Costumes By Karinska

by Toni Bentley, Lincoln Kirstein, Edward Gorey (Foreword)

Costumer Barbara Karinska was one of countless emigrees flung westward from czarist Russia by the Bolsheviks in the 1920s. Costumes by Karinska chronicles the life and work of this remarkably talented woman, a consummate perfectionist who brought unprecedented quality, innovation, and beauty to costumes designed and executed for film, theater, opera, and dance. Working behind the scenes as one of Balanchine's closest and most important collaborators, Karinska made an enormous contribution to many of the great ballet masterpieces of this century, dressing over seventy-five of the choreographer's productions. This was, however, by no means her only professional association in a career spanning forty-five years. She worked with many other renowned choreographers, producers, and directors, such as Frederick Ashton, Agnes de Mille, Bronislava Nijinska, Jerome Robbins, Louis Jouvet, Franco Zeffirelli, Mike Todd, Victor Fleming, and George Cukor. She took sketches by such artists as Andre Derain, Marc Chagall, Isamu Noguchi, Balthus, and Salvador Dali and transformed them into tangible, wearable apparel. The lively text by Toni Bentley, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet, is full of anecdotes from those who knew the designer, revealing a sophisticated, independent woman with great style and aristocratic flair. Also included in the book is a foreword by artist and dance aficionado Edward Gorey; an essay by Lincoln Kirstein, co-founder of the New York City Ballet, about Balanchine's Firebird (for which Karinska designed costumes based on sketches by Chagall); correspondence between Karinska and French actor/director Louis Jouvet; and a complete chronology of Karinska's career.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1995

About the author

Toni Bentley danced with George Balanchine's New York City Ballet for ten years. She is the author of five books, all named New York Times Notable Books, which include "Winter Season, A Dancer's Journal," "Holding On to the Air" (the autobiography of Suzanne Farrell co-authored with Farrell), "Costumes by Karinska," "Sisters of Salome," and "The Surrender, An Erotic Memoir." Her essay, "The Bad Lion" (originally published in the New York Review of Books) was selected by Christopher Hitchens for Best American Essays 2010. She writes frequently for the New York Times Book Review, the Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, Playboy, the Daily Beast, Vogue, Vanity Fair and other publications. She has been invited to give talks at Harvard, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rutgers, Middlebury College and the THiNK Conference 2013 in Goa, India. "The Surrender" has been adapted into a one-woman play that premiered in January 2013 in a production by the Spanish National Theater in Madrid, Spain, and it will have its English-language world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2013. She is the recipient of a 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Karinska's ageless hands can be seen, like those of a benign Madame Defarge, weaving a delicate but indestructible thread that connects and clothes ballet in our century."

This was such an interesting book, all the way around! Like a "Costume by Karinska," it is a beautifully researched, designed, constructed, executed and fully realized collaborative labor of love from Toni Bentley that was well worth the effort it took for the library to get it into my hands. I was absolutely hooked from the get-go... forward by Edward Gorey, for crying out loud!

I knew Madame Karinska from her invaluable contributions to the Golden Age of Ballet, but didn't realize the scope of her reach touched nearly every corner of the creative, dramatic, theater and performing arts, and made it sparkle like no one before her (and very few since). This book is a testament to her genius, and an important preservation of her legacy. I'm completely in awe.
Grace your coffee table with this gorgeous work of art!

[Sabrina Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite childhood book. These costumes were pivotal to my life, and this book was a catalyst to who I am as a person. The images are fantastic, no details are spared, even in black and white. A very moving and inspiring book for budding designers.

[Gladimore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only borrowed it to read the intro by edward gorey, however, the costumes were gorgeous. I now want to watch as many ballets, plays and films, just to see the costumes.

[kerrycat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular. Of course I'm a little biased - I love Bentley's work and as an admirer of City Ballet and Mr. B, couldn't help but adore this, although it was obviously about Madame K and her work throughout her life, not just with NYCB. Gorgeous photographs, and while I can never see enough of Diana Adams and Tanny, I was so happy to see my very favorite ballerina of all time, Allegra Kent, featured in a few of them.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book.

[heather jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book- full of Karinska's creations- most of which were for Mr. B- it's lovely!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this heavily illustrated book about the costume designer Karinska who changed the way ballets were costumed and tutus constructed. Inspiring!