#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1840-07-07

Hello my lovelies! It's Emma here, your pink-tutu-wearing, time-traveling blogger, ready to whisk you back through history once again. Today's #TutuTuesday is taking us to July 7th, 1840, a date that's just brimming with sartorial stories!

Oh my! Imagine this! Imagine travelling back to 1840 – the year we get to talk tutus. Now that’s my dream come true! I just imagine all the beautiful gowns and the magnificent bonnets! sighs dreamily. I’d have loved to have seen all the new colours and fabrics of the time - what incredible fabrics the ladies wore and the colours of their outfits! And, as this is the start of a most fascinating story, there was the emergence of the romantic ballet, all things flowery, dainty, and soft! I would have gone wild seeing the women and gentlemen in the audience all dressed up! You all know how much I love an excuse for some shopping. Just the other day, I saw the most beautiful hat at a new boutique in Kensington. Just imagine shopping back then, wouldn’t it be something?

I wonder what shops would be the ones that most resembled today’s Anthropologie, The White Company, or even a John Lewis? There must have been so many small, delightful places tucked away on the backstreets of London and Paris and places like Vienna, Milan, Florence, Venice...

Today’s TutuTuesday takes us to Paris. Can you imagine it? You know how much I love travelling to Paris – a truly magical city that always feels like the perfect mix of old-world charm, elegance, and the epitome of haute couture. The French just have such a fantastic sense of style – you’ve just got to love their chic vibe. You see the Parisian girls just wandering around the streets, even now in the 21st century and they just look amazing. Just look at their street style! And they all know how to put a Parisian spin on a casual look with their fashion sense - with just a little bit of effort they make everything look like they just stepped out of a fashion shoot! And the Ballet is so romantic and dramatic.

1840, a beautiful, momentous year – the year the Romantic ballet really blossomed. Imagine – the perfect time to be a ballerina in Paris or even further afield in a time of such theatrical delights.

So now – imagine how beautiful these ballerina's outfits would have been - with flowing skirts, and silk and cotton under layers.

Here’s a little snippet into that historical world…

Back then the early dancers would wear silk and satin with delicate frills around their neck. Imagine, flowing white fabric - absolutely exquisite and graceful, how amazing would that have been to watch! They would twirl with the silks trailing like beautiful ethereal wisps as the lights danced on the fabric - beautiful!

And what does this bring us to...? Yes, the glorious beginnings of the ballet tutu we know today, the glorious tutu!

It was this moment, during the 1830s and 1840s when we moved away from the flowing skirts of silk, satin, and muslin - and, yes! – the tutu as we know it – really started to develop! The story gets very romantic indeed, wouldn’t you say? I wonder who we have to thank for this transformation in dress?

And if you are on Pinterest looking for all the perfect ballet-style, pink-hued attire – why not put up your pink tutus and give it a good whirl with the silk that drapes, twirls, and flows as you go… Think Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face with a bit more of that delicate flowing look and an ethereal sense of ballet-inspired elegance. And, yes! you all can pull this off perfectly and look as sophisticated as anything from 19th century Paris!

1839: This was the year where we see the change in style move towards a more delicate and streamlined look with dancers wearing tight-fitting, single-layer tutus! How wonderful and elegant. You’ve got to love it, it would have been a wonderful era to be dancing! This was how the classical ballet style we love was able to truly blossom, taking to the stage to capture the imaginations of audiences, the critics, and the dancers. It seems to have truly hit that magical stage of beauty, elegance, and the ability to make even the most complex dance movements appear incredibly easy! And remember this was back in the era of classical ballets like Giselle (with beautiful tutus too!). It just had a beautiful timeless appeal - no matter what time period! And remember that the ballet was for everyone to enjoy too – men would come and dance, and everyone had their eyes fixed on the dancers who, to be fair, would probably have been pretty slim and very graceful.

I’d love to know what you are wearing today, my little beauties!

Right, until next week when we go exploring this amazing world again... and for goodness sakes, everyone, let's go shopping - my purse is ready for a little Parisian chic!

Emma

*Please do check out my previous blog posts - I have loads of fascinating posts just waiting for you all! *www.pink-tutu.com And please do let me know what you think about this one. If there’s anything you’d like me to talk about just let me know! *