Hello darlings! It's Emma here, your pink-loving, tutu-obsessed time-travelling ballerina blogger. Today is #TutuTuesday, and I'm taking you on a thrilling journey back to November 9th, 1841, to explore the early days of ballet fashion and its exciting transformation. Buckle up your pointe shoes, darlings, we're heading to the land of lace, silk, and, of course, tutus!
This week's trip brought me straight to Paris, the beating heart of the dance world in 1841. Can you imagine? We're just over a decade away from the first public performance of Giselle, that iconic ballet with the swirling white tutus. Oh, my darling, to be there then, amidst all that fluttering and pirouetting.
(Picture: Emma in her iconic pink tutu with a small silver tiara, looking wide-eyed at a vintage photo of Parisian dancers with a billowing romantic tutu)
The tutus worn by dancers in 1841 were quite different from the ones we know and adore today. These were not the tight, form-fitting creations we're used to. Oh no, darling, these were Romantic Tutus. Imagine layers and layers of billowing silk and tulle, floating like clouds around the dancer, creating an ethereal effect. These gowns were all about creating a whimsical and romantic look.
You can just imagine how impractical this must have been for pirouettes! The sheer weight and volume of the Romantic Tutu, I can barely imagine! They really pushed the boundaries of ballet artistry, showing off the ballerina's graceful movements, but wow! What a challenging garment to wear. But let's be honest, even with its impracticalities, that look is simply magical!
But hold on! There was something even more fascinating about the Romantic Tutu of 1841. It's an exciting turning point in ballet fashion. This style marked a shift away from the restrictive, heavy costumes of the earlier centuries, with a lot of structure, stiff skirts, and a lot of fabrics. They were practical but certainly not pretty! But then, bam! It was as if the dance world decided, "No, let's let the ballerina move freely!" So that is what happened! The Romantics emerged and a new style took hold!
Imagine, darling, a Parisian ballet stage filled with graceful ladies, each with a romantic tutu, soaring and swirling!
(Imagine a ballet dancer gliding effortlessly on pointe in a soft pink Romantic Tutu as she pirouettes across the stage in front of a cheering Parisian audience)
It's almost like we are seeing the first glimmers of modern ballet take shape. I wonder, if a young girl with a thirst for dance walked through the streets of Paris in 1841, could she ever imagine the revolution the Romantic Tutu sparked? Would she know, in that moment, how much fashion would change forever because of it? How would it affect the ballerina's costumes from today, or even our daily fashion in 2023?
And what about the shoes? These beautiful ladies wouldn't have been wearing the soft pointe shoes we're used to seeing now. No, darlings! Think of leather slippers with tiny heels and leather ties around the ankles. So not quite pointe, not quite ballet flats - somewhere in between. Perhaps they were even slightly more practical, unlike these giant flowing tutus!
**(Emma shows an adorable sketch of two ballerinas dancing together on stage. One is in a romantic tutu and the other is in a regular dress.)
Oh my, it was simply revolutionary, darling! And with all the excitement happening around these Romantics, they probably were out dancing the night away, because on this very date, November 9th, 1841, there was a fancy masquerade ball being held in Paris! Can you just imagine the swirling skirts and laughing, twirling couples? Just thinking about it sets my imagination ablaze.
This #TutuTuesday has really gotten me thinking: Where do we see ballet heading? Do you think future generations will look at us with wonder for our tutus of today? Will they see our love for ballet, for our colourful tutus, and for our endless creative combinations? We may be years away from 1841, but the one thing that stays true is the desire for beauty, movement, and art. That love of dance never dies.
Don't forget to come back next week for another #TutuTuesday. Until then, darling, keep twirling!
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