04/02/2026
Midnight Feathers 🦢✨
Nicholas Georgiadis designed this superb dark navy blue (so dark that it appears black under stage lighting) and silver tutu worn by Margot Fonteyn as Odile in Act III of Swan Lake in Vienna in 1964. She and Rudolf Nureyev were a huge success in the ballet, receiving 49 curtain calls on the first night.
Though classic in style, the tutu tells a quiet evolution. No longer the rigid “plate” tutus of the 1950s, but the softer, gently drooping line of the ’60s, perfectly suited to Fonteyn at this stage of her career. The bodice decoration is refined and practical, too many jewels or encrustations can cut a partner's hands.
Costume designed by Nicholas Georgiadis and worn by Margot Fonteyn as Odile in Swan Lake, Vienna Ballet at the State Opera House, Vienna, 1964.
Get an up-close look at Nicholas Georgiadis’s tutu through our ‘Order an Object’ service at V&A East Storehouse.
Image description: Classical tutu with layers of dark navy nylon net, silver-sequinned topskirt, and a low-cut bodice extending onto the hips, finished with stylised foliage, gold braid, and pearl drops.
