Ballet Legend and Style Icon Maya Plisetskaya Dies

Maya Plisetskaya, one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century, died on Saturday in Munich. She was 89. Transcending politics and borders, Mrs. Plisetskaya, is best remembered for her fluidity of movement in the Swan Lake and Carmen, stoic acting in Aleksandr Zarkhi’s Anna Karenina production, and as a style icon and muse for such notable designers as Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin. She is forever immortalized by the countless youtube videos, interviews, photographs, and in the mural for the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City by the artist Marc Chagall.

It was Mrs. Plisetskaya’s form and grace that allured global audiences as well as fashion designers. Yet, it was her strive for innovation and respect for the traditions, that won them completely over. In the following slideshow DEPESHA remembers Mrs. Plisetskaya’s most iconic looks on and off stage:

[nggallery id=340]

Stephan Rabimov