Hello my gorgeous tutu-lovers! It's Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood tutu-wearing time-traveller! Buckle up your ballet shoes, darling, because today's journey is going to take us back in time! I'm positively giddy with excitement because we're travelling back to a special date: July 19th, 1842! Can you believe it, loves? My very own #TutuTuesday is now nearly 200 years old!
For those of you who are new to the Pink-Tutu world, we're diving into the glorious history of tutus! This little ol' blog has become quite the passion project! Every Tuesday, I hop in my very best tutu, and with a flick of my magical "tutu-time" pocket watch (it was a bit of a bargain in the Victorian Era! Just can't help but pick up a bargain), I head off to a different time! Today's destination? The gorgeous and fabulous, Paris, of course!
We're in the very heart of Parisian fashion, darling! Just imagine the boudoirs bursting with exquisite silks and the latest Parisian fashions! And let me tell you, 1842 is where tutus were starting to blossom into the magnificent ballerinas we know and love! Now, as we are so far back, tutus were a lot more than just a dance item. Let's step out into a glamorous world and see where our journey leads us!
Tutu Tales from 1842!Back in this gorgeous Parisian era, tutus were mainly a theatrical spectacle rather than just for dance! Think plays and musicals rather than full ballet shows! They were still very new! And yes, dear reader, these gorgeous tutus are starting to feature in grand fashion houses! Can you imagine? The French theatre had a bit of a obsession with tutus, so we were seeing them appear everywhere from Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris performances to operas. It was truly the start of a tutus-wearing fashion revolution, loves!
Let's dive into what tutus were like in 1842:
All about Volume! Oh, the tutus! They were rather full-bodied and dramatic back then, like big, glorious ballet dreams! A ballerina could dance under their very voluminous layers. Think A Midsummer Night's Dream with the fairies in white. We were certainly seeing these theatrical beauties being embraced by many French playwrights! They were a huge success at the time. Imagine those huge tulle, swirling, theatrical outfits! Just so wonderful!
The Tulle, Sweet Tulle! Let's be honest, darling, tulle has never looked so fabulously luxurious! They were always adorned with lace or ruffles, adding a real splash of elegance to those theatrical gowns!
Fashion in the Fast Lane! Oh, you see it everywhere, it was a boom in Parisian fashion, the world loved the look! The 1840s were when tutus started appearing on the dance floor and even making an appearance in other dances, like the waltz, sigh, it's just so romantic! The sheer beauty, it was a love at first sight situation, you see? This Parisian scene just oozed glamour, love.
But hold on a minute... I know it can seem a bit ironic, darling, that although I was lucky enough to be invited to an exclusive theatre show today on this trip! In 1842, although it was all very grand in Paris, tutus weren't a standard fashion piece for every ballerina on stage! The Ballets Russes era had not hit just yet ( that's in the future!), so we are still in an era when the ballerina’s look is much more romantic. Marie Taglioni , one of the biggest ballerinas at the time, had a different look to modern ballerinas. More romantic, longer tulle and flowy. More about showing off movement, grace and beauty in that stunning full tutu silhouette. They always put a dramatic and whimsical spin on ballets and theatre.
Okay, let's be honest! In 1842, tutus and the theatre are simply a match made in heaven! Oh darling, the romantic gowns. The long gowns with delicate flowers are a style classic. And let's not forget those big hoop skirts that everyone adored, making sure our dear French ladies were strutting down the boulevards and shops in full grandeur.
A special hello to all you Parisian babes and ladies of fashion. Those lovely big and beautiful hats... just lovely! Oh, that Paris fashion of the 1840s was just everything a true tutu enthusiast could dream of. Think, a romantic Parisian cafe, and a big full tutu, or an exciting, fun cabaret! And as it is a time before the Second Industrial Revolution the fashion world was being reinvented as factories start to create the new garments of the future! So, if I am travelling back in 1842, think about those new inventions.
I know! The sheer audacity of those Victorian fashion ideas. They are like a mix of "let's show off a touch of your lovely limbs and figure", and "hide some of that lady under a giant dress"! Oh my! But that is how these things change through the years, darling, just like with tutus!
The Magic of The Parisian Opera and BalletMy friends, it is a moment I treasure. Today I’ve been totally blessed by attending a performance at the gorgeous Paris Opera itself. I just know that those early theatrical tutus just sparkle and wow the Parisian audiences ! Even back then, tutus created a fairy tale for everyone watching, giving those audiences a dose of sheer magical theatre. We could only dream of those costumes we are seeing, and their elegance was just simply... enchanting. Even now, in the modern age, this time travelling tutu blogger thinks those big voluminous tutu silhouettes are truly dreamy. It’s what the real tutu dream is all about, love.
This lovely trip back to the 1840s is making my time-traveling heart throb! There is just such a special atmosphere! Even if tutus were not exclusively in every dance, there was certainly a theatrical, and fun "let's make the biggest, most theatrical tutu look to delight everyone, ” fashion revolution. *It really sets the tone for the tutu world we know and love now. *
Keep It Pink & Keep it #TutuTuesday!That's it for today, loves! Let's all grab a delicious French pastry or, of course, that Parisian baguette while remembering this #TutuTuesday. Be sure to keep your eye out on my Pink-Tutu.com for my next journey! Let me know what you’d like me to blog about!
See you next week! Keep twirling, my lovelies, keep twirling!
Emma
P.S. I'll leave you with a quick tip from a fellow tutu enthusiast... Don't just watch the show! Watch those ballerina steps, darling, absorb their elegance and take those tips into your next ballet class! If they could move with that elegance in their big 1840s tutus, then think of the magic we can create, especially with our tutus today, loves!
