Fashion's love affair with dance

Dries Van Noten dresses dance company Rosas, milliner Stephen Jones collaborates with Rambert, Julien MacDonald designs for Richard Alston. Recently Karl Lagerfeld created special tutus for the centenary of Ballet Russes (just like his predecessor, Coco Chanel).

Contemporary dance attracts A-list fans. At a Ballet Boyz or a Michael Clark gig you might see Clive Owen, Rachel Weisz or Cate Blanchett blending in with the crowd. Madonna has even been smuggled in but no one makes a fuss - reflecting the egalitarian ethos.

Gallery: Dance street style

Every time I go to watch contemporary dance, it's the audience I'm struck by. Londoners who flock to see performances at Sadler's Wells, QEH, The Place or the Laban Centre don't slavishly follow high street trends. Their style is quirky, exuberant and individual.

In a typical dance audience, you'll find art students, costume designers, actors, musicians, film directors and architects (hardly surprising when choreographers like Akram Khan and Wayne McGregor team up with artists such as Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor).

And of course many are dancers themselves, notable for their amazing bodies and enviable posture. The modern dance physique is sinewy, athletic; far sexier than the scarily thin torso of the classical ballerina. No wonder they make great clothes horses - in their ballet flats, trailing skirts, hair loosely tied up in a top-knot.

For our shoot at Sadler's Wells, at the opening of Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray (an updating of Oscar Wilde's gothic fable which is now finished), we were spoilt for choice. I loved the twentysomethings in their vintage dresses and leggings. There were Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dresses and Betsey Johnson frocks; bold Op-art prints, patterned tights and shoes to die for.

As for the men, it's a pleasure to see them taking clothes seriously - without that macho peacock swagger. Several were dressed head to toe in Vivienne Westwood. But there were also wicked hats, blazers, cool T-shirts and the latest Puma trainers.

Several of these outfits were picked up on eBay for less than a fiver, proving you don't need money to look good - just ingenuity. And a dancer's body.

Gallery: Dance street style