Dancing in the Street

Dancewear is making a comeback on the fashion radar, thanks to trendsetters like Kate Moss and Sienna Miller donning leotards with their heels.

Designers like Camilla & Marc have created leotards that are appealing and wearable in the fashion-sense, without the aerobics-style elements.

While they’ve been flitting in and out of stores for three years now, the demand for the bodysuit has recently flourished, with the trend being accepted by more designers.

Magazines such as Russh, Oyster, Instyle, and Good Weekend have also featured dancewear brand, Bloch, as a fashionable option.

Fallow boutique sales assistant, Dave, says, “dancewear is making its way into fashion”.

The mysterious store, hidden above a staircase in Fortitude Valley and embellished with luxe hunting-lodge-inspired antiques, stocks high-end Australian designer labels for the young and edgy, and has recently introduced Bloch footwear too.

“It’s really cute, really in.”

“Ballet shoes were popular for awhile, while the jazz shoe customer is more of an indie girl,” Dave says.

He says even males have been strutting out the door in the shoes.

When entering Bloch, at Emporium in Fortitude Valley, it’s hard to miss the vibrant racks of leotards on display.

From the basic, black ballet style to an extreme, fluorescent green and silver holographic creation, sales assistant, Sarah, says any daring fashionista could instantly fall in love.

“You get people buying the leotards to wear with their jeans.

“Last weekend one girl bought a leotard to wear with a mini to a party,” Sarah says.

While the jazz lace-ups are popular at boutiques like Fallow, they aren’t so much at Bloch.

Sarah says “the fashion pumps are popular” and the jazz sneakers are being purchased by gym junkies.

Yet, the non-dancer should be aware that these professional dance shoes are designed to be worn exclusively in a studio.

“I wouldn’t recommend them for concrete”, she says.

She suggests when wearing them for fashion’s sake they are best suited for indoors, like at the office.

So knot your hair on top of your head, pull high-waisted jeans over a bright second skin, and slip on some ballet slippers for a twirling trend to prance along Brisbane’s stage.