Hello darlings, and welcome back to another Pink Tutu Tuesday! Today I'm so excited to take you on a whirlwind trip through time, all the way back to 14th June 1836, for our #TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History!
This is blog post number 233, and if you're new here, welcome! I'm Emma, and I'm absolutely obsessed with tutus! I travel all over the world, using my dancing and my dazzling costumes to earn enough for my next adventure. My aim? To make tutus popular everywhere! So if you haven't popped on a tutu yet, darling, what are you waiting for?
As always, I love a good railway journey - I think it's the most romantic way to travel, don't you? - so I took the express train down to London to get the lowdown on fashion, of course. Imagine, darling, I'm travelling on the very same lines that were so fashionable in this period - steam-powered! We really are creatures of habit, aren't we? Some things never change!
Now, on with the history!
The year is 1836. Queen Victoria, that style icon, was only 19 years old. She would ascend the throne later that year, and, as we all know, she loved a good ballet performance! Ballet was absolutely booming, and in fact, ballet history in 1836 is just bursting with intrigue and exciting new creations. Can you imagine, my lovelies? The very first tutu design for a ballerina, specifically the design we would now recognise, was first worn in the Paris Opera Ballet right around this date! Oh, how I'd have loved to have been there, dancing among such a creative crowd!
And what is happening in London, I hear you cry? London was absolutely rocking out, my dears. There were shows happening everywhere, including The King's Theatre and The Queen's Theatre! But that's not all - The Italian opera singers, Giuseppina Ronzi de Begnis and Domenico Ronzi de Begnis, had just made their debut at Covent Garden - it was the place to be, the hottest ticket in town. And my darlings, imagine! The tutus were becoming a fashion statement outside the ballet. Just imagine how stylish a white or pale pink, fluffy, bouncy, floaty tutu looked under the gas lamps of Victorian London! How glamorous, darling, how glamourous!
I found myself daydreaming, taking a spin and a twirl amidst the throngs of fashionable ladies on London's bustling streets, dreaming of such an extravagant, creative world. As I glided through the crowd, my own tulle, pale pink and fluffy tutu billowing about me, I caught the eye of a man wearing a top hat - a rather dashing figure!
But it is the tutus, darling, that are my passion. Those iconic tutus, with their wispy, light, beautiful layers of fabric, were really revolutionising women's fashion. Gone were the bulky, restrictive clothing of earlier times, and in their place were fluttery, light and breezy tutus that emphasized graceful movement. Now, this isn't a coincidence, is it? The same people who danced ballet loved dancing around town, and it just made so much sense to make tutus part of daily wear. How wonderfully practical! We love multi-tasking here at Pink Tutu. It made it easy to get about the bustling city, you know, with all that waltzing, dancing and pirouetting!
That evening, my lovelies, I made sure to attend the ballet, of course! Just seeing the costumes in all their exquisite details, with the vibrant colours, swirling tulle, and the most incredible sequins! My mind is a-bouncing with excitement just thinking about it. It's enough to inspire an entire dance routine, I assure you!
Of course, the ladies, especially, were dressed for a glamorous night, and I could see how much those ladies loved to watch those beautiful ballerinas swirling in their airy tutus. You could just feel the energy in the air, darling, as if the room were buzzing with the spirit of the tutu itself! Isn't it absolutely divine? I can still feel those thrilling whispers as I write these words, all those decades later!
But now, darlings, I must leave you! Another adventure awaits - I wouldn't miss the chance to hop on a train to Paris, and get a look at how the fashion scene in the city of lights is doing. You can bet there will be some fascinating ballet stories to uncover there! Remember to check back next week for my #TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History, where I'll take you to a world of sparkling costumes, delightful dance moves, and oh-so-fashionable tutus! I'll be revealing all! Until next time, darling, dance your way through life with style and joy, and don't forget to wear your pink tutu!*
Keep it sassy, and keep it fabulous,
Emma xx
