Fleur du Mal celebrates tie-up with ballet star Isabella Boylston

Intimate apparel and ballet have more in common than meets the eye. For one, both emphasize the body for its most seductive attributes, each accentuating line and empowering movement. Thus, a new collaboration from the sophisticated lingerie label Fleur du Mal—founded by CEO Jennifer Zuccarini—and American Ballet Theater principal dancer Isabella Boylston melds the two.

The brand celebrated the new collection, which launched November 29, with an intimate dinner attended by press, influencers, and a bevy of ABT and NYCB dancers at the newly reimagined The Golden Swan.
 
Speaking to FashionNetwork.com, Zuccarini relayed how the collaboration came together. “It was rather organic. I discovered Isabella about seven years ago when I saw a video of her wearing one of our lace bodysuits. Eventually, we met and really clicked, and we have dressed her for several off-stage events since then. For this collaboration, she approached us about the idea,” Zuccarini said during cocktails in the intimate third-floor private room that resembled an apartment.
 
For many, the amount of ready-to-wear the brand offers seems to catch many off guard, said the founder and CEO whose previous venture was Kiki de Montparnasse. “We’ve had it since the beginning, but we haven’t focused on messaging that until now. It’s lingerie-inspired, which is a good niche for us.”
 
Down the line, the brand is eyeing its own branded pleasure devices—currently selling third-party products—and a fragrance created during Covid. “We worked with a prominent European nose who spends time between France and Arizona. It’s ready, but we just haven’t released it yet,” she continued. Zuccarini enthused the idea of expanding into beauty, especially lipstick, body lotions, and oils.

She also relayed some ambitious retail plans. “We are looking to open about seven or eight stores in 2024 and beyond,” said the lingerie expert, noting that while the brand has wholesale accounts with department store majors such as Saks, FRWD, Luisa Via Roma, Matches, Revolve, and Net-a-Porter, only 10 percent of the business is wholesale. “We remain DTC-centric,” she confirmed.
While guests feasted on a delicious frisee aux lardons starter, Boylston welcomed the guests to the celebration while wearing a long sleeve black bodysuit with sheer inset and a flowing wrap skirt that gave equal parts ballet chic and disco-era Danskin vibes.
 
“This is so surreal. This started about nine months ago when I had manifested for this year wanting to do a brand collaboration with a brand that I love. I immediately thought of Fleur du Mal because I have been a super fan of Jennifer since her original brand Kiki de Montparnasse. Then I became even more of a super fan slash stalker with this brand,” she said, garnering a laugh from the crowd.
 
“The timing couldn’t be better since ballet core is having such a moment, and who better to do that than a real ballerina,” she continued, noting she was delighted and surprised that Zuccarini immediately said yes to the idea. She also gave a special shout-out to her former manager for “nurturing her interests outside of ballet.”
 

The collection—which fuses “grace and glamour and Fleur du Mal’s timeless elegance with the ethereal beauty and artistry that Isabella brings to the stage” according to a release—features a full range of size-inclusive body suits, ballet wrap skirts, washable silk angel sleeve robes, and handkerchief skirts. The Fleur du Mal x Isabella Boylston collection is available online (price range $295-$495), at Fleur du Mal boutiques in New York and West Hollywood as well as in FRWD, Luisa Via Roma, Matches, Revolve, and Saks.
 
Boylston also thanked the bevy of ballerinas, mainly from ABT in attendance, such as Christine Shevchenko, Skylar Brandt, Cassandra Trenary, Lauren Post, Sarah James, Courteney Lavine, Hee Seo, India Bradley, and male ballet dancer James Whiteside “You are my muses and friends, and you inspire me with your magnificence.”
 
Ballerinas ate and drank heartily as many were fortunate to have the night off, though some made their goodbyes around 9:45, citing early rehearsals. Several went into dancer mode as they grabbed their coats and changed out of high heels into dancer’s de rigeur Converse hi-tops for the way home even though, as the NYC Ballet dancer quipped of her sky-high Versace platforms, “These feel like sneakers compared to pointe shoes.”