Never a Dull Moment: Bodices

"Delphine" bodice for Sugar plum fairy designed by Scott Dolphin www.scottdolphinstudio.com

Ballet bodices are different from dress bodices for several reasons: they have to provide enough room for a dancer to move in, they have to withstand body heat and sweat, they need to fit like a glove and they have to provide firm support, especially if the dancer is partnered. At the same time, the bodice of a tutu needs to look stunning and to compliment the dancer's figure.
Unlike a regular dress bodice, the side panels must be cut on the bias, to create enough room for the dancer to move. The lining on a ballet bodice is added, not for comfort or to finish the inside of the bodice, but for strength and stability.
Ballet bodices also need good quality boning, to provide the dancer with the support she needs and to create the smooth tight fit. The best type of boning for ballet is spiral steel boning, because it bends in four directions, and re-shapes to whom-ever is wearing the bodice. Boning should only be added to the front and sometimes the side of the bodice but never to the back so that the dancer can move freely. If boning is added correctly, it should not poke or pinch and be very comfortable. If in doubt it is worth the extra time and money to put it in. Nothing is more distracting for (male) audience members than watching a dancer, bounce her way through a performance, and leave you wondering when (not if) there will be a Janet Jackson "wardrobe" malfunction".
Decorations should be added on a so-called "overlay", which can be removed when laundering the bodice, and can also allow a bodice to be used for more than one role. Information on how specific bodices were designed is listed below, along with various overlays.