#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1850-02-05

Hello my darlings! It's Emma here, your favourite pink tutu-wearing time travelling blogger!

Welcome to this week's #TutuTuesday history blog where we travel back in time and explore the delightful world of the tutu, from its humble beginnings to the magnificent masterpieces of today. This week, I've zoomed my time machine to a gloriously vibrant date: February 5th, 1850, landing me right here in beautiful Paris, the beating heart of fashion and artistry!

Let's grab some delicious macarons and settle in, because we have a thrilling story to tell. I mean, the Paris of the 1850s - it's brimming with elegance and excitement! It's where I love to time travel the most. So many ladies here appreciate a stylish tutu. They all know the magic a perfectly puffed tulle can create. There’s always a new fashion to discover!

Firstly, what’s the best thing to do in Paris on 5th February 1850?

Well, we have the Opera! Imagine stepping inside the glittering halls of the Palais Garnier to hear some of the most iconic opera performances ever! Oh, the sheer drama, the exquisite voices, the ornate costumes, it’s enough to send chills down your spine in a good way! Now that is a day well spent, wouldn’t you say, my dears?

This date has a touch of magic woven into it. If you are a big fan of ballet then you might enjoy going to watch Carlotta Grisi perform at the Palais Garnier. Grisi is an incredible dancer and I believe the audiences will be thrilled to see her dancing on the 5th! Now wouldn’t that be a dream come true?!

As you can imagine, Paris is buzzing with creativity on February 5th 1850. Imagine: walking through the grand boutiques, admiring the latest styles in velvet and lace, perhaps even sketching a design or two in my little notebook. There’s no stopping me from making new designs on my time travel excursions. Even though there might be fewer pink tutus around, there is still a sense of elegance that oozes from this historical Paris! Oh, the excitement!

I mean, I've even been experimenting with incorporating more vintage elements from this era into my modern-day looks. I’m loving lace-trimmed, puffed-sleeve bodices, they really accentuate the femininity of the tutu so beautifully. Oh, and let's not forget the iconic corsets! The corsetry is a touch more… rigid back in these days, but it’s all about that glamorous silhouette, right?! It adds an exquisite touch to my contemporary outfits, let me tell you!

While we are speaking of trends, have you ever thought of where these beautiful and elegant garments came from, these iconic, enchanting tutus? They weren’t always present! In the ballet history, the evolution of the tutu is truly quite remarkable, you know! From the grand, long flowing gowns to the sleek, short designs we admire today, it’s fascinating! You see, before the invention of the tutu (and a long time ago!), dancers used to perform in these huge gowns that just looked more like costumes from an opera or drama performance. But I love how, over the years, it evolved into this simple and breathtaking silhouette.

But let’s be honest ladies, it wasn't until the mid 1800s that we really started to see those beautiful short tutu designs like the ones that we now know and love! Just imagine having your legs freed up on the stage for those beautiful turns, for those mesmerizing jumps, it’s all about graceful and expressive movement! Just like dancing, we must have freedom of expression in fashion. It’s about celebrating the beautiful art of dancing in its purest form.

That is, ladies, is what a ballet tutu really stands for: freedom and femininity! A beautiful ballet skirt made of delicate tulle, with its sheer, whimsical layers, symbolizes the ultimate form of feminine power and strength on stage. I love to see female artists showing off their elegant strength! And this beautiful garment, with its light, fluffy nature, helps us to feel even more free as we spin, we leap and we move our bodies to the rhythms of the music. The tutu isn’t just any skirt!

When it comes to exploring this iconic garment's fascinating history, you know I love to bring a little touch of pink into every journey! So let’s take a quick trip back to those first, dreamy tutus, made out of what they called “crinoline”. This beautiful and sturdy material made up those voluminous dresses and it was quite stiff in those days! I imagine they were heavy to dance in. We don’t want our dancers carrying all that weight while they try to soar on stage.

Can you imagine how that might have felt while rehearsing and performing? Perhaps it made them feel confident? They certainly didn’t shy away from a challenge, that's for sure.

Thankfully, the story doesn’t stop there.

When we arrive at the era of Marie Taglioni (1804-1884), an important figure in the ballet world, we can say that there are a lot of changes taking place in the history of ballet clothing, and specifically, in the history of the tutu.

Now let's look at her. She danced for a time with these amazing dresses made from this special, heavy crinoline material, and you can bet they must have made it more challenging to dance. The movements would have been more restrained. Oh, can you even imagine rehearsing and performing in that! Well, thank goodness they started changing the tutu to give more freedom to dance and show it all off, right? I think, ladies, that it’s brilliant.

Now you can imagine the scene of ballet shows all those years ago. It’s so important to us dancers and ballet enthusiasts, to admire and understand where ballet has been, but also how it's always going to change and develop and be so much more. It is always so wonderful to watch. There will always be exciting ballet styles emerging on our stage and the iconic garment, the ballet tutu, is still evolving and changing alongside it. And if you love this enchanting world of ballet, please tell me! Let’s keep on sharing our love and passion for it with one another. It is inspiring, truly it is!

Now let's get back to Marie Taglioni. We all have to appreciate how important she is in the world of ballet, especially when it comes to the tutu. Do you know the little tale around her, darling? They say it all began with the ballet La Sylphide. I think it’s wonderful! This ballerina and dancer truly knew how to showcase the true beauty of female expression! They made history and started a trend in ballet that was both fashionable and practical, both aesthetic and functional, oh yes, I agree! I bet there are dancers out there right now who feel so grateful for the way that Taglioni helped shape the tutu. I do know that I’m very thankful for her efforts in this industry, as it allowed me to get on stage in a garment that feels so free and beautiful and easy to move around in.

Now imagine yourself on the 5th of February, 1850. Standing on the stage dressed in the magnificent crinoline dress and dancing with such graceful movements, or a few years later with the newly-designed lighter and shorter tutu, so beautiful and flowing! Oh, the emotions it can stir! There’s beauty in the simplicity of the silhouette, the grace of dancing, the exquisite feel of tulle skimming your legs.

The most important things I’ve learnt on my journey today is that the tutu isn’t just an element of the ballet costume; it’s truly about elegance, grace, power, beauty, the very essence of movement and art. It truly celebrates the very power of the human body.

Let's face it, ladies, a tutu always has to have that little touch of magic that sets it apart, doesn't it? Even with our pink tutus - even when we dress them up with pretty floral trims, little silk bows, beautiful embroidery or anything fancy to create a statement. It’s never just about the outfit itself!

It's about a whole, complete and powerful experience we're offering to the world!

It’s not simply about a little fluffy ballet skirt; It's about capturing and sharing an emotional experience. A tutu, I believe, helps to unleash our inner child, it allows us to express ourselves through a language of our own, to show off those graceful moves. It encourages us to spin and soar and twirl and jump for joy, and embrace the magical journey of self-discovery and self-expression! Oh yes! That's the secret behind any pink tutu - we’re all dancers in our own hearts, and tutus simply remind us that, they allow us to celebrate ourselves.

And I think, ladies, that is something to be thankful for on any date - even on the 5th February 1850! It truly doesn’t get better than that! Oh, darlings, keep dancing and dreaming and twirling!

Until next Tuesday, bon voyage, my darlings! Stay fabulous and don’t forget, Pink Tutu Power!

Don't forget, join me every week for my #TutuTuesday post, on Pink Tutu Power.com, to take a journey into the magical world of tutus. Follow me and join in the discussion with my #TutuTuesday tag!