Welcome back to my lovely #TutuTuesday ballet history blog! It's Emma here, and oh my, darling, what a grand adventure we're in for today! Buckle your ballet slippers and let's take a whirl through time! We're back to the 10th October, 1843. This Tuesday takes us right to the heart of Paris! Now, who else just loves a Parisian afternoon? The boutiques, the boulangeries, and of course, the grandios ballet!
I've just arrived at the Palais Garnier (although it's only about to be built - imagine that!) in a gorgeous pink silk gown - with a big frilly collar, you bet! Now, darling, don't even get me started on the fabric, that's what makes fashion magical. It's pink, but oh, so much more than pink! The silk just glimmers and ripples in the light, and trust me, there is absolutely nothing more exciting than being dressed for the day, all gussied up for the show! It just sets the tone for such a magical experience!
Now, about our favourite subject - tutus!
The year is 1843, which makes me feel very much like a time traveller as I sit here in the audience of a grand Parisian ballet - we're about to see the première of "Giselle" which is going to be spectacular. At this time, the world was really only starting to get into tutus! I love imagining these ballet dancers all wearing their big, bouncy, frilly creations, ready to jump and leap through the air - so gracefully, of course. The ballet costumes for Giselle were designed by the truly inspiring Eugène Lami. And wouldn't you know, this was actually the first time Giselle wore white! Imagine a stage awash with the elegance of white tulle – so romantic, wouldn't you say? Oh, so romantic and definitely, absolutely elegant! The design revolution was truly here! We can really thank the romantic and exquisite artistry of the ballet costumes for adding the dramatic effect and ethereal essence to the performances. They truly give our imagination the opportunity to be free.
Just thinking of Giselle's first tutu in 1843, brings me back to what I'm calling a 'Tutu Tipping Point.' We have this magical movement in history. We go from this beautifully complex ballet in white with an intricately, styled tutu to what we are still seeing on stage now. There's still so much more to explore though! Oh my, imagine a Parisian balcony full of stylish spectators like myself in 1843, sipping on our rosée - and gossiping all about the ballerinas and tutus, it would be a truly lovely day, right?
*And just *look at how we are still dancing with tutus. **
Look at how much fashion inspiration has come from these iconic dances - so stylish, so elegant, and so inspiring. All of these costumes just shout "elegant," and "enchanting," right?!
Speaking of the dance itself - my favourite thing about Ballet performances is this feeling of joy. There is this pure magic to the movement. It's about being lost in a dream; allowing your worries and stresses to slip away; and being entranced by this artistic world of passion, poise and poise, the pure artistry of the dancer in the perfect, billowing, ballet tutu!
Let's get right to this tutu history now
We must dive deep and understand exactly where tutus came from. You know what I always say, dear readers, fashion is much like ballet. It’s all about history, heritage, and style! In fact, it’s about so much more than what we see on the stage.
The original ballet tutu, my dears, actually was very practical. This tutu actually didn’t begin life on the ballet stage. I’m guessing that no one has even imagined tutus being used outside of a theater performance. It started off in the middle ages! This simple creation was actually made to go under clothing! It was for warmth in the winter time - can you believe?! It was designed as a way for the ladies to warm their legs under their skirts and long dresses!
In ballet, *we go right back to *Roman times to see where it *all begins. It was really all about getting around on stage in a simple comfortable style. I've seen some incredible roman dancers! It all really evolved as the dancers developed and needed clothing that moved with their skills. They really did want to go into the history books, so their ballet clothes would need to look and move as good as they danced. They went from robes with simple skirts to this very short skirt - all designed to show off their legs, oh so beautiful, and really demonstrate their amazing, delicate steps and high kicks! They were just the perfect shape to allow these amazing dancers to flourish, especially during the Romantic Era when the tutus started getting fuller and wider. **
Think *about those grand balls, ladies, they have such a history, *a magical story behind every gown! How exciting!
The evolution from simple basic design to those extravagant creations of the 1800’s took place from about the mid-1800’s with Marie Taglioni. Remember Giselle, yes! Marie is quite possibly the most important person in all ballet history and certainly has some very strong links to the tutu itself, as she was THE designer for all the beautiful costumes.
We have had a lot of tutu styles since then, my loves - from the classic "Romantic tutu," where the skirt gets longer and flows in a magnificent billowing motion, to the more fitted "Pagan" tutus. ( I'm just dreaming of wearing one of these in a dazzling stage performance myself, aren't you? **)
But I guess for me, it's the tutu from that moment in time when Giselle got her tutu makeover, that's so important. It’s all just part of that ballet history. Oh my goodness, you know how passionate I am, you know how much I just love dancing. You really have to experience those performances, because it's all about the tutus and those beautifully elegant ballerinas, it’s the movement of the skirts as they fly through the air! There's a certain lightness about them that makes your heart soar - so it’s definitely about the feeling, just as much as it is about the ballet clothing! This history, this beauty, is something I am incredibly passionate about and I want to keep on sharing this journey of history and passion for the ballet tutu.
So *let's dance our way into 10th October 1843 - that exciting day in *Paris. Enjoy, darlings! And keep an eye on your local ballet shows to see if Giselle will be a staple. It might just be an extra special performance to make sure to put in your diary, darling. Now, until next week - I will be writing another TutuTuesday! Ciao!
*And always, always remember ... don't be afraid to let your tutu show! I just want everyone wearing a pink tutu - you just *know how much I love that color!!
Lots of pink love
Emma
www.pink-tutu.com
TutuTuesday#ballet #fashionhistory #pinktutu #Giselle
Blog Post Number 615
