Oh darlings, gather round! The day is upon us, a day that shall forever be etched in the annals of ballet history – the 19th of June, 2002. For it was on this very day that the tutus, oh the glorious, voluminous tutus, made a comeback, a glorious re-emergence from the confines of the dusty, musty backstages, ready to take the world by storm.
Remember those dreary years of the 90s, darlings? The reign of the skinny, skimpy, sorry excuse for a tutu. They were so sad, so uninspired, so un-tutu-like, they practically begged to be thrown in the washing machine, left to their own sticky, glittery fate. But, thank heavens above, 19th June 2002 arrived like a sunbeam on a grey day. It was like a fashion revolution in the world of ballet, and I, your very own sartorial correspondent, was there to witness it all.
The first whispers of change began circulating weeks earlier. The whispers turned to murmurs, murmurs to buzzes, and by the end of May, the news was out - a revolutionary new design had been conjured in a clandestine, backstage laboratory - a tutu fit for a ballerina queen! No more skinny bits, darling! The word was out: "Big. Bold. Ballerina Beautiful!"
And so, on that glorious 19th of June, as the spotlight shone, I, clutching my well-worn opera glasses and a dainty silver purse full of cough drops (one must stay poised at all times), found myself in the grand foyer of the Royal Opera House. The air thrummed with excitement. And when the first ballerina stepped onto the stage, her body enveloped in the majestic fullness of the new, voluminous tutu, it was like a collective gasp of delight swept the audience. Oh, darling, the scene was divine!
Here's the scoop, the inside word on the comeback: It all started with an ingenious ballet dancer named Priscilla "Pixie" Perkins. Oh, she's a real firecracker, darling, all wit and talent, and the inspiration behind this wondrous comeback.
Here's what Pixie told me in an exclusive interview - "My darlings, I always dreamt of dancing in a real tutu. Those skimpy, skin-tight things they were making? I felt more like an athlete than a ballerina. They lacked... romance!"
And so, after years of experimenting, Pixie and her team (yes, darling, there's always a team behind the scenes), designed the perfect tutu: full, voluminous, flowing, but incredibly light. Oh, they are nothing short of miraculous. One almost floats in them! Pixie calls it "Tutu 2.0". But me, being a lady of simple tastes, I prefer to call it: The Glamorous Grande Finale.
Now, naturally, with this revolution in ballet attire, certain challenges had to be addressed.
Here's a little glimpse of backstage gossip:- One, how to get the darn thing through the stage door!
- Two, how to dance in it without turning into a whirling, swirly mess!
- And, let's not forget, three, how to navigate a crowded theatre with a voluminous skirt!
But worry not, darlings. The dancers tackled each of these challenges with the same grace and aplomb they brought to their performances.
One particular ballet dancer, Beatrice “Betty” Bumble, the resident, shall we say, “voluptuous” dancer, declared to me: “This tutu has given me a newfound freedom. I used to feel restricted, but this thing? It just flows with me!” Oh darling, imagine, the power, the freedom of a big, beautiful, glamorous tutu!
The return of the big tutu wasn’t just a fashion statement, darlings, it was a statement of power, grace and, yes, confidence. It announced the return of the traditional, the majestic, the undeniably ballerina-esque. And it proved that sometimes, the bigger the better.
Of course, every revolution has its dissenters. The purists, those who swore by the skinny, sleek designs of the 90s, grumbled and whined, their brows furrowed in displeasure. They argued the voluminous tutu hid the dancers’ beautiful lines and intricate movements. "It's like dancing behind a curtain!" one disgruntled old ballet critic remarked. Oh, how tragically mistaken they were, darling.
My darlings, just you wait and see. In a few months, everyone will be wearing voluminous tutus, be it on the streets of London, Paris, or even, heavens above, New York! Fashion, just like dance, always returns to its classics.
The 19th of June, 2002, marks a pivotal moment in the history of dance, a glorious return of the tutu that is still influencing dance fashion today. And I, as your trusty and chic dance correspondent, am delighted to be a witness.