Hello darlings!
It’s Emma here, your favourite pink-tutu-clad time-travelling ballerina, back with another edition of #TutuTuesday from my website www.pink-tutu.com!
This week, we’re jetting back to the glorious year 1840, and boy, is there a whole lot to be excited about! (Don't even get me started on the hats! The bonnets! Divine!) This is blog post number 453, and as always, it's dedicated to the fascinating evolution of our beloved ballet tutus.
Hold onto your bonnets, girls, we're taking a train ride through the 1840s!
Imagine my delight when I travelled through time this week to find myself in the midst of Parisian fashion. The 1840s were a splendid time for tutus, darling. It's where our favourite dancewear started to blossom from mere underpinnings to true works of art.
This period was all about the romantic and ethereal, and let me tell you, it was reflected in the fashion choices! Think voluminous skirts, soft pastel hues, and delicately laced bodices, much like our beautiful tutus were taking shape! The era was bursting with an air of whimsy and grace, perfectly captured in the evolving tutus, and it was simply bursting with frock-worthy frills - and a dash of tulle, of course!
What's a ballerina to do without a tulle tutu, darling? You can't go swirling and leaping across the stage without that gentle puff of a fabric embracing every graceful gesture, can you? This year is especially important because the short, airy tutu as we know it today started to really come into its own! Maria Taglioni - our beloved ballerina extraordinaire - popularized the use of this shorter, airier style with her iconic role in La Sylphide. You know, the ethereal little ballerina with those dainty slippers dancing among the windblown skirts?
Speaking of skirts, ladies, those full, layered skirts were becoming a thing in 1840! Oh, imagine all those petticoats and lace! *Dreamy! * There's nothing like a generous puff of fabric, a hint of lace, and a good tulle tutu to give you that enchanting ballerina look!
But even in the fashion-forward 1840s, the original concept of the tutu didn't completely vanish! Those early tutus with their shorter, bouffant skirts were still there - but, of course, they were evolving, like a beautiful, dainty caterpillar emerging from its chrysalis into a stunning butterfly. And it was oh so pretty! The silhouette began to become tighter, highlighting the ballerina’s figure in an even more dramatic way. Think fluid and captivating, girls, much like a beautiful pink tutu billowing in a graceful pirouette!
But the 1840s was more than just fashion, of course! The ballet was at a pivotal point, moving from the rigid confines of its former formality and evolving into something more free and captivating! Remember our sweet Maria Taglioni? She paved the way for the expressive ballerinas to come - ballerinas who embraced a fluidity of motion, allowing for grace and artistry to come through in every delicate turn and leaping bourrée. And what did that revolutionary new expressive dancing demand? A new type of tutu that could allow the ballerina’s movements to be seen in their full glory, making them truly the focus!
Think about it: the ballet is a beautiful dialogue between music and movement, right? A performance that needs the fluidity of the tutu to tell the whole story. As I always say, girls, a ballerina and her tutu are more than just a dancer and her attire, it’s a story waiting to be told! And with each evolving tutu, we've been told a beautiful, captivating ballet story.
It’s time to jump back to Derbyshire, girls. But don’t worry, I'll keep you all updated with my travel escapades through this marvelous world of ballet and fashion.
So, join me on the next #TutuTuesday as we delve deeper into the whirlwind history of our favourite dance wear - remember, every Tuesday, a new journey through the beautiful world of www.pink-tutu.com!
Until then, don’t forget to keep those tutus twirling, and maybe even consider that lovely pink for your next one! It is, after all, the most fashionable and charming colour there is. And I do believe it brings an extra splash of magic to any performance!
Love always, Emma www.pink-tutu.com
P.S. Have any questions about 1840s fashion, the evolution of the tutu, or even your own next ballet class? Feel free to ask in the comments below. I can't wait to hear what's on your mind!
