Costume worn by Tamara Karsavina in her solo La Cantinière. Military-style royal blue dress with wide hooped skirt, worn with salmon pink pantaloons

Costume worn by Tamara Karsavina in her solo La Cantinière. Royal blue ribbed silk/wool blend [?] jacket with a close fitting bodice and wide skirt, supported on a wide hoop and worn with salmon pink ribbed silk trousers.

The design of the jacket bodice references military dress. It is embellished with lines of metallic silver cord frogging across the centre front and fastens with a vertical row of eight silver buttons at the centre front. The interior of the bodice is lined with cream cotton which is also secured with a vertical row of metal hooks and eyes. Further strands of silver metallic cord have been used to add detail to the lower part of the sleeves. Both the sleeve cuffs and collar are formed from lengths of salmon pink ribbed silk and edged with metallic silver braid.

The skirt of the jacket is wide and full. It is largely plain but the bottom hem is decorated with three parallel lengths of metallic silver braid. The central length of braid is 3cms in width. This is framed by two narrower lengths of braid, each 1.5cms in width. There is also an internal petticoat which is supported on a stiff 'hooped' frame. This underskirt/petticoat is formed from cream cotton muslin and edged with machine lace at the hem.

The jacket is worn with a pair of full salmon pink trousers. These trousers narrow towards the ankle. They are largely plain, but a vertical line of metallic silver braid (matching that used on the jacket skirt) runs down the proper left and proper right side seam. The trousers are secured at the sides with metal hooks and eyes, where there is an opening (some 19cms in length) at the proper right and proper left hip. They are lined with cream cotton muslin.

Given by the Royal Academy of Dance

Costume worn by Tamara Karsavina in her solo La Cantinière, adapted from a French nursery rhyme. The costume consists of a military-style royal blue jacket with a wide hooped skirt, which was worn with pink salmon pantaloons. The costume picks up on the traditional blue and salmon military uniform shown in early 19th-century French illustrations of cantinière or vivandière, women attached to French military regiments who served refreshments.

Karsavina first performed in this costume, designed by José de Zamora, in a ballet entitled Les Cantinières in France in 1926. She then adapted the group dance into a solo for her independent tours. Karsavina's performance in this solo was described in the Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 26 April 1930: 'Her first appearance was in the rather droll act of La Cantiniere.... In quaint blue tunic, red trousers, and billowing white petticoats, she performed a marching dance round the stage, complete with an audacious vivacity and a fascinating silver trumpet.'

S.1513&A-1982