Hello my dearest tutu-lovers! Emma here, your time-travelling ballerina, ready to take you on another enchanting journey through the history of the most magnificent garment ever invented - the tutu!
Today's date, 9th July 1839, is quite a special one! I've travelled to the very heart of tutu-mania - Paris! The French capital has always been the centre of elegance and style, and for ballet lovers, it's simply a dream come true.
Right now, I'm gazing up at the grand Palais Garnier opera house. The very building where the exquisite ballerina, Marie Taglioni, stunned audiences in her revolutionary tutu! Oh, Marie, you are the reason so many of us wear these fluffy marvels today!
So, what exactly was so revolutionary about this early tutu?
Well, before the "Taglioni Tutu," the dancers were bundled up in layers and layers of fabric! You could barely see their graceful moves! Can you imagine? It would be like dancing in a fluffy marshmallow!
Then Marie appeared, and she simply captivated the world! With her impossibly long, delicate legs showcased in a short, airy tutu, she could leap, she could twirl, and she could make the audience gasp in awe with every movement. It was truly groundbreaking, like a beautiful butterfly breaking free from its cocoon!
The sheer fabric was still very popular at this time. They even gave a type of this sheer material a name after a famous ballerina who often wore the fabric; The “Carlotta Grisi” material. Now you may think this name has a strong connection with Carlotta Grisi; a connection between ballerina and the sheer material named after her. However, we may have to delve a little deeper into this.
A large company had launched an exclusive production of sheer material known as the "Grisi." There's speculation, of course, that Grisi may have worn their sheer material for a performance. I've been trying to track this down to verify, but even in this period of time with such good records of ballerinas, I cannot verify whether she actually wore the material in a performance. I suppose it was simply great publicity for the manufacturer, especially at a time when famous actresses and performers were very sought after to be part of advertisement, although perhaps a little ethically challenged when they may not have actually used a product. It still works very well, for they can get lots of free advertisement out of famous actresses and ballet dancers to promote products, including beauty, fashion and food - we are often exposed to subtle or blatant promotion in products when we are entertained or read or even at a show or ballet performance. So very much like the Carlotta Grisi brand material!
One of my absolute favourite moments at the Palais Garnier was going to see the “The Sylphide.” The show is the reason for the rise of the Taglioni tutu and is still loved by everyone!
Shopping and Fashion!
Oh, and of course, I can't forget about the shops! The gorgeous silk and tulle stores around the theatre are a treasure trove of inspiration. I just have to have some new material for my own tutu collection!
For me, ballet is a dance of grace, strength and exquisite fashion! These beautiful, delicate tutus give the dancers such an amazing flow and visual freedom. And let’s not forget, the stunning, elegant costumes complete the perfect theatrical and choreographic masterpiece. I often wish I had access to the kind of shops we have now in my own time. I bet even these Parisian shops, would be jealous of our choices in tutu fabrics.
Ballet and Tea!
I even had the most delicious cup of tea and some divine pastries in a lovely little salon tucked away behind the opera house. All this and some lovely new pieces of material to add to my personal collection. I am completely bowled over by Paris.
But of course, being the tutu-loving traveller that I am, I am also trying to bring the Parisian charm of ballets, tutus and shopping, back to Derbyshire! Don’t you worry, I have some fantastic tutu-licious plans in store for my home county!
For now, keep twirling, keep dreaming, and remember…it's always tutu-good time to wear a pink tutu! 💖🩰
See you next Tuesday for another amazing journey through the world of tutus!
Warmly, Emma
www.pink-tutu.com
