Alison Carroll

Alison Carroll is a professional ballerina and the co-founder of BalletBody, a studio that offers ballet-inspired fitness classes. Her relationship with fashion is a unique blend of elegance, discipline, and artistic expression. On stage, Alison Carroll’s costumes are masterpieces of craftsmanship, designed to enhance her every movement and tell a story through fabric and form. Often confections of tulle and heavily embellished, these exquisite creations are the antithesis to her off-duty wardrobe. A pas de deux of minimalism and elegance, her sartorial repertoire marries monochromatic staples with streamlined silhouettes.

And contrary to how she is immortalised in this portrait, the co-founder of BalletBody, a studio offering ballet-based workouts, avoids the colour pink, “only because I’m always in pink for work. So I avoid it in my daily life”, she says. “But this [ jacket] is Chanel—now, that’s a different story!” Such is the persuasive power of a tweed jacket from the French institution, bending everyone into its will.“My first major fashion purchase was also from Chanel,” Carroll tells us about the black Chanel classic flap bag she purchased with her first paycheck 12 years ago. “I vividly remember flipping through fashion magazines as a child and falling in love with it even when I haven’t yet grasped its full importance.”

One of her earliest and fondest fashion memories is of her grandmother, “who carried herself with quiet confidence, making even the simplest of dresses shine with her perfectly chosen accessories”. Carroll expounds, “[Her timeless elegance] left a lasting impression on my fashion choices today.”