Hello darlings, and welcome back to another fabulous #TutuTuesday! Your girl Emma is back, and guess what? I just travelled back in time again! Today, we're heading back to the grand year of 1832! You wouldn't believe the gorgeous ballet costumes they had back then, just imagine, lace and ribbons, oh my!
As a fellow ballet enthusiast, I know you're as keen as I am to unravel the history of the beloved tutu. This week we're taking a journey to the Paris Opera, the epicentre of ballet in 1832, a vibrant, bustling city, bursting with elegance and glamour. The Parisian ladies of fashion would be wearing beautiful dresses, full skirts and stunning hats. So much inspiration for tutu creations, am I right? And believe me, the ballet dancers are no different!
Now, the tutus of 1832, well, let's just say they weren't quite as, shall we say, revealing as the tutus you might see today. No, these were romantic, you could say, with a lot of layered fabric, adding that much-needed volume for dramatic flouncing and, of course, elegant movements. The skirt was longer, more flowing, giving dancers that graceful, whimsical appearance, like fairies dancing through a moonlit forest. Absolutely breathtaking! The Romantic period really focused on those flowing lines and ethereal silhouettes.
Imagine Marie Taglioni herself, a true icon of ballet, dancing in a breathtaking white tutu! Can you even?! The soft and delicate nature of these tutus created such captivating performances, filled with emotions and ethereal movements. Just imagine the way the skirt moved with each step, swirling and fluttering around her, pure enchantment!
Speaking of Taglioni, today, January 31st, is a pretty special day, as it happens to be the anniversary of her most famous ballet, *"La Sylphide." * You see, she was like the 'It Girl' of the time, all the Parisian ladies were wanting to be her and dress like her, such a fashion inspiration. She was truly revolutionary, paving the way for a new style of dance with a new type of costume. This is actually when the word "tutu" began to be used. It seems the tutus started getting shorter and shorter to create a more graceful look on the stage. So interesting how a fashion icon could have such a huge impact on our dancing wardrobe today.
Of course, for my fellow #TutuTuesday aficionados, this is all just a tiny peep into the exciting history of the ballet tutu. But hey, if you fancy digging deeper into the evolution of this essential dancewear, feel free to visit my little corner of the internet at www.pink-tutu.com, where you'll find an entire collection of blog posts just like this one.
As you may know, I am obsessed with the history of ballet and it's fashions. Now, my travels through time take a lot of energy. You see, to make all these exciting journeys happen I perform some stunning dance pieces at various theatres, both classic and street shows. This allows me to fund my passion, travelling to the ballet heartland, where the history happened and where the fashion is happening! And let me tell you, there's no better feeling than finding a beautiful, pink, vintage tutu in a dusty shop in Paris! You really can't beat the thrill of the chase.
So, until next week, have a fabulous #TutuTuesday! And, of course, keep an eye on the blog for more dazzling history and style updates. Now go forth, and twirl, my loves, twirl!
Yours in pink, Emma
