Misty Copeland, the Prima Ballerina in Designer Stilettos

August 18, 2015

Author: Dottie Maguire

Misty Copeland has garnered quite the list of accomplishments lately: first African American principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre; Broadway leading lady; Under Armour spokeswoman. As of this month, add to that list her first appearance on Vanity Fair’s International Best-Dressed List.

"It’s just a complete honor and I never saw myself in that way," Copeland tells VF.com. "It’s just cool to be recognized for something that you’re like, ‘Ok, I just like to play around.’"

She may have been just "playing around," but the sartorial powers that be realized her fashion sense was no joke—a white, sequined Herve Leger dress at the Tony Awards; an A-line dress on The View; a blush halter evening gown to the A.B.T.'s 75th anniversary gala—all "elegant, with a flash of funk," she says. "My fiancée [Olu Evans] calls me fancy!"

She’s also developed an adept casual wardrobe, which often consists of chic blazers, classy crop tops, and American Apparel leotards (she is a ballerina, after all). It’s almost like everything she puts on is designed for her, and only her, the fantastic and beautiful Misty Copeland. And that, we discovered, may be her key style secret.

"I think I get almost every piece of clothing that I buy altered and taken in just to fit me exactly the way it should," Copeland says. Sometimes, she even finds herself asking her tailor (who Copeland calls "incredible") to completely transform an outfit. "She’s made like whole items before—like cut them in half and re-created them," she says. "It’s important to find a tailor that really works for you!"

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What’s the drive behind this tailoring obsession? Unsurprisingly, ballet. "I have the opportunity, which most people don’t experience nearly as much, of being in front of a mirror up to 10 hours a day. Staring at your body, you really get to know every little detail of how to make yourself look your best," she said. "I think that definitely plays into my understanding of clothing."

In fact, ballet has influenced—directly or indirectly—much of Copeland’s personal style. Walking to American Ballet’s rehearsal space in the Flatiron District has helped Copeland add the pizzazz she desires to her style. "You see a lot of creative people on the street—and you don’t look at them and think, Oh, they have money, or, that’s why they have nice clothing on. It’s simply that they have a true understanding of themselves and it’s coming through in the fashion they’re wearing."

And of course, there are those times when ballet plays into her understanding of what she can’t wear. A self-professed high-heel aficionado—"I love feeling tall!"—she occasionally has to put aside the shoes for her own practicality. "This past spring season, my workload was so intense that I went the entire two months without wearing heels." (Copeland assures us that, for her, this is a very long time). "I wanted to take care of my body and my feet."

There’s one day, however, where ballet won’t dictate any of her fashion choices. Copeland tells VF.com she hasn't picked out her wedding dress, but when she does, it’s going to be light on the poof and frills. "I’d like to show my figure, somewhat—romantic and elegant. I don’t think I want to go super poofy or anything like that. It’s very different for a performer, a ballerina, someone who is onstage a lot and wears big costumes. So it's not like this is my chance to be that way, because that's something I do every day, almost. I want to feel like myself—but more beautiful than I do every day."