The Features 12 Looks Hearst Created for the San Francisco Ballet’s Production of Carmen
Gabriela Hearst has introduced a limited-edition collection of costumes she designed for the San Francisco Ballet’s production of Carmen.
In her stage design debut, Hearst crafted the costumes entirely from sustainable extra-fine merino wool. This yarn, historically used in athletic uniforms for its breathability, stretch, cooling properties, flexibility, and antibacterial qualities, makes it an excellent choice for performance wear.
The collection features twelve knit designs, including cardigan coats, dresses, sweaters, tanks, shorts, skirts, bralettes, and trousers, all lightweight and easy to layer. Each piece is named after the character for whom it was designed. The colors, inspired by Gabriela’s watercolors, were chosen to create the illusion of a painting in motion on stage. Each character’s look was crafted in a single solid color from head-to-toe, with wide ribs that expand and contract to accentuate the body’s form.
The Carmen dress highlights the craftsmanship involved in these pieces. Its knitted ribs fit snugly in the upper body, flaring dramatically in the skirt and sleeve cuff. When still, the ribs collapse into a columnar shape, but in motion, the dress reveals its true fluidity. Carmen’s dress was specifically engineered for her final twirl, symbolizing her demise in the story. As she spins, the hem of her skirt rises into a tulip shape, undulating around her.
The production was part of “Dos Mujeres,” the company’s inaugural double bill of works by Latina choreographers. “Dos Mujeres” represents a collaboration of Latina and Hispanic female artistic forces, led by Tamara Rojo, the Madrid-raised director of the San Francisco Ballet. Rojo has been pivotal in bringing more women’s stories and storytellers to the dance stage.
Arielle Smith, a Havana-born, London-based choreographer and recipient of the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, made her North American debut with this production, a vision of the Bizet opera-turned-ballet “Carmen” is set in modern-day Cuba. Smith aimed to break away from traditional portrayals of Carmen and the familiar context of the Bizet opera, focusing on the independent woman at its core and restoring agency to the iconic heroine. The production is infused with the rhythms and sounds of Cuba, featuring a jazz-influenced score by Grammy winner Arturo O’Farrill.
The costumes, first unveiled for the world premiere on April 4, 2024, will be available as a limited-edition collection starting July 25, 2024. They can be purchased at Gabriela Hearst’s flagship stores in Beverly Hills, New York, and London, as well as online at gabrielahearst.com.
