Greetings from Paris, darlings! I've just arrived from a whirlwind journey through time – a little something I do for you all every Tuesday for our #TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History extravaganza! My fabulous frock (it’s pink, naturally) has definitely been turning heads in this City of Lights! Can you believe it's 27th September 1836? Oh, how I adore Paris in this era! Such elegance! Such style! It's no wonder the world's greatest ballerinas flock here. And just look at these exquisite costumes! Swoon!
But today, we’re diving deeper, darlings! We're exploring a magical world of fashion history: the birth of the tutu! It wasn’t exactly called a tutu yet, you see – ahem, that lovely moniker wouldn't be embraced until much later, a fact that shocks my little pink tutu-wearing heart to this day!
1836! Oh, the excitement in the air! The whispers on the boulevards about the revolutionary creations gracing the stage! While tutus may not be twirling on the world’s grandest stage quite yet, I'm happy to report that the evolution towards that heavenly form has begun!
Back in the 1830s, the era of the Romantics was in full bloom, a perfect pairing for the evolution of dance. Imagine delicate wisps of silk swirling and floating, echoing the dreamy emotions of romanticism, giving us a glimpse of the incredible form the tutu would become!
Our lovely French ballerinas, with their flowing, form-fitting costumes, were starting to embrace the romantic style of dancing. This involved lightness, freedom of movement and graceful elegance. Just imagine the romantic spirit embodied in delicate chiffon fluttering on a beautiful dancer! It's just the perfect visual expression of an era of feeling, don't you think?
Remember those stiff, long, and rather cumbersome gowns from just a few decades before? Those are now slowly being cast off in favor of much more flowing, whimsical, shorter skirts, unveiling a more streamlined and graceful form of dancing. Can you feel the revolution brewing? It's the first whispers of the iconic tutu!
Now, imagine yourself transported to Paris, 1836, in a carriage whisking you to a ballet. Imagine, if you will, witnessing the first glimmerings of what would eventually become our beloved tutu, taking shape right before your eyes! It's all about revealing graceful movements, elegance, and artistry, and trust me, this romantic ballet world is a captivating and intoxicating experience, not a bit like today's hustle and bustle!
In this era, ballet performance, much like our tutus, was undergoing a metamorphosis, emerging from its rigid past into a space of refined freedom and artistry - where the dancing was more lyrical, the storytelling deeper, the emotion more present, and the overall experience more impactful. Oh, what a wonderful time to have lived!
For you and I, fashionistas, there's a distinct difference between the styles of yesteryear and today, a stark contrast, you could say! Gone are those long, bulky gowns and stiffly structured silhouettes that constrained movement. We’re witnessing a breathtaking shift! And those romantic ballet costumes, just like our tutu, are about to explode into a full-blown revolution of movement and fashion, darling!
Imagine the ballet gowns of the time – those tulle and silk layers, fluttering like whispers of a summer breeze – creating an airy and delicate silhouette that embodies that magical romantic era. That’s precisely what's on stage in 1836, just as we continue our story of how tutus, step by graceful step, began to take shape!
Speaking of that glorious dance experience, our timeline leads us to the premiere of the ballet La Sylphide on 27th September, 1836, a revolutionary event that truly captures the heart of what was changing in the world of dance, giving the tutu even more weight and importance! La Sylphide – oh, such a magical spectacle! You’ll find the heart of what our ballet form would become woven into the very fabric of the costume, the romantic essence of dance echoing within!
What a journey, darlings!
As our time in the past slips away, let's wrap up our Tutu Tuesday by remembering that each stitch of fashion history plays a critical role, influencing everything we know and love today. From 1836 onwards, we are entering a captivating journey where we'll watch the tutu evolve with ever more graceful ease and fluidity, eventually reaching its peak of fabulousness. And how incredibly magical it truly is!
For those of you yearning for a taste of history in your ballet endeavors, head over to a performance of La Sylphide, if you have the opportunity – it's a stunning piece, a true treat for the senses, and a journey to an earlier era of graceful dancing. And when you do, darling, feel free to twirl in celebration, remembering the exquisite evolution that took us to the world of beautiful, magnificent, enchanting tutus we know and love today!
See you next Tuesday, my fellow tutu lovers! Until then, dance on, dream on, and never forget: you're all perfectly fabulous in pink!
XOXO,
Emma
P.S. You can read this post and all my past ones on my lovely website! * [www.pink-tutu.com] (https://www.pink-tutu.com)! And please, tag your fabulous tutu photos on social media with #TutuTuesday! I'd love to see how you’re all embracing your inner tutu queen!*
