her liminal state — no longer fully human, not entirely free.
Every design element was chosen to reflect Odette’s transformation, vulnerability, and lack of agency — creating a costume that tells her story through movement, form, and fabric.
This costume combines traditional ballet construction with couture-level detailing and sustainable practices. The final look was achieved through a carefully planned and technically rigorous process, executed within a tight one-week deadline.
The bodice was drafted and tailored in a single day, using high-quality satin and lined for structure and durability. Boning was added to provide support, echoing classical ballet standards while ensuring a sleek, fitted silhouette suitable for performance.
The tutu was constructed using 12 individually gathered layers of pleated net, creating volume without stiffness. Each layer was hand-stitched and tacked to maintain a soft, airy shape that mimics the feathered form of a swan, allowing for movement and fluidity on stage.
Over 110 individual feather motifs were hand-cut from luxury offcuts donated by bridal couture house Rosa Clará, where I completed a work placement. These repurposed silks, satins, and brocades gave new life to high-end materials that would otherwise go to waste. The feathers were then delicately layered and stitched to the costume, creating a textured, sculptural finish that feels both refined and expressive.
The veil was crafted from fine, sheer tulle and carefully draped to allow for dynamic movement — designed to evoke both wings and the visual language of transformation. Its construction demanded both restraint and precision to ensure it could suggest fragility without compromising on wearability or durability.
Throughout the making process, I applied advanced sewing, hand-finishing, and draping techniques, all while balancing design intention with practical considerations for performance.
Completed in one week, this project pushed me to balance creativity with discipline. I developed my technical sewing skills, gained confidence working with structured garments, and grew in my ability to tell a story through costume. It affirmed my passion for performance design — and my interest in exploring the emotional and symbolic layers of clothing.
