Fascinating Facts: Don Quixote Costumes

Each tutu in Don Quixote requires 500 metres of hand-scalloped netting. There are 48 tutus in the ballet, resulting in a total of 24km of hand-scalloped edges.

Isabelle Homer, Production Costume Cutter and Maker

It takes five minutes to scallop one metre of netting. This comes to 2,000 hours to scallop the netting for all the Don Quixote tutus.

Katie Green, Costume Workroom & Technician Swing

Seven Costume Technicians worked on Kitri’s Act III tutu. If one technician were to make a single tutu alone, it would take approximately two weeks of full-time work. There are five Kitri Act III tutus, one for each dancer taking on the role. The overall tutu process takes approximately six months from start to finish, including sourcing materials and initial fittings.

Isabelle Homer, Production Costume Cutter and Maker

Approximately 4,000 Swarovski crystals were used to make Kitri's costumes alone.

Isabelle Homer, Production Costume Cutter and Maker

Designer Tim Hatley created designs that are a clean, modern take on traditional ballet costumes, combining modern techniques with classical ballet tailoring to support the athleticism and virtuosic movement of Don Quixote.

Elaine Garlick, Head of Costume

Before a performance run, costumes are removed from storage, dry cleaned, and placed in an ozone room to ensure they are clean and ready for use.

Lucy Cook, Costume Tour Manager

For each performance of Don Quixote, approximately 35 fans are used. Around 100 fans are toured to allow for damage or replacement.

Lucy Cook, Costume Tour Manager

Before each performance, the Costume Department sets approximately 130 costumes. Each member of the team works from an individual plot and may set up to 140 items. This includes headdresses, tights, shirts, pants, earrings, aprons, and other costume components. In total, approximately 560 items are set for each performance.

Lucy Cook, Costume Tour Manager

At our base in Birmingham, the Costume Department have four washing machines and three dryers for items such as tights and pants. On tour, the Company travels with a dryer, as most venues provide two washing machines and two dryers. For Don Quixote, approximately 25 shirts and 25 pairs of tights and pants are set [prepared] for each performance. Additional items (around 75 pairs of tights, 125 of pants, and 60 shirts) are required to allow for general wear and tear, and for laundering on double performance days.

Lucy Cook, Costume Tour Manager