Good morning darlings! It's another #TutuTuesday, and oh, do I have a treat for you all today. We're going to take a trip back to September 30th, 1834. A truly fabulous year in ballet history and a year that, to my knowledge, holds an extra special place in my heart because...drumroll please...my time travelling landed me right here in the beautiful Parisian Opera House in 1834.
Now, if you’ve been following my blog for a while (and honestly, how could you not?), you’ll know that I love tutus, and tutus, as we know them, were in their nascent stage back in 1834. It's so interesting to see where it all began!
I mean, how could you even begin to describe what fashion looked like in 1834, you might ask? Let's just say it wasn’t exactly "pink tutu," as the little bit of "pink" you see is just that... little. Think heavy crinolines, tight corsets, boned bodices and more layers of clothing than a mille feuille. It's a real struggle even to walk, much less pirouette, in all that stuff!
Let me tell you, 1834 Paris was as bustling with theatre-goers as any other time in history, but the ballet was different back then. The stories of the ballet weren't the big focus. Oh, no, it was all about showing off beautiful movement and amazing athleticism.
On this September 30th in 1834, you would have found me in the Salle Le Peletier, a beautiful and elegant space built in 1820 that served as the Paris Opera House for twenty years, where the grand premiere of Marie Taglioni’s ballet "La Sylphide" was performed, a real breakthrough in dance history and one of my most cherished memories.
Can you even imagine?! The buzz in the air as we sat in those opulent boxes! It was intoxicating, really. You could almost smell the anticipation and excitement in the very air, mingled with the scent of exotic perfumes.
To be honest, though the tutu hasn't truly evolved into its modern-day form yet (we still have a few decades before we reach our fluffy pink dreamland) - this show was an absolute delight. I think I fell in love with "La Sylphide" all over again that night.
Marie Taglioni was a total vision on stage. With her graceful movements and light as a feather dancing style she totally wowed the audience that evening. Her costumes, while not as fluffy and sparkly as I might prefer, were already pushing the boundaries for that period. She's like the early influencer of tutus and grace and lightness in ballet! Can you imagine! In her version of “La Sylphide" Marie wore a loose, gauzy white skirt, a skirt designed with a simple, flowing and diaphanous effect – it had a simple, modest appearance with a slightly "bell shaped" skirt rather than a completely stiff structure - but the point is it was a huge innovation! Think about it! In the early days of the 19th century, ladies were all about bustles, hoop skirts and so much restrictive undergarments and here came this dancer, practically floating onstage! What a vision! It was literally like nothing we'd seen before. That’s right. Marie Taglioni took ballet fashion to a whole new level. I'm almost blushing just thinking about it. The dress was practically like a little almost tutu - it showed how lightness, grace and ethereal beauty was becoming increasingly important in ballet at the time, and of course, the white made it seem as if Marie were floating and she truly did have the weight of the world lifted from her, making ballet less formal and much more beautiful, if I do say so myself.
And let’s be honest, everyone wanted to look like her. She was the ultimate fashion icon.
I even heard the Tsar of Russia offered her husband, an Italian ballet dancer named Paul, a job in his royal ballet if only they would stay in Russia. Oh! It was all so grand, it’s a real credit to this remarkable lady and I am smitten, smitten I say with the artistry and skill of the dancers.
Oh, and did you hear what the Parisians wore for this spectacular performance? The dress style in 1834 Paris could not be more opposite from how Marie dressed on the stage. The ladies loved brightly colored dresses, and the fashions at this time were very ornate and elaborate. Think layers and layers of tulle, lace and elaborate patterns all to accentuate and enhance women’s bodies and figures. Oh! It truly was all about the curves and the glamour. Oh! This fashion made you feel like royalty! They weren't the most practical to get about in, that's for sure, especially in my 1920s fashion (even in my usual more casual dresses for going about, they can’t compare with the restrictive attire for dancing, that’s for sure!) You see how many layers go into each of the garments on the mannequins at the local Parisian stores. All of these clothes were made with incredible detail and intricacy and so much skill.
For me, seeing those Parisian women of 1834 all dressed up for ballet gave me so much appreciation for all that’s been done to liberate fashion and let women move and enjoy their bodies with joy! What a fascinating look into fashion, history and ballet all rolled into one, as if you would expect anything less! I loved everything about that evening at the Salle Le Peletier and it makes my day to travel through time just to go back and remember what an incredible era 1834 truly was! It seems like it was only yesterday I travelled here.
I had the best time wandering the streets of 1834 Paris. You'd never guess I'd just landed back in time from Victorian England, you would never know! All that fuss and etiquette just to go into a public establishment for tea with the aristocracy. It is too much! There’s no comparison between life in Victorian London, England and 1920s Derbyshire or indeed in this fabulous 1834 Parisian experience. And with such an incredible day ahead, my outfit needs to really reflect what is happening and of course, everything should be a shade of pink. Yes. The shade I decided on was pale pink as it goes perfectly with what I’m wearing on my feet - my pink, custom made, full-length ballet shoes made especially to look more delicate and elegant, oh, the ultimate for going on stage. I am feeling so grand. As we say back in my beloved Derbyshire: I look proper dashing!
What I wouldn't give for an elegant French gown made for the 1830s to be designed with the kind of flowing material that I might use for my own personal pink tutu! (Maybe one of my future time-travel adventures will take me back there to get some design ideas.)
For tonight, I am planning to make my way to a grand French ballet performance here in 1834 and maybe even take a peek at the show myself! It will give me an excellent opportunity to really let my mind wander! Oh, I just love ballet and my new dance shoe’s too! I hope my ballet outfit, my lovely, flowy 1920’s skirt, which matches my beautiful pink scarf that is tied round my hair so elegantly and my dance shoes - that I always feel comfortable in – make an impact.
What shall I wear to tomorrow's Ballet class and for our dance class I've already planned, but my new favorite shade of pink for our tutu - I have already picked out. It is such an elegant pink, like a flamingo. Yes! It really will be lovely, just waiting to be admired by all of you! It will go with the soft color of the feathers that I’ve picked up and just got, they are really lovely, soft as well. What do you think about that for a tutu? How do you like it so far?
Until next time, you guys!
Love and pink tutus!Emma.
#