--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Both costume and fashion are about…" description: "\"Both costume and fashion are about telling a story, except that in a ballet the story has already been written by the composer or the librettist.\" — Ra..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/raf-simons-7131_ballet_both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telli_1551563.png" --- # Both costume and fashion are about telling a story, except… ![“Both costume and fashion are about telling a story, except that in a ballet the story has already been written by the composer or the librettist.” quote by Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/raf-simons-7131_ballet_both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telli_1551563.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/raf-simons-7131_ballet_both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telli_1551563.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/raf-simons-7131_ballet_both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telli_1551563.png) > “Both costume and fashion are about telling a story, except that in a ballet the story has already been written by the composer or the librettist.” [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Costume and fashion both narrate stories, but ballet costumes follow a pre‑written narrative, unlike fashion’s open storytelling. **In simple terms:** Costume tells stories; ballet follows a set script. Key Takeaway Understand narrative roles in design. Themes fashion costume design storytelling performance creativity Mood analytical creative Type educational observational When to use this quote - theatre production - fashion shows - design education Key Concepts narrative structure designer intent Questions to Reflect On - How does pre‑written narrative limit design freedom? - When can fashion become a fixed story? A Different Perspective Fashion can also be scripted for specific events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Ballet Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-story-5799429/) [Composer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composer/) [Costume Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/costume-fashion-1566530/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Fashion Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion-telling-5799430/) [Story Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-ballet-5799428/) [Telling A Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-a-story/) ## Related quotes > [To sum up my idea of on-ice costume fashion sense, it's probably that too much is never enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-weir/to-sum-up-my-idea-of-on-ice-costume-fashion-sense-it-s-probably-that/) [Johnny Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-weir/) > [Clothes are interesting and they're there to be played with. I like the idea of costume rather than fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orla-brady/clothes-are-interesting-and-they-re-there-to-be-played-with-i-like/) [Orla Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orla-brady/) > [A special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/a-special-effect-is-a-tool-a-means-of-telling-a-story-a-special/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [I really like telling stories. When I was a kid, I wanted to write songs. In quite a fundamental, gratifying, childish way, I enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bettany/i-really-like-telling-stories-when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-write/) [Paul Bettany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bettany/) > [This is what I thought: for the most banal even to become an adventure, you must (and this is enough) begin to recount it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/this-is-what-i-thought-for-the-most-banal-even-to-become-an-adventure/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I've had frustrated storytelling juices that have been lying dormant for a long time, and I guess the documentary was a way of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-ve-had-frustrated-storytelling-juices-that-have-been-lying-dormant/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [When you play a violin piece, you are a storyteller, and you're telling a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-bell/when-you-play-a-violin-piece-you-are-a-storyteller-and-you-re-telling/) [Joshua Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-bell/) > [Consciousness begins when brains acquire the power, the simple power I must add, of telling a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/consciousness-begins-when-brains-acquire-the-power-the-simple-power-i/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [I personally was driven to be an actor for the love of telling a story. It was very closely linked to being a reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/i-personally-was-driven-to-be-an-actor-for-the-love-of-telling-a/) [Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/) > [What a cool job to be part of - whether it's doing lighting or acting or serving food on set. You're part of telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/what-a-cool-job-to-be-part-of-whether-it-s-doing-lighting-or-acting/) [Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/) > [Telling a story of illness, one pulls a thread through a narrow opening flanked on one side by shame and the other by trivia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/telling-a-story-of-illness-one-pulls-a-thread-through-a-narrow/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) ## More by Raf Simons > [I'm not an isolated person. The more I connect to people, the more I have the feeling that things work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/i-m-not-an-isolated-person-the-more-i-connect-to-people-the-more-i/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [Camouflage is about much more than concealment and going unnoticed. There's a whole game involved between revealing and hiding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/camouflage-is-about-much-more-than-concealment-and-going-unnoticed/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [It felt wrong for me to stay totally connected to that very strict way of approaching the heritage - what it can be, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/it-felt-wrong-for-me-to-stay-totally-connected-to-that-very-strict/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [My mother was a cleaning lady all her life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/my-mother-was-a-cleaning-lady-all-her-life/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [Well, my own men's collection always felt very free back in the days before Jil. Once you make it this kind of dialogue with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/well-my-own-men-s-collection-always-felt-very-free-back-in-the-days/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [Computers let people avoid people, going out to explore. It's so different to just open a website instead of looking at a Picasso in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/computers-let-people-avoid-people-going-out-to-explore-it-s-so/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [As an industrial designer, you design the thing by yourself, and then it goes away from you, whereas fashion is in constant relation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/as-an-industrial-designer-you-design-the-thing-by-yourself-and-then/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [Fashion is such an octopus. You're connected to so many people: suppliers, pattern makers, production teams, marketing teams, vendors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/fashion-is-such-an-octopus-you-re-connected-to-so-many-people/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [My inspiration is endless; I can't define it. It is a constant flow and evolution. In general, I'm taking it from everywhere. People get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/my-inspiration-is-endless-i-can-t-define-it-it-is-a-constant-flow-and/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [My whole life, I've always had to be surrounded by creative things. I find it relaxing to be in touch with creations by other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/my-whole-life-i-ve-always-had-to-be-surrounded-by-creative-things-i/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [I’m very attracted to things that I can’t define.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/i-m-very-attracted-to-things-that-i-can-t-define/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [My own brand will stand or fall because of me. Dior won't fall if I fall. It will also still stand if I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/my-own-brand-will-stand-or-fall-because-of-me-dior-won-t-fall-if-i/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [In fashion design, you can divide people into two groups. You have people who come with an aesthetic that is there forever, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/in-fashion-design-you-can-divide-people-into-two-groups-you-have/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [For me, Warhol made so much sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/for-me-warhol-made-so-much-sense/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [My challenge is to find a beautiful balance: to make women beautiful, to make a woman dream to wear a beautiful outfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/my-challenge-is-to-find-a-beautiful-balance-to-make-women-beautiful/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) [Explore all 94 Raf Simons quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) ## More Ballet quotes > [“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-the-moments-themselves-were/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) [Fernando Bujones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-bujones/) > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [No matter the style, the farther one goes the more obstacles increase, and the more distant appears the object it is desired to attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/no-matter-the-style-the-farther-one-goes-the-more-obstacles-increase/) [Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/) > [What I love most about ballet is being able to express my emotions through dance, and to be able to bring others joy through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-love-most-about-ballet-is-being-able-to-express-my-emotions/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) [Peter Martins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-martins/) > [Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/even-though-i-am-a-professional-and-i-know-what-the-steps-are-i-don-t/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swayze/you-can-imagine-me-as-a-kid-growing-up-in-redneck-texas-with-ballet/) [Patrick Swayze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swayze/) > [I only started writing in the latter days of Spandau Ballet. I didnt know I could write because all had our roles within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-only-started-writing-in-the-latter-days-of-spandau-ballet-i-didnt/) [Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/) > [All ballet, all reading, all music. That was my world, my inner world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/all-ballet-all-reading-all-music-that-was-my-world-my-inner-world/) [Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/) > [I can dance. I like hip hop and stuff and jazz movements, but I'm horrible in ballet. I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/i-can-dance-i-like-hip-hop-and-stuff-and-jazz-movements-but-i-m/) [Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/) [Browse all 1,227 Ballet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Both costume and fashion are about telling a story, except that in a ballet the story has already been written by the composer or the librettist.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Raf Simons" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telling-a-story-except-that-in-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ballet" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telling-a-story-except-that-in-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/raf-simons-7131_ballet_both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telli_1551563.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/raf-simons-7131_ballet_both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telli_1551563.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/raf-simons-7131_ballet_both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telli_1551563.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Both costume and fashion are about telling a story, except that in a ballet the story has already been…” — Raf Simons", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Raf Simons", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Both costume and fashion are about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telling-a-story-except-that-in-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/both-costume-and-fashion-are-about-telling-a-story-except-that-in-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```