Barbara Langley began her career as a dancer with the Borovansky Ballet. She joined the Australian Ballet in 1978 as assistant ballet mistress and has been with the company ever since, 15 years as Wardrobe Store Manager.
In what shape was the wardrobe department when you began your job?
I guess you could say it was a moderately organised mess! Since then, I’ve tried to improve on this, establishing systems to deal with a considerable increase in our stock with new ballets created every year. New ballets and their corresponding costume pieces are never a standard size so how much space you need is sometimes hard to predict.
Where are the costumes kept?
All costumes are housed in what was an old wool store, located 15 minutes from the Australian Ballet headquarters in the city.
About how many costumes are there now and how far back do they date to?
There are thousands of costume pieces including footwear, headwear, jewellery, tights, tutus and wigs and even an inner tube from a tyre that was part of a costume! We have costumes from every year since the AB began in 1962, so 48 years worth.
What is the oldest costume?
The oldest costumes are from Melbourne Cup, a ballet that was performed in our first season in 1962. The tutus and headdresses for the horses from this ballet are preserved with our archives in the Melbourne Performing Arts Museum.
How are the costumes catalogued?
We have a costume bible developed by our Production Division during the making of each ballet. Also, during the first season of a new ballet, we photograph the dancers made up and wearing each individual costume, which we can then refer back to if it is restaged.
Does the store include shoes?
We store many pairs of male and female character shoes, men’s boots and coloured pointe shoes from particular ballets. The traditional pink pointe shoes and ballet flats are dealt with by our artistic coordinator who tours with the company.
What are the main hazards of keeping costumes for so long and how do you protect them?
Ideally all materials including leather, feathers and hair should be kept in a dry, dust- and pest-free environment, with a moderate, non-fluctuating temperature. The old wool store where we are at present has provided space, but not always the other requirements! More delicate materials, such as silks, organza, rubber in elastic and lycra, disintegrate quite quickly and have to be replaced regularly.
Do any ever get thrown out or given away?
We throw away tights that have lost their elasticity and shoes where the leather has gone hard. From time to time we donate costumes to the various state performing arts museums and occasionally to a gallery, school or a good cause.
What is the best way to store a short tutu?
We hang tutus upside down when in use and in box-like crates when in storage. These crates are also used when the tutus are on tour.
Have you ever secretly tried the costumes on?
Oh yes, many a tiara or headdress and sometimes I swish around the store in a glamorous cloak.
What is the best aspect of your job?
I love handling and seeing up close the beautiful workmanship of the individually made costume pieces, often hand-painted or exquisitely dyed. It’s a privilege to care for them.
The worst?
Working in an old building and trying to keep the costumes free of dust, creepy-crawlies and, as we had this year, the big wet!
Have you noticed any changes or trends in costume design over the years (such as types of fabrics, heaviness or elaborateness)?
One interesting change in the last few years is that female dancers often have bare legs with pointe shoes. Also men’s tights used to be made of a thickish nylon fabric and now we use lycra because it moulds to the body and stretches so well.
Which are your favourites?
There are too many beautiful costumes to have favourites, although I do prefer the work of some designers like Jenny Irwin, the late Kenneth Rowell and Jurgen Rose.
