Hello darlings! It's Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood time-travelling ballerina, back from another whirl through history with my trusty steed, Magic Meg, my darling pink sparkling Shire with golden hooves! This month, we’ve been to a rather exciting time, oh, the glamour! We popped back to 1957, to witness something truly spectacular… The Paris Opera! Can you imagine, my loves? My pink tutu twirling amongst such legendary ballet history!
But first, I have to share this absolutely divine vintage ballet find. Remember that gorgeous little velvet bag I mentioned in my last post, with the silver filigree embellishments? Well, I found something that pairs perfectly – a genuine vintage, silk ballet ribbon! You wouldn’t believe this - the most gorgeous pale rose pink with a silvery sheen. I mean, who could resist?
Now, where was I? Ah, yes! So we travelled back to July 1957, and let me tell you, Paris was buzzing with excitement. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, me included, as The Paris Opera was in full swing. You see, my darlings, the world was waiting to be enchanted by a young dancer called Margot Fonteyn (don't worry if you haven't heard of her, I’ll introduce you).
This year was quite special - the prestigious ballet company, The Royal Ballet was touring. Now, I know we love ballet in our little corner of Derbyshire, but it's fair to say the whole world was mesmerized by these English beauties. They were performing at the Paris Opera, and wouldn’t you know it, my favourite - Swan Lake - was on the bill. It must have been absolute perfection! Just imagine the grace and the drama, with Margot in her ethereal white costume. Just the sheer skill! They say it was captivating. It seems the Paris audience absolutely adored their performances - I bet they were on the edge of their seats, hearts aflutter! I bet even the critics, who can be as demanding as ballet shoes! I couldn't resist, I even purchased some vintage photos from a little French antique shop!
I've been reading about how they even filmed it! Well, darling, of course, the Paris Opera is the place to be. If I could find the magic of a time machine, you bet I'd be waltzing across the stage myself! And don't even get me started on the tutus, I think it would be quite scandalous, really! It had to be seen. Imagine the beauty and grandeur of those 1950's tutus - all flouncy and full, with gorgeous detailing and a hint of pink of course, that iconic ballet pink, darling, it's so sophisticated! Of course, I grabbed myself a lovely velvet pink ballet bag, as I’m always looking for additions to my vintage collection, I swear, I've found something that whispers my name in every antique shop!
After we had a look at the Ballet, we took a stroll through the streets of Paris. The French just seem to have a flair for the dramatic, darling, especially with their shops - everything just gleams, especially the ones in a lovely pink. I mean, you simply can't resist such lovely hues. Can you imagine the perfection of a shop brimming with beautiful French pink ballet tutus, a little pink shop window displaying an array of dazzling dance shoes - like shoes crafted by Cinderella herself!
Back to reality, I think we might make Paris our next stop - what do you think, lovelies? If I’m in Paris, you're in Paris - think about that! In the meantime, you can try your hand at creating some amazing vintage ballet costumes or tutus by trying my latest tutorial over at pink-tutu.com, with just a few alterations and additions, you can have a delightful French ballet tutu!
Now, darlings, don't forget, it's always fun to make time for ballet and I highly recommend a pink tutu every now and then - just let your inner ballerina sparkle and, of course, spread the love of pink! Don't forget, you can visit www.pink-tutu.com for updates! See you next month darlings!
