Hello lovelies! Welcome back to my little corner of the internet where tutus reign supreme! 💖 Today is #TutuTuesday and you know what that means – we're taking a trip down memory lane, and this week we're travelling to the glorious 1842. Imagine it!
Now, before you picture me swishing my pink tulle skirt amongst the cobblestones of London, let's be honest – there weren't many tutus in sight back then! 😅 In fact, our tutus had a rather dramatic backstory, one that was full of grandeur, daring innovation, and even a sprinkle of rebellion!
You see, dear readers, our lovely tutus didn't magically appear, they had to evolve. This week, I've travelled to the year 1842, specifically to the 20th of December, the day our modern tutu was first unveiled! The story begins with one daring, imaginative and absolutely brilliant ballet dancer: Marie Taglioni!
She was, in my opinion, quite the trendsetter and style icon even back then! She was considered the Queen of Ballet! Born in Stockholm to Italian parents, this fabulous, beautiful woman literally redefined the world of dance. Her grace, strength, and elegance made her one of the most famous ballerinas of her era, and it was her sheer audacity that took the stage by storm.
Now, to really understand the power of the early 1800s ballerina and the fashion revolution that Marie caused we have to understand the limitations of dancing women in the early 1800s, it's what I like to call the ‘Heavy Dress’ era:
Imagine being dressed in layers upon layers of fabric, your limbs restrained by heavy skirts, with a corset that would make your waist a mere whisper of its size – no, I'm not talking about the beautiful corseted costumes they wear now, those were a much later thing! No, I'm talking several layers of clothing.
But Marie was a woman of daring spirit. She didn’t want to be weighed down by layers of petticoats – she wanted to soar! To fly on stage and captivate her audience.
In 1842, with all the confidence and swagger of a true ballet queen, Marie stepped onto the stage, not in the heavy gowns typical of the day, but in a daringly different outfit. Instead of floor-length skirts, she wore a skirt so short it barely reached her knees – the ‘tutu’ as we know it!
Of course, there were whispers and gasps at first. Was this the end of traditional ballet, they questioned? Some called it shocking! Imagine, so few layers, almost daring to show *so much skin. However, they were captivated, absolutely captivated! Imagine what you could do, as a ballerina, without a hundred layers of petticoats and long gowns. I don't know how I managed without tutus in those early days, if you ask me!
This daring display by Marie was groundbreaking! It completely transformed how ballerinas dressed. This 'white ballet tutu' was named "La Sylphide" after the ballet she performed that day! This light, ethereal skirt, with the tiers of delicate white tulle flowing like wind, represented a break with the tradition! And just think, it was completely new just 179 years ago!
So today, as we dance into this #TutuTuesday, let’s thank the trailblazers like Marie, who pushed boundaries, embraced their beauty, and inspired us to wear our tutus with confidence!
Remember, the pink tutu, just like our ballerina of the day, has revolutionized and defied expectations throughout the years. A symbol of grace, femininity, and freedom, it has captured imaginations and sparked conversations from the grand opera houses to the streets of the most glamorous capitals around the world.
What will tomorrow bring? Who knows! But one thing's for sure - whether it’s exploring our favorite vintage shops in Derbyshire for our dream tutus or getting lost in the enchantment of a magical ballet performance, we’ll be swirling with joy and reminding ourselves: we all deserve to be beautiful and confident! 💕
Now, for your own ballet inspired fun, I am so excited to introduce this new special blog segment I will be writing about a few times a month: “Travel Tuesdays!” Because, you know, I love trains. Every time I time travel to a new year, or to the past or future I love to try a new style of travel. For Travel Tuesdays, I thought it would be nice to talk about the way I traveled today - 1842. I know many of you follow me on social media because you know that train travel and especially historic trains are something I love! I know many of you have even traveled on The Flying Scotsman yourself, with all the glamour and romance, I can see it! For my journey today, though, I had to go back even further than 1800!
I traveled through time on, well, it wasn't called a "Train", exactly, though the concept was quite similar. This trip was rather special because it was called “The Rocket"! Now, now I know what you’re thinking, how could I fit all these bags and that beautiful pink tulle skirt on "The Rocket". It sounds rather cramped, no? Well, I do have access to a certain time travelling travel technology but today I went old-school and took a simple and comfortable coach with enough space to sprawl my skirts, the good thing was, you didn't have to go too far for this new carriage ride to work! And imagine the exciting prospect of riding on what they called “a horseless carriage”! So this trip was really special, almost a true representation of what "The Rocket" must have been like, if I hadn’t used other time travelling means.
Anyway, that is all from me this week darlings. I shall catch up with you next week. Please send in your fashion inquiries or your questions for our Travel Tuesdays. If you need a tutu of your own (what’s not to love?) you can visit our online shop! And stay tuned!
Until then, keep twirling, keep smiling, and let your inner ballerina shine! ✨
Love,
Emma 💕
