DailyDanceWear: Presenting Elisabeth Jeffrey

For the second post of DailyDanceWear—a weekly column bringing you fresh dance fashions spotted in various classrooms and rehearsal spaces in New York and across the country—we’ve got an elegant model sporting a beautifully layered look that shows off her gorgeous line.

Freelance ballet dancer Elisabeth Jeffrey lives in New York City and performs everything from classical works en pointe to floor-bound contemporary moves. She graduated as a full merit scholarship student from the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC, so she has been living in the city as well as seeing and contributing to the dance class scene since 2005. 

Jeffrey said she wore this balletic ensemble with its draping but simple lines for an advanced open ballet class at the Mark Morris Dance Center. Even though she has multiple pieces of accessory clothing, her silhouette is still clear and her stunning lines revealed.

One particularly unique thing about her dance wardrobe is that much of it is made by other dancers. “If I’m going to spend money on dance clothes, I try to buy from dancers who make their own,” Jeffrey said.

Her leotard in a glimmering burnt sienna by Jordan Reed of Lone Reed Designs, which pairs perfectly with the humble gold of her skirt by Abigail Mentzer Designs. The muted colors in graded layers reminded me of the layers of the earth. “I usually try to pick the main colors to go well with each other,” Jeffrey said.

Her Body Wrappers tights add the lightest layer and she chose them primarily because the wide and soft waistband sits comfortably in the narrow part of her waist without cinching it in. 

Why this look? This whole look is not just beautiful but also functional in multiple ways. The converted GAP cardigan-as-shawl and leg warmers by Capezio keep critical muscle groups warm, and the strategic bright purple layer under the calf warmer is a compression sleeve that she found at a climbing store, cut at the ankle, which helps her get back on her feet after a foot injury. 

“I definitely pick different dancewear based on the work I’m doing in rehearsal after class,” Jeffrey said.

For something more contemporary, she’ll opt for sportier wear like leggings or shorts and, if she is wearing socks, “they are as high cotton content as possible – less slippery.”

Check it out and tell us what outfits you love to wear! Find out more about Mark Morris Dance Center at markmorrisdancegroup.org and Joffrey Ballet School at joffreyballetschool.com. To learn more about Lone Reed go to www.etsy.com/shop/lonereeddesigns and for Abigail Mentzer head to www.abigailmentzerdesigns.com. To get her Capezio legwarmers shop www.capezio.com, and then visit Body Wrappers at bodywrappers.com.

Image: Elisabeth Jeffrey modeling her dancewear. Photos by Leigh Schanfein.