▎❝ Finds under 40: sugarplum fairy fashion to dance for. ❞

It is the magical season of winter and during this special time of the year, I find myself lost in daydreams of nutcrackers and sugarplum fairies from my favorite ballet, the Nutcracker. I have always adored fall and winter most of all from the falling leaves to the dancing snowflakes. Frost slowly creeps across the land under the cover of darkness and the whole world glistens like sequins when you wake up in the morning. Snow drifts with a pearlescent sheen from place to place beneath the winter sun—everything is just so whimsical and enchanted. I could spend my entire life in a winter wonderland and never miss summer—if I could find a snow globe big enough, I would!

For anyone unfamiliar with ballet, the Nutcracker is a Christmas classic written by the great Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1892. It tells the story of a young girl named Clara who receives a wooden nutcracker as a Christmas gift from her mysterious godfather, Drosselmeyer. On Christmas Eve, Clara’s dream transports her into a magical world where the Nutcracker comes to life and battles the evil Mouse King. After defeating the Mouse King, the Nutcracker transforms into a handsome prince and takes Clara on a breathtaking journey through the Kingdom of Sweets. They are welcomed by the Sugarplum Fairy, who presents a delightful array of dances from various sweets and cultures.

You’ve definitely heard the Nutcracker’s music throughout the holiday season whether you knew it or not from the Nutcracker March to the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy and if you’ve never experienced it yourself, I suggest either going to see it in person or at the very least watching it somewhere online because it’s truly a timeless work of art. I would highly recommend the Barbie Nutcracker movie for nostalgic purposes because it is fabulous and if you’ve already seen it, you’re divinely favored by the pink gods.

All my life I have loved the Sugarplum Fairy and so when I went to the theatre to see the Nutcracker in support of my old dance studio for the first time in years last December, I decided to wear an outfit inspired by the character I love so well which is what I’ll be sharing! The items I found were on Amazon and under $40. Everything arrived quickly and without a hitch. I already wore all of it since it was last year’s outfit and I didn’t find anything to be cheap, ill fitted, or easily damaged! It was a good outfit and I wouldn’t be writing this post if it wasn’t!

Jumpsuiting for joy

I knew that I wanted to wear a jumpsuit right away because it would be cold and I wanted something that covered me as much as possible. I did briefly toss around the idea of a skirt with tights because of the ballet theme but I just went for warmth, to be honest. It was December and I wasn’t looking to receive plague as my Christmas gift, you know? I also had a Sugarplum color scheme in mind that focused on magenta rather than plum purples because when I think of the Sugarplum Fairy, I think of that perfect shade of magenta that’s right between purple and pink—it’s neither one, it’s magically both.

I also wanted something that was shiny meaning that I was open to either sequin or metallic fabric. Fairies wear sparkling kinds of outfits and since my aesthetic for the night was inspired by one, it needed to be glittery without being too overstated. I needed to be on theme and true to the season without looking like I was trying too hard for the small town that I live in. Though it was difficult, I achieved my goal and the jumpsuit I found was perfect!

The jumpsuit I found is just the shade of magenta that I wanted and it’s $36.98 on the Amazon. Featuring long bell sleeves and long straight leg pants, the waist is complimented by the band detailing. Stretchy without being baggy, it is very comfortable and super cute! I want to get it in more colors because it was so easy to just throw on and build an outfit around! I didn’t have to worry about matching anything last minute or tucking anything into all my winter layers, I simply had to slide into this beauty!

Coat Caper

To go over my jumpsuit, I wanted a muted pink trench coat in the same color family but lighter than the magenta I was wearing underneath for contrast. I also wanted it to be in a different texture to the jumpsuit—again, for contrast. It had to be long, but shorter than the heel length and it needed to be belted to cinch the waist without too many buttons to distract from the rest of my accessories. I needed it thick enough to be warm for winter weather without looking bulky or altering the silhouette the jumpsuit created.

The original trench coat that I found and purchased from the brand, Pretty Garden, is unfortunately no longer available on Amazon for me to share. This is really upsetting not only because now I can’t link it here but also because I wanted it in other colors. Rather than be depressed, I did some quick searching and found a few alternatives that I would’ve gotten if the first trench coat wasn’t available. The first two are closer in color to the jumpsuit but they match the style of coat the I purchased the best. You can view them both here and here for under $40.

The last two are closer in color to the trench coat that I ordered but they are not the same style and are closer to pea coats, in my opinion. They’re no less beautiful, they are just different. Both of these coats can be found here and here and again, they are both under $40. The last one is probably my favorite, to be honest—I might ask for it for Christmas this year. I like that even though it has buttons, there’s only four and that the silhouette is very chic and timeless. I also appreciate that it’s still pink but it’s a more neutral pearly sort of pink and we love her! Any of these options would be suitable for this look if you were wanting to recreate it.

Ballet Boots

With the length of the jumpsuit, I was in need of a shoe with a heel. I needed something tall enough that I wouldn’t need to get the jumpsuit hemmed—I didn’t have time—while still being able to maneuver all the theatre stairs in the dark. Now, I could do that in stilettos but I didn’t want to chance it and I wanted something that would keep my feet toasty on a cold winter’s night, not make them feel frozen into the leather.

I found a pair of beautiful suede magenta booties for $33.99 with a decent block heel and though the color was a shade or two off from what I wanted, I think it worked just fine! If anything, the pop of pink toe peeping out from underneath the hem of the magenta jumpsuit was a nice touch and the overall look turned out to be trendy gradient. I had wanted a bit of ombre in my look to fully capture that Sugarplum Fairy vibe anyway. Why just wear one shade of magenta? That’s not magical enough!

These boots were comfortable and the heels were easy to walk in especially on the stairs. The heel was thick enough to make maneuvering a breeze without having to sacrifice height. The elastic on the side made them quick to slip into and the tall front kept my entire foot warm for the whole night. There is also a ballet pink color option that would look good with the last coat from the section above that I said was my new favorite if you wanted to change the shoes to match the new coat.

Hand me that bag

Believe it or not, I did not have a handbag to wear with this outfit at the time that I was styling it—I know, tragic! Magenta is a difficult color to find and shop for which is probably why I hadn’t gotten one sooner. I wanted a flap bag or clutch that was easy to feel around in the dark without a too many fastenings to figure out. I needed it small enough that I could keep on my lap for the show rather than put on the floor of the theatre because I didn’t want to forget it was there and accidentally leave it.

The handbag I found is from Dasein in hot pink and it is $15.99. I adored that it has frosted, sparkly details without it consuming the whole bag. I also liked that there was a shade discrepancy between the flap and the rest of the bag which added to the contrast I was creating between the jumpsuit and trench coat. The option to have a longer strap was nice but I find the chain straps on Amazon clutches to be breakable and cheap so I opted to carry it by the handle instead.

The bag is small but it was just right for what I was looking for and it was really fun to carry around! It wasn’t heavy and it wasn’t bulky, it was just a little bag to put my tickets and phone in but that was all that I needed! I would recommend this bag because it’s really stylish and I’d definitely order it on other colors for future outfits.

Ballerina Brooch

Like all little old ladies, I love a good brooch! The sparklier, the better! I like to wear statement brooches that fit the theme of wherever I’m going and it makes me feel like a princess whenever I do because many royal princesses and queens also appreciate a nice pin. I also think they’re cute souvenirs to remember where you went and things like that—I just like them, alright?

So what kind of brooch would you wear to see the Nutcracker? Would you wear the Nutcracker himself or perhaps a plum? A mouse? A Christmas tree? There were so many options, it took me a little while to decide but since I was going to a ballet and I was making an outfit inspired by the Sugarplum Fairy, I went with a pin that reminded me of her. Not only did she have a crown but she was made of gradient crystals that tied in all the colors of my outfit!

For $11.99, I got a gold brooch of a ballet dancer in a pink gemstone dress to wear on my trench coat. It tied in my whole color palette and it was everything that I was looking for. To mark the occasion and because Christmas was coming, I ordered a matching one for my mother with the multicolor crystals for the same price which she also happily wore. I didn’t wear any other jewelry else except an Oscar De La Renta necklace and a morganite teardrop cocktail ring that I already owned so they’re not included here, sorry! I will write about these pieces from my jewelry collection in the future!

Well there you go! Another finds under forty centered around the outfit I wore to the Nutcracker last year—it’s still iconic a year later. I wasn’t going to post another one of these so soon after my last one but given that we’re in the shopping season, I figured that it might be helpful to anyone looking for gift ideas as all of these items are under $40 and individually might make a good present for your own sugarplum fairy. I hope you enjoyed this one and it was so fun to style a magically whimsical outfit so if you’d like to see more like this, let me know! If you like themed looks, maybe I’ll get creative with future posts!

disclaimer: sometimes prices change and I can only account for the prices I see for an item at the time. The prices I’ve posted here as the “regular price” are the current prices listed at the time of this article’s publishing. I will try to check back and update it in the future if need be.