Hello darlings! Welcome back to Pink Tutu, where we're diving into the delightful history of the ballet tutu! This week's trip back in time takes us to a rather interesting date – 4th February, 1840! Oh, how I'd love to have travelled to Paris back then - just imagine the exquisite fabrics and charming Parisian shops!
But before we embark on our fashionable journey, let's do a little #TutuTuesday trivia, shall we? 😉 Today, my lovely readers, we are celebrating 184 years since the first performance of Giselle - a story of love, betrayal, and the supernatural - the quintessential ballet for any tutufied soul. Ahem! I know, my darlings, how exciting!
Just picture the scene: the stage lights dim, the music begins, and there, stepping onto the boards, is Marie Taglioni - an icon, darling - a goddess of the stage - in a dreamy, slightly less bulky, yet equally enchanting, version of the tutus we adore today. She's wearing a white and pink tulle masterpiece! (Pink? I just knew it, darling! Pink is ALWAYS fashionable, you know, it's in the history books, my dear readers.)
Marie’s movement in that short, light version of the tutu – oh, darling, the grace, the fluidity! The complete lack of those restricting layers of fabric! (That’s my kind of fashion – airy and whimsical!) I can imagine, for that moment, it must have been nothing less than pure magic to behold.
But, darlings, we mustn't be swept away by nostalgia and those lovely Parisian visions quite yet. We must delve into the nitty gritty - that history is as fascinating as it is fashion-forward. 😉
Before Taglioni, what was it like, darling? What were these early tutus doing? Let's take a quick trip down memory lane…
Imagine yourself back in the early 1800s, walking through the streets of London. There were all these theatres, you see, packed with elegant ladies in gorgeous, full-skirted gowns. The dance, darling? It was, how do you say... robust. The women, they were, shall we say, covered in layers. Think heavy, thick layers of fabric – satin, brocade, the works. Even their hair was adorned with such massive structures, they'd look as if they were wearing their grandmother’s Sunday hat! (Such a fashion crime, darling. Who has time for that?)
Those "heavy-skirts", as they called them , were a beautiful, albeit impractical way to express fashion, but darling, it wouldn't do at all for a ballerina's movements! And that's when the "tutu," from "tulle", our beloved lightweight fabric darling, came onto the stage, literally!
Now, darling, don’t get me wrong. This early tutu - it’s what we call, in fashion speak, a "romantic tutu," or a “Romantic-style" - it still wasn’t a particularly breezy pink masterpiece, if you know what I mean. Imagine it as a beautiful bell skirt that hit about the knees, made of multiple layers of white tulle. There was more fabric there than an entire gown! It’s a real far cry from the stylish, streamlined beauty of modern ballet, don’t you think?
Fast-forward to 1840, to our Parisian escapade with Marie Taglioni, the "Fairy Queen" as they called her. (I call her, the “Queen of pink,” she did wear a lot of pink!) A lot has happened, my darlings. She brought forth a shortened, more fluid tutu, lighter and more flexible. The dance moved with it! (Finally, darlings, the art of dance had time to breathe. Time for beautiful ballet.)
From that shortened, lighter version of the tutu - which became incredibly popular, darlings - then arose the "classical" tutu. It’s the kind of romantic *tutù that has graced the stages, and hearts of the world, ever since. And my dears, it’s the *basis for all those beautiful, fashionable ballet outfits we enjoy so much! The "classical tutu" - you can spot it - it’s a very distinct silhouette – long in the back, short and billowing in the front. Just picture those flowing, diaphanous, layers – how heavenly! (And, yes, of course, my darlings, it could be in any number of charming, delightful, pink hues! )
There you have it, darlings! The story of how the ballet tutu, like all true fashionable masterpieces, began to take shape, evolve, transform. We can thank Marie Taglioni, darling, and the beautiful Paris stage, where those fashion forward designers made the magic happen! It’s truly a delightful chapter, one we can all admire and enjoy today.
We know that the “Romantic-style” and “classical" styles have been with us for a very long time! But they haven’t been sitting around! They have been *evolving, my dear reader, just like our lives.* I have so many exciting new ballet tutu-related discoveries! Just like with those historical “Romantic” tutus and the "classical" ones, fashion evolves! *What new shapes, colours, styles and fabrications await? *
Well, you can bet your favourite pair of pointe shoes on it, my darlings, we’re not just done yet, the Pink Tutu adventure is going to keep unfolding and exploring fashion and ballet history for a long, long time.
Have a lovely rest of the week! See you next week with another fascinating #TutuTuesday blog post from yours truly!
Until next time, wear your favourite tutu, be bold, be brave, and be beautiful! And remember - it’s never wrong to choose pink, darling! 💖
P.S Now that my #TutuTuesday blog post has been shared, it’s time to get ready to take that train right to Paris, where I’ll be visiting some exciting antique shops - the fashion darlings! I'm on the lookout for some real hidden gems: vintage fabrics for future #TutuTuesday posts! I'll tell you all about it on my next blog, “Travel Tuesdays!” And just wait for those pictures of me, in my perfect pink tutu, in front of that iconic Parisian scenery. Oh la la, what fun! 😄
Don’t forget, my darlings, this is my blog, and I am a dedicated ballet dancer, a fashionista and time-traveling enthusiast, just like you! But don’t worry! I pay for all my travels, my beautiful costumes and ballet classes from all the money I make doing spectacular ballet performances. 😉 What a life, eh? It’s always time to add a little pink into your world, especially with my fabulous, magical pink tutu! **That’s the magic of tutus! 💖💖
