Seductive and sexy meets rebellious and raw. Our new Rocking Ballerina collection blends these together effortlessly—and our Rocking Ballerina muse, Chloe Lukasiak from Dance Moms, gracefully embodies what this collection is all about. We sat down with her to talk about her favorite styles from the collection, what makes her feel confident and, of course, all things dance. Read on to find out more!
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What’s your favorite piece of the collection?
I really love the pink tulle skirt with the wraparound black shirt and I love all the shoes! I wore the grey/blue velvet pumps that wrap up, I love those shoes. They have a little bit of a rebel feel but elegant and pretty. But basically I love everything!
You exude so much confidence. How do you bring that out and what makes you feel confident?
It’s really funny that you say that because confidence is something I actually struggle with. I’m actually very self conscious, as I imagine most teenagers are. I’d always struggle with dance. I’d go on stage and get nervous, I’d freak myself out. It wasn’t a good combination. But at the end of the day, it’s supposed to be fun. I don’t look at it as everything needs to be perfect—just being myself is what matters most. You can be confident about that because you can do that the best!
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Do you have friends and family who help keep you grounded and encourage you?
100 percent! I have an apartment out [in Los Angeles], and I come out and I work and I’m in this world. Then I get to go back to Pittsburgh with my dad, sister and mom and it keeps me grounded. I’m in this busy, busy world, and then I get to go home and it’s very chill. We play Phase 10 and I read my books, and I’m a normal teenager and I do my school. I think that balance is really important, especially being young, because I’ve heard so many stories of kids growing up in this business and it not turning out super well for them.
I always say I’m not doing anything life changingly important—I’m not a firefighter or a doctor. I’m lucky enough to be in this business and do what I love, so that makes me happy and that keeps me grounded.
When you’re dancing, how do you express your personality? What do you do to get in that zone?
It mainly depends on the type of dance I’m doing. If I’m doing a dramatic contemporary piece, I try to channel that. I’ve always enjoyed the dark pieces. I had a solo called “The Raven” a few seasons back on Dance Moms, and it was one of my favorites. I loved being evil and mean and really getting to just have fun with it. It depends on the dances. I don’t know if it’s necessarily expressing my personality more so than shaping it to fit whatever the piece is.
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How do you express your personality and your style through fashion?
I try to be myself. I’m a huge advocate of being comfy! In this business, I feel like fashion sometimes isn’t comfortable. But every time I try something on for a carpet, I’m like, oh this is comfortable, this is great! A huge rule is that I only do and pick the things that make me happy. It’s really changed my outlook on life. If I’m walking through a store and I see something that I think I would like but I’m only gravitating toward it because of society or because I’ve seen it in magazines, then I don’t buy it—because I know I don’t love it. But if I see a piece that maybe not everyone would love, but I love it, then that’s how I stay true to myself.
Do you work with a stylist?
I do. I don’t think I could do everything for carpets on my own. But for everyday casual wear, that’s me.
How does dance influence your style—or does it?
It doesn’t really, actually. For my dancewear, I honestly tend to wear black leggings with some sort of fun sports bra, but that’s it. I keep it very basic and simple for dance.
How would you describe your personal style?
Not dance comfortable or inspired, but just comfortable! I only buy things that make me happy instead of trying to dress like other people. I only buy things I know I actually love. I think a lot of teenagers struggle with trying to look like other people. You think, “I have to look like that for people to like me,” and that’s terrible. You always have to be on trend, and it’s a lot of work! It sounds silly, but it is.
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What style of dance do you tend to gravitate toward the most?
Contemporary and lyrical. When I was younger, I did a lot of musical theater, a lot of fun numbers with lyrics and everything. Then I went on the show and I liked jazz, but it was always contemporary or lyrical, so I got more into that. Now that I’m older, I gravitate more towards that. I think it’s a teen angst thing! I enjoy it.
How often do you spend dancing?
It really depends. When I was on the show, I was dancing every single day. But after I left, and especially right now, these past couple months, I’ve been traveling a lot and super busy with acting. I actually also just wrote a book. I’ve just had a lot of things going on, so I haven’t been as focused on dance, but I’m still dancing. Taking classes whenever I can. If I’m home, and it’s during school, I dance four days a week, maybe more. And I always try to stretch when I’m not able to get into class.
Be sure to check out Chloe in our new Rocking Ballerina collection here.
