Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog, Pink-Tutu.com! 💓 It's #TutuTuesday, which means it's time for another dive into the history of our beloved tutus! 🕰️ Today, I'm whisking us back in time to the enchanting year of 1833 – and boy, oh boy, what a whirlwind this trip has been!
So, pack your tulle, grab your most dazzling diamantés, and prepare for a grand adventure! ✨ This week, I’ve travelled to the heart of ballet: Paris. My oh my, the streets are a sea of lace and ruffles, with elegant ladies in exquisite dresses and dashing gentlemen with perfectly coiffed hair. The theatre scene is positively bursting with life – opera houses are abuzz with whispers of exciting premieres, and even the smallest café has its own talented violinist! 🎻
And then, there's the ballet! 🩰 It's absolutely mesmerising! Imagine graceful ballerinas with tiny, diaphanous tutus, fluttering like butterflies as they pirouette across the stage. The dance moves are breathtaking – every flick of a wrist, every graceful leap is a poem of motion.
Now, back to our history lesson, this date, April 30th, 1833, wasn't exactly marked by a massive tutu-themed event! However, there were significant ballet events taking place that year – just a few months earlier, the Paris Opera Ballet was dazzling audiences with the premiere of 'Giselle'. A heart-wrenching masterpiece of love and loss, this ballet really showcases the versatility and expressiveness of the tutu. It's incredible how much the costumes contribute to the story. The wispy tutus in the ballet – the famous ‘Giselle’ skirt made of layered muslin – represent the lightness and fragility of Giselle's spirit.
Of course, I'm all about exploring the past and bringing the history of tutus alive – that’s why I've decided to dedicate this #TutuTuesday to some key tutu styles popular during the 1830s. It's a bit of a dance journey to a time before the iconic "Romantic Tutu"!
The "Roman-Tutu"! (Because I think that name's just so fun! 😉 )
1830s tutus were certainly glamorous, but they weren’t the full-length, dramatic Romantic tutus of later eras. The ‘Romantic Tutu’ was, dare I say, ‘tutusational!‘ We will be seeing that beauty of a skirt next week! This week, it's all about the Roman-Tutu.
I've discovered these early-Romantic Era tutus were much shorter. They still had the tiered skirt with the ‘leg-o-mutton' shape, a bit like an inverted bell! It was really more of a mini-tutu – the bottom edge skimmed the calves. And just like modern tutus, they came in various styles - a popular look was one where a short, ruffled petticoat would be peeked out from under the longer layers, creating a visual contrast of texture.
The Ballet World of 1833... Through a Pink Lens 💖
Think romantic ballet in luxurious velvet slippers and shoes with ribbons that tied up the ankle. I had a wonderful day at a shop for costume materials. I’ve found such beautiful fabrics in the market. * Satin - Oh, satin! So rich and smooth and so wonderfully glossy! The shopkeepers tell me it is perfect for making dance costumes! Imagine how beautifully satin will reflect the light on the stage! * Organza - So delicately fine! Like a spiderweb with a silky texture, and, what’s most special is how beautifully it flows in the air. It creates movement like the wings of a fairy! It is such a popular fabric in ballet now, especially for the ‘Romantic tutu’, which is all the rage! The tutu with the skirt in organza makes a ballerina look absolutely magnificent, like she’s dancing in a cloud of pure elegance. * Lace - The lace was the crowning jewel of all the shops in Paris. A lady would wear it in their clothes or trim a garment with lace for an occasion. All that beautiful hand-worked stitching is just so incredible. Imagine all the work that goes into every inch of this amazing, romantic textile! The ballet girls are especially lucky - they can be very extravagant and add delicate laces to their romantic skirts. * Feathers - There’s nothing like a feather in a garment! These feathered skirts make ballerinas look positively heavenly. A bit like birds! They do really make the girls look fantastic on stage, even with all the light and swirling and twirling it’s difficult to see, and yet I’m drawn to this detail. It is the attention to detail in the clothing that adds such elegance to this spectacle, to this form of dance! * Ribbons and silk bows - So sweet, and very ladylike at that. I love the ribbons! I even saw ballerinas in a shop and their dance skirts were trimmed with velvet bows, satin ribbons and so many tiny glittering stones! It really is like a sweet fairy tale!
Of course, you can't forget about the accessories. These Parisian dancers wore dainty slippers – made with silk, leather, or even canvas. A dancer’s feet deserve such an incredible finish and I simply must buy some when I am next here, and that must mean visiting more shops for the most exquisite selection! 👠
I can see the sparkle in their eyes and hear the echoes of applause as they effortlessly glide across the stage, radiating both beauty and talent. I feel incredibly privileged to have witnessed such an iconic art form! ✨ And honestly, it makes me even more passionate about our beautiful tutus! 💗
You're all set for your own grand ballet adventure! 😉 Don't forget to leave your thoughts below - What are your favourite ballet outfits, or your most memorable ballet memories? And of course, don’t forget to check out next week's #TutuTuesday – you won’t want to miss a glimpse at the ‘Romantic tutu’, a true gem of the tutu world! Until then, dance your way to the best of your life, darling, and never forget, Pink Tutus Are The Ultimate Fashion Statement! 💕
Yours Truly,
Emma
P.S Remember you can follow me at www.pink-tutu.com and come see me in person at my dance performances in Derby! 😊
