The Fabrics I Chose… Chose Me Back

When I started oodelooo ballet wear, I forgot this one thing…

I forgot that in order to bring my vision to life, I’d have to become a master of working with the absolute hardest fabrics known to humankind. No exaggeration.

Out of all the textiles in the world—cotton, linen, spandex, you name it—I didn’t go for the ones that play nice. I went straight for the floaty, sheer, and totally unpredictable ones: chiffon and mesh.

Why?
Because when you love ballet like I do, you fall in love with the way things move. The way a skirt flows during a pirouette, the way mesh sleeves stretch and shape around a dancer’s arms, the way a fabric can look like music. I wanted oodelooo ballet wear to capture that feeling—to bring that magic into the studio and the everyday moments in class.

But here’s the reality behind the romance.

Working with Chiffon and Mesh: A Crash Course in Fabric Drama

Let me set the scene. You’re at your sewing machine, trying to hem a dainty chiffon wrap skirt. The fabric is shifting—just slightly, but enough to throw off your entire seam. You adjust it. It stretches. You hold your breath and try again. It slips. The edge rolls up. The threads tangle. The machine eats the fabric. The whole thing tries to escape off the table.

Every time I cut into these fabrics, I feel like I’m handling butterfly wings—so delicate and beautiful, but so impossible to control. They fray like crazy, they shift as you cut, and don’t even get me started on trying to line up two layers of mesh.

Early on, I made peace with the idea that there’s no “easy way” to sew these materials. Instead, I had to learn new techniques. I experimented with every tool and trick I could get my hands on: tissue paper stabilizers, microtex needles, French seams, rolled hems, walking feet, spray starch (and a lot of deep breathing). Each project felt like a lesson in patience and perseverance.

But the End Result? Always Worth It.

Despite the hours it takes—and yes, sometimes the frustration—I wouldn’t change a thing. There's a reason dancers gravitate to these fabrics. They move with us. They whisper instead of shout. They enhance the line, the shape, the artistry. And they remind me that beauty often takes effort. A lot of effort.

When I see a dancer wearing an oodelooo wrap skirt, watching it catch the light and flutter with every tendu or pas de chat—it all makes sense. That’s what I envisioned from the very beginning. Something timeless. Something ethereal. Something that belongs in a world where movement is everything.

So yes, I chose the hardest fabrics to work with. Or maybe… they chose me.

And every time I send a skirt out into the world, I remember that this is part of the artistry too. Behind the seams, behind the delicate hems, there’s a love story between me and the fabric.

And as always, ballet never goes out of style.

With love,
Melissa
Designer & Founder, oodelooo Ballet Wear