Dearest Tutu-Lovers!
Welcome back to another glorious #TutuTuesday, this time whisking us back to July 8th, 1834, a most exciting day in our lovely Paris! It's always such a delight to hop on the train, zip back in time, and get lost in the history of our darling tutus. This week, it's a particularly delightful date!
Number 132
This week marks a date of great change for our favourite style of dress, a date of innovation and exciting possibilities. Before I reveal all, just imagine this! Me, strolling along the Champs-Élysées, resplendent in a shocking pink, multi-layered tutu, the Parisian air swirling about my tulle. It’s a truly dreamy scene, isn’t it?
Now, imagine this – the year is 1834, but the fashion world, is starting to embrace a new concept: freedom of movement! I know, right? It seems quite obvious today but in this era, the emphasis was very much on cinched waists, voluminous skirts and tight, constricting bodices.
It was a period of magnificent frills and layers but also, let’s be honest, of slightly suffocating fashion choices. We certainly have come a long way, haven’t we, dears?
So what changed in 1834 to move us, ever so subtly, toward the fabulous, liberating dance wear we know and love today?
The arrival of the Romantic Ballet!
This movement in dance changed everything, demanding a certain effortlessness in performance. Suddenly, those voluminous gowns just weren’t doing it! Enter the first truly functional ballerina's costume: the 'tutu'!
Yes, dearest Tutu-Lovers, while previous iterations of tutus were much more modest, July 8th 1834 saw the debut of Marie Taglioni, in 'La Sylphide', sporting the shorter, tiered tutu! Now, while not a radical departure, this short tutu was revolutionary, allowing the ballerina a new, airy, fluid style of dancing – one where legs were exposed, showing grace and agility in a way that the traditional voluminous gowns just couldn't match.
Imagine, a new world of effortless leaps, pirouettes and graceful extension! The Romantic Ballet's passion for all things mystical and airy translated perfectly into the tutu – it just shimmered, like the moonbeam gown of a fairy!
In those early days, of course, these tutus were made from more rigid fabrics, often of a more subdued white. There was still a 'refined elegance', a demure sweetness to the early designs. But imagine that first glimpse of a dancing figure emerging, a vision of lightness and grace, where the tulle whispered a gentle 'la, la, la' in the air, as if the very spirit of the dance had come alive in a glorious whirlwind of white and delicate movement!
Isn't that truly the essence of tutus, dearest friends? A whisper of elegance and movement, an echo of magical possibilities?
This is precisely why we travel back in time, through our #TutuTuesday, to understand those first steps.
Now, it’s a bit of a spoiler alert – this evolution didn’t happen overnight. There was an evolution to our perfect tutu. The fabric itself had to change - remember that era? Where fabric was very serious business, not nearly as delightful and whimsical as it is now. It took time for lightweight, multi-layered tutus to be introduced and for fabrics like tulle and silk to replace those stiff, heavy materials.
But it began, my dears, in 1834, with Marie Taglioni, and a daring short skirt.
How I spent my day in 1834:
Oh, the joy! After a perfectly delicious breakfast of coffee and brioche (a truly delightful way to start any day), I decided to catch a glimpse of the Parisian cityscape. What a grand place, all bustling activity and Parisian elegance. The fashion of the era, well, you can't blame the ladies for keeping their skirts so voluminous - the street cobblestones are, let’s say, not always ideal for stylish shoes. It’s amazing how we adapt to different situations.
For a touch of the divine, a delightful visit to the grand theatre of the Palais Royal was in order. Now, here's the thing – this is where the story truly begins, with La Sylphide. Although this enchanting ballet first debuted in 1832, this Parisian audience would have been enraptured by its beauty, seeing those iconic, short tutus and swaying gracefully in that dreamy fashion, just like a graceful nymph dancing in the moonlight. It’s the kind of magic only a tutu can bring, wouldn’t you agree, dears?
Oh, and the beauty of the performance - exquisite and perfectly suited for a beautiful Parisian afternoon! I was utterly mesmerized by the fluid, almost airy movements – all possible thanks to the freedom given by that magical tutu.
Oh, my dears, just imagine the sensation! Not just of the performance, but the sheer joy of wearing one of these early tutus. Just imagine, being the ballerina, gliding across the stage, knowing that every leap, every twirl is a tiny dance history being written right there and then. Isn't it utterly fabulous?
We’re all lucky that women, so bold and visionary as Marie Taglioni, dare to break from the norm! And as much as I love the fashion of that era, it was certainly much easier for us to travel in a pink tutu, rather than in those glorious but restricting voluminous gowns. Let's just say I can't imagine wearing one on the train to a theatre!
So, #TutuTuesday is for you! Whether you’re a professional ballerina, a dancer-in-training, or a devoted tutu enthusiast (we’re all part of the same family, right?), remember this beautiful day. This date was when we stepped into a new world of dancing possibilities. A world filled with dreams and grace, embodied in that ethereal silhouette of tulle, and perfectly encapsulating the joy of free movement and artistic expression!
Go out, put on a tutu and celebrate with me, dearest Tutu-Lovers!
Your loving friend in all things Tutu, Emma
Pink-tutu.com
Find me on instagram @Emma_tutu
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*P.S. - Until next time - a truly grand idea has occurred to me - What if I design a modern adaptation of the first tutu worn by Marie Taglioni in *La Sylphide!? How would you like that, dears? A truly sensational pink-tutu design based on a classic ballet? Now that would truly be a sight for sore eyes! I will need your suggestions, tell me in the comments what you would like! **
