Hello, my darlings! Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, where every day is a celebration of the fluffy, fabulous tutu! 🩰💖
It’s a beautiful Tuesday morning here in Paris, and I’m absolutely brimming with excitement for our weekly foray into Ballet Tutu History! Today we’re travelling back to August 22nd, 1837, a date that marks a significant turning point in the evolution of ballet fashion, and possibly even world history! Can you guess why? 🤫
Oh, the drama! 😉 You know I love a good story, so grab your favourite pink tutu, a cup of tea, and settle in for a delightful journey!
Today marks the coronation of Queen Victoria, our beloved monarch and a true style icon of her time! The impact of Victoria's reign, spanning over sixty years, reverberated through every facet of society, and of course, it extended to the world of ballet.
As we journey back to 1837, the ballet world is very different to what we know today. Picture it – the Romantic era. This time was characterised by a romantic, dreamlike quality. It's almost like a Shakespearean play come to life! We’re seeing an embrace of the ethereal, with the dancers taking on a light and airy form.
Think about those flowing tulle skirts and delicate, feathery costumes. The movement on stage became fluid and graceful, with a focus on lightness and agility. It was all about expressing emotion and conveying a narrative.
But back then, it wasn't all about tulle and tutus just yet. The ballerinas still wore "tutus," of course. However, their tutus were very different. We see shorter skirts that looked like elongated pantaloons and tight-fitting bodices. It was much more practical for dancing. There weren't these dramatic, voluminous forms yet. It's the foundation, though! The base from which the majestic ballet tutu we all love came to be!
Now, a little fun fact for you. Queen Victoria was not particularly known for her love of ballet. Her tastes leaned more towards the elegant and conservative. While her coronation undoubtedly made a splash across the entire nation, we have to acknowledge that, in terms of direct impact on fashion in the ballet world, Queen Victoria’s reign didn't immediately ignite a radical change in ballet tutu design.
Don't worry! The time for the evolution of the tutu, for the evolution of this extraordinary garment that I live for! – the one I'm so lucky to share with all of you, you've gotta remember that, all this happened slowly, organically. We need a few decades of groundwork laid!
We need to wait until around the 1880s for that explosive explosion of tulle, with the rise of ballet blanc like The Sleeping Beauty, and, of course, the magical invention of the bustle.
But we have to thank this date, this date in history, the date that introduced the world to Queen Victoria, for planting the seed! Without the powerful Queen, the changes in fashion later might not have flowered so well.
Here’s a fun challenge for you: Can you find some photos of ballet costumes from 1837 and compare them to those we see today? What differences do you notice? Let's have a discussion on Pink-Tutu.com's Facebook page. You know I love your thoughts!
Now, I’m off to enjoy the wonders of Paris! After I've devoured some éclairs, naturally! After a glorious morning exploring the historical heart of this city, I'm headed to a spectacular ballet performance at the Palais Garnier!
You know I'm absolutely besotted with ballet shows. There's a magic to the stories and emotions brought to life, all thanks to the captivating artistry of the dancers. It's captivating and makes my heart dance, don't you think? 💖
What will you do to celebrate #TutuTuesday today? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I love hearing about your tutus, and about how you wear them, and about where you wear them, and about how much you love your tutus as much as I love mine!
Oh, and if you happen to see any ballet performances around you – do go! Even if it's not your favourite thing always , you just might fall in love!
Remember, we all have a touch of pink tutu inside us. 🩰💕
Until next week, darling.
Love,
Emma
A few more historical details, just because I love all the history:This August 22nd was also a Tuesday! Oh my, what a Tuesday! The coincidence is delicious! What makes this even more delightful, my dears, is the fact that *Victoria took the throne after her Uncle, William IV, passed on. So on the very same day she became Queen of the United Kingdom, her new royal position was confirmed with the crowning! What a day for such important royal matters!*
You may have heard of Victoria, her 63 years of rule brought massive change! Everything from a fashion and textiles boom in the industrial age to a cultural shift in what people felt was proper.
Just think: you could be part of this revolution – we’re not just looking back, we’re also looking forward! Remember: all you need is a pink tutu! 💖
But back to the date in question, you see, Victoria inherited an incredibly complex throne, with tensions within the UK, and around the world. This was quite an experience for the 18 year old new monarch! It meant the entire country, and indeed the colonies in every continent, needed a strong leader, and Queen Victoria did exactly that.
It is thanks to the strength of Victoria's rule, a strong, assertive but eminently fair female lead that we've seen such leaps forward in many areas!
We should take time today to give credit where credit is due, yes, Victoria was *the woman who helped the UK become an influential power in global trade and society, and the cultural changes at the time would impact future world leaders – and with them we have what is now global commerce, an unprecedented interconnected world! What would our tutus look like if all of that hadn't happened? We might not have the glorious world of high end tutus and ballet, now in its full form!
It makes me very, very thankful for what history brought!
It really was the time when *The World truly began to spin a bit faster! *The period in which the Industrial Revolution continued at breakneck speed, with developments like new steam engines, the spread of railroads (did you see those elegant railway stations in Victoria's time?!), new ways of weaving faster cloth, which of course is very much essential for those elegant tutus! (We do appreciate a fine weave! ) All these big developments impacted fashion. And who better to bring these together than a queen known for being elegant and classy?
