San Francisco Ballet: Golden Hour’s costume redesigned by Gap’s creative director - San Francisco Chronicle

I am privileged to have seen Within the Golden Hour with the Royal Ballet in London for a few times. I loved what I thought the Egyptian lines of Christopher Wheeldon’s choreography and, ah, I was awestruck by Jasper Conran’s golden costumes.

So, I was shocked when I learnt the costumes were being redesigned.

Witin the Golden Hour was originally commissioned by San Francisco Ballet. The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper ran an exclusive on 16th January 2025 that the costumes would be redesigned by Gap Inc’s creative director and executive vice president Zac Posen.

 “The work was commissioned in 2008 but its design is being reimagined in honor of Wheeldon’s 25th anniversary choreographing for the company,” the newspaper said.

Posen is a renowned fashion designer and joined the San Francisco-based Gap Inc in 2024. He has designed dance costumes before for the likes of Paul Taylor.

You can also read Posen’s interview on San Francisco Ballet’s website.

Zac Posen in the SF Ballet costume shop overseeing the creation of the new costumes he designed for Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour© // © San Francisco Ballet, photo by Lindsey Rallo

For me, it is a feeling of bittersweet because I love Conran’s flamboyant design, however, Posen’s design cannot be bad. He has big shoes to fill nevertheless.

Within the Golden Hour will be performed as a part of the Cool Britannia programme for 13-19 February at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco.