Ballerinas wear two types of shoes, depending on the type of dance they are performing. A ballerina must be able to position her feet as well as balance, run and leap across the stage. Ballet slippers are made of leather with a suede sole. They are flexible and are usually black or pink, but are available in other colors. Pointe shoes are also made of leather, but have wooden blocks in the toes to enable ballerinas to stand on pointe on the tips of their toes.
Unless a ballerina is dressed in a specific costume with colored tights for a performance, she is usually required to wear pale pink nylon tights. Ballet instructors often require their students to all wear the same color of tights so they can look down the line at a uniform row of legs and be able to assess positions and form. Pale pink is the most common required color for classes and rehearsal. Tights come with full feet in them, or in stirrup style.
Along with her tights, a ballerina's other main wardrobe staple is a leotard. Black leotards are the most common for rehearsal or a classroom setting, and are often required by ballet instructors to be worn with pink tights. Leotards come in a variety of sleeve choices, from spaghetti straps to cap or even long sleeves. They are usually made of satin and spandex, and are designed to fit a ballerina's body like a glove. This enables the instructor to check a ballerina's form.
If ballerinas are not required by their teacher to wear only tights and a leotard, they often wear short skirts over their outfits. These skirts are usually made of nylon and either have an elastic waist or tie around the waist so dancers don't have to pull them off and on over pointe shoes. In performance, many ballerinas traditionally wear tutus. These frilly skirts made of layers of netting came into vogue in Paris in the 1700s.
During long hours of rehearsal, ballerinas have down time and they quickly get cold in just tights and leotards. Dancers often wear certain extra pieces to stay warm and to keep their muscles warmed up. Ballerinas wear wrap-around crop wool or cotton sweaters that tie around their waists and cover their arms. On their legs, they wear stretchy knit leg warmers that slip on and off over their ballet slippers.