Oh darling, what a glorious day! October 1st 1998, the very day the world, or at least the world of ballet, was turned upside down (and possibly given a lovely little pirouette) by the unveiling of the 'Tutu Revolution'. The crème de la crème of fashion, the elite of ballet, the crème brulee of all things girly gathered in Covent Garden to celebrate, and to gawk at the fabulous creation of this decade's hottest fashionista: Mademoiselle Gigi Delacroix.
We're not talking tutus in their usual sense here, darling, oh no. Imagine a tutu so avant-garde, it would have made Marie Antoinette herself go 'Ooh la la!' - with perhaps a tiny *gasp*. The 'Tutu Revolution' wasn't about mere fabric and feathers. It was a call for liberation. It was about reclaiming the tutu, giving it a modern spin and turning it into an icon of female empowerment. Weâre not talking about some flimsy, impractical bit of fluffy nonsense here, oh no. This, my dears, was power in a package - and it came with an amazing pair of stilettos, if I may be so bold.
Now let me tell you about Mademoiselle Delacroix, a woman who dared to be bold (and utterly gorgeous, letâs be honest) her designs were an explosion of colour and movement, a kaleidoscope of ideas thrown together in a perfect frenzy. You couldn't tell where fashion ended and dance began with Gigi - she literally dissolved the boundaries, and quite frankly, that was simply glorious.
So back to the tutu, dear reader. It was called the âTutu-lutionâ, a play on words so clever, it practically had me doing a grand jetĂŠ myself! Forget the old-fashioned cotton and tulle of yesteryear. Gigi used recycled materials, scraps of fabric from previous fashion shows, the sort of materials usually discarded into bins, given a second life on the bodies of ballerinas, and let's be honest - it just *worked*. She combined this recycled genius with sheer, silken layers, bold colours, and some really, *really* amazing sparkles. You just knew it was Gigi - a masterpiece of audacious femininity.
But, dear reader, you can imagine the furore. The traditionalists were aghast. The tutu was not to be tampered with, you see! A ballet tutu, for many, was a symbol of the 'old world' and should never be messed with. They wrote furious editorials in the broadsheets about âdemeaning the integrity of the artâ and âcheapening the artistic traditionâ but you know what, my darling, they were just mad because Gigi did what she does best, she revolutionised a stale convention. As usual, the old-world establishment had lost it completely.
But the younger crowd, the ones who wanted their ballerinas to wear a bit more attitude alongside those perfectly pointed shoes, were in raptures. And of course, I am right with them, the old boys can do their whinging whilst we, my darling, move with the times!
Here are the high points:- The use of recycled fabrics, something a few years back was seen as outrageous - but who wants to see a load of shiny new fabrics when weâre fighting for the planet, I say?
- The sheer audacity of mixing colours! Remember my darlings, a traditional tutu is only one colour and normally itâs pink, and oh so dull. Gigiâs new revolutionary design was an array of blues, greens, gold, scarlet, purples⌠an explosion of beautiful, joyful chaos and it looked utterly magnificent!
- The introduction of stilettos! I don't know why it never happened before - I mean, come on, every girl knows a pair of stilettos are the epitome of glam, and yet no-one ever thought to put them with a tutu. But Gigi, she saw the brilliance of it. Those tiny little feet, pointing outwards, the tutu flowing - just magical, truly magical!
Gigiâs âTutu-lutionâ, was more than just a tutu. It was a symbol of change. A reminder that dance, like all art, must evolve, reinvent itself, keep pushing the boundaries. It reminded us that what is beautiful and powerful, doesnât necessarily need to be in the comfort zone. Iâm not saying Gigi has single-handedly taken the dance world by storm - sheâs still working hard to persuade the purists, but thereâs hope on the horizon! Weâre living through a new, dazzling era for ballet and itâs utterly thrilling.
Gigi was on top of her game. This âTutu Revolutionâ - was pure genius, her work wasnât about simply pushing a new style on us - her creations had *soul*, you could see how she believed in this project - and when youâve got that, darling, youâve got the key to real fashion magic.