#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1833-10-15

Hello dearies! It's your favourite pink tutu-wearing time traveller Emma, and welcome back to another edition of my #TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History blog! It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come on our time-travelling tutu journey; we're now on our 94th blog post! It's all been thanks to my beautiful, sparkly tutu collection - and all the lovely, supportive followers on www.pink-tutu.com!

Today, we're whizzing back in time to 15th October, 1833, to a Parisian theatre filled with the soft glow of gaslight and the excited whispers of a captivated audience. I'm standing on my tiptoes, feeling the smooth satin of my pale pink tutu caress my skin as I watch the incredible dancers glide across the stage in what is, you know, not exactly our modern tutu - yet! We're on the precipice of a tutu revolution!

In 1833, fashion trends are a blend of the classic and the cutting-edge. We're starting to see a move towards shorter skirts, looser, flowing silhouettes and the early beginnings of "fashion conscious" ballet! While ladies are still confined to stiff, whalebone corsets, they're definitely letting a little more skin and more shape show!

As I sip a delightful glass of port (just imagine my disappointment when the trains start chugging away at 50 miles an hour in just a few years - that's no time to relax and drink my port!) I think about what's different from my little Derbyshire village. Everything is SO cosmopolitan! Here in the heart of Parisian fashion, every single detail, every stitch and ribbon, is important!

The ballerina on stage isn't wearing our full-on, fluffy tulle masterpieces yet! Remember, the tutu wasn't always so fluffy. In the early days of ballet, dancers actually wore what they would have worn for normal everyday life - long, flowing skirts that got in their way as much as helped! It was cumbersome, believe me! The first stage to getting there was the invention of a shorter, practical and comfortable skirt.

The ballet in front of me - and I'm going to be so naughty, so sorry dear readers but it’s The Sylphide – was originally choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832! Remember, ladies, Taglioni was a man so it took a good strong, beautiful dancer like Marie Taglioni, his daughter to really kickstart our ‘tutu-vation’!
Marie Taglioni - one of the first great prima ballerinas, I mean really put this costume into focus and showed what was possible on stage - the ability for the skirt to not just sit there, it was to dance as well.

In this era, the dancers wear a more practical ‘skirt’, in essence - not the modern ballerina’s multi-layered, puffball skirt. Imagine something flowing, diaphanous - but short that can move with ease and really allow their legs and feet to be shown - something close to what you might find in our Victorian Dance scene - just a touch more whimsical, of course!

These earlier iterations of what we'd call a tutu were often made of silk or very light fabric, allowing the dancers to move with amazing freedom. Think about the freedom of movement - of light, fluid fabric dancing with the body! As you can see in some older historical drawings, there is usually one layer of fabric, and it falls very straight - not much of a 'poof'. Imagine your ballerina in her short ‘tutu’ but with a flowing skirt reaching the ground at the back, creating that beautifully graceful, whimsical effect.

Now, although we haven't yet reached the full-on poofy, beautiful, tulle skirt tutu (more on that in next week's blog post!), this period of time was so, so important. The debut of The Sylphide started the 'revolution'. It was the spark that lit the tutu flame! We need to celebrate it. And we can say, confidently that it's all about our ladies showing off their legs and movement on stage in a beautiful and dramatic fashion.

And as I’m swept away with the show’s dreamy story - about love, adventure and (perhaps sadly!) death - I feel it… it’s time to whip out the sewing kit and start thinking of my own Tutu design that will bring the whole dance scene up to date and more importantly - let’s be honest, make me stand out! (Don't forget that in 1833 there's no instagram, folks! No photo filters or #pink-tutu #balletfashion. This was all done by our creative imagination - and in person - wow - we didn't just make history but created it!)

As my little train (remember, before we got those massive engines, train journeys were very small and quite intimate – think of your journey being a lot more ‘cabin car’ - more akin to ‘grand carriages' with plush velvet and the comfort of home! This was how I could afford to get all my materials for making my new tutu and costumes. The train had really got going when I first started this time travel ballet history blog, it was perfect to fit all my things inside! - so comfortable and luxurious with those lovely long carriages - like my ‘dressing room’!

Anyway! What has been going on at this date, in 1833 - that has inspired my newest costume creations??

Well, in London a magnificent new temple - ‘The Houses of Parliament' are opening. This iconic architecture is inspiring a lot of lace-edged bonnets and elaborate ball gowns (think a bit like a modern version of a tiered, or even tutu-like ballgown skirt, that was designed in Paris!) that all show a whimsical kind of fashion and some delicate romantic styles! Remember this is the Age of Romanticism, the beauty is everything to us ladies, but it’s the detail that's all important in 1833 and that's what I’m seeing reflected in the costumes that dancers are wearing!

That’s the reason, for my latest collection I have just had to create something that was all about the detailing!

I must have travelled through at least half a dozen cities and made at least twenty new ‘fashionista’ connections on my time travelling trips but I think I have a great start to a tutu for a performance I’ve designed in celebration of the houses of parliament. The inspiration from my travels around the globe? - I decided on this gorgeous vintage satin that will be perfect. It has everything:

-* Lace details* This is one ‘essential* style - I always bring with me a massive suitcase full of the finest antique laces I have been so lucky to find on my travels. In particular I've just purchased an entire vintage roll from the silk factories of Lyons, France - all made of the most exquisite lace patterns, with very delicate embroidery. These details are going on my tutu’s entire skirt (and possibly on my ballet slippers) so it looks like I'm in full support of the great art and detail of the age and the opening of that spectacular building in London.

-Embroidery: Of course! This tutu needs the perfect embroidery. This is going to take some time! So I’ll probably spend all week creating intricate flowers and delicate patterns. This kind of detailing is my speciality! The delicate, flower and bird themed designs, are perfect, so very “English Rose” and “cottagecore”! (Who knew it was coming back into fashion all those years later!).

-Satin Because, why not? Nothing makes you feel more like a ballerina princess than wearing an entire tutu in the finest satins. I always try to use the most sumptuous satins from Paris - a beautiful color. It will definitely be a luxurious and delicate, pink - the colour that is all the rage in fashion - (but just as popular now!). But the shade I'll choose will be just a touch on the 'pink’ side. The perfect ‘tutu’ shade – so we all have an understanding! And yes, it will have to go on the whole tutu, too - including the top, and maybe a delicate ruffle, as well as the skirt. It's time to “create and impress.”

But here’s the thing - this tutu that I'm imagining is about more than just fashion. This is the era of those amazing dancers. Those graceful ballerinas who make you gasp at every single step, every pirouette. Those women of elegance. The ones who, we now know were often performing on stages that were too dark - that had gaslights with the fumes - and sometimes with limited audiences! (Well, in comparison, to now when we can see the entire world thanks to instagram). And remember, for a woman in that day and age, a ballet career was not simply a “dream” job, it could be all they had… it was their whole world! The way that we dress is all about showing off their art!

As the curtain closes on The Sylphide, I stand ready to move to London, but also - just as much - to make it to another famous theatre for a show - the beautiful Royal Opera House, the home of dance and one of the greatest theatres of the age! There are so many fabulous ladies - I really must see the dancers of this time period - as this has to be an era that made a massive impact - after all, these are the dancers that were moving toward the modern style of ballet – so very important for our story!

So that's it, folks, our tutu-tastic trip to October 15, 1833! I can't wait to show you my new, exquisitely detailed tutu design - especially for London’s iconic new Parliament Building, just wait until you see the final result! Until next time, keep twirling, keep sparkling, and most importantly, keep wearing your pink tutus.

See you next #TutuTuesday, 💖 Emma ✨