ARMANI ELEGANCE: Giorgio Armani announced its contribution to the world of dance, following the design of uniforms for the Italian delegation at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
One of the last projects curated by the late designer included the design of the costumes for the 2026 opening ballet at the Vienna Opera Ball, one of the world’s most prestigious social and cultural events.
The performance will take place Thursday evening at the Wiener Staatsoper, featuring the Vienna State Ballet company, led by artistic director Alessandra Ferri since 2025.
Costume designed by Giorgio Armani for Vienna Opera Ball’s 2026 opening ballet performance.
Courtesy of Giorgio Armani
The ballet, choreographed by Jessica Lang, will include a choral performance by 16 pairs of dancers and will perform “Carousel Waltz” from “Carousel” by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.
Design sketches show a male dancer in a coordinated two-piece outfit with a long-sleeve top and trousers, while the female dancer wears a long, tulle gown with long sleeves and a matching headpiece, both embellished with gold sequin and crystal embroidery.
The program features “Waltz No. 2” from the “Suite for Variety Orchestra” by Dmitri Shostakovich, “Tonight” and “Maria” from “Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story,” “Art Is Calling for Me” from “The Enchantress” by Victor Herbert, and “Brindisi (Libiamo ne’ lieti calici)” from Giuseppe Verdi’s “La traviata.”
