Ballet tights in an unflattering shade of pink are one of the CBT’s pet peeves! Choosing a pink that clashes with your pointe shoes or ballet shoes will shorten your lines and just look wrong.

Pinks can vary depending on the amount of blue and yellow in the dye formula. Generally, classical or ballet pink tights look best with the more salmon-y shoes, like Freeds and Capezios, while theatrical pink looks better with truer pinks and paler shoes, like Grishkos and Russian Pointes. You may need to purchase one shade to match your soft shoes and one for pointe.

Non-mesh tights are usually very soft and appear to be a pretty pale pink in the package, but they often look white, yellow or purple once their on. Mesh tights can be almost scratchy sometimes, but usually have better pinks. (Steer clear of Capezio #9 in classical pink, though, it’s famous among dancers for looking bright orange!) A backseam makes alignment checks easier and visually lengthens your lines dramatically.

One of the best ballet tights on the market currently is the Body Wrappers A45, a convertible mesh version with a backseam available in ballet pink and theatrical pink. Its designed to feel super soft against the skin so you’ll get the best of both fabric worlds, and you’ll look polished and professional.