Hello, my darling tutu lovers! It’s Emma here, your favourite pink-tutu-clad time traveller, back with another #TutuTuesday blog post for you. Today, we're going back to June 18th, 1850, to take a peek at the ballet tutu as it was in the 19th century. Buckle up, my loves, we’re about to step back in time!
As ever, my trusty time machine (don’t ask how it works, it’s a secret!) has brought me to the beautiful city of Paris, the beating heart of ballet. Paris in 1850! The grand old theatres hum with life and excitement, and the air is abuzz with the music of the great ballets of the day. Oh, wouldn’t I have loved to dance on the grand stage in a frothy pink tutu of my own design!
Right now, the ballerina tutus are far more elaborate than the streamlined tutus we know and adore today. They’re like little puff-ball clouds of tulle and satin, all billowing and ruffled and adorned with frills and frou-frou. Imagine a symphony of pink, ivory, and the lightest blue, all swirling together on the stage, with bows and ribbons tied about. I can practically hear the gentle swish of their fabric as the dancers move.
Let's talk about the details, my lovelies. Tutus in the 1850s were designed to make the dancer appear lighter and more ethereal. Think of them as like feathered angels on pointe, rather than the strong athletes we see in modern ballet! The shape was quite wide, like a skirt with a wide base that grew narrower towards the waist, and often embellished with an abundance of lace and frills.
What’s that I hear you say, my little lovelies? Yes, you’re quite right! In 1850, the women were mostly wearing layered skirts over corsets, unlike the more streamlined, single-layered tutu of today. Imagine those multiple layers of fabric swirling in a breathtakingly dramatic dance routine! Talk about a dance in clouds of femininity!
There’s nothing more delicious than an antique print depicting a ballet performance from 1850! Can you picture it? The dancer in her romantic tutu, light as a feather, soaring across the stage, like a lovely bird on its way to a flower, all swirling tulle and bright smiles!
Today’s ballet tutus, while elegant, aren’t as fancy as the tutus of the 1850s. A lot of ballet fashions at this time were so unbelievably grand and lavish. If you think modern fashion is dramatic, well, you have to see how theatrical and opulent 19th-century fashion could be!
Speaking of extravagant fashion, my latest vintage find was an adorable pair of pearl-trimmed ballet slippers that were made right here in Paris! They’d be perfectly suited for one of my 1850s-inspired ballets, you know, one where everyone is wearing beautiful tulle tutus that float and swirl and fly through the air as we gracefully twirl.
Oh, and speaking of grace and movement, can I recommend that we all go see some ballet this week? A trip to the theatre for a ballet is a truly wonderful and magical thing. A ballet performance takes you to another world, and for a few glorious hours, we are free to let our imaginations soar and appreciate the beauty of artistic expression. A truly wonderful time to celebrate fashion and movement, a time of sheer beauty!
And for my American friends across the pond, wouldn’t it be wonderful to see a modern-day ballet company on stage in those early-Victorian tutu styles, those graceful, beautiful garments that danced across the stage with such elegance! I bet I could recreate them with my own special touch… if I only had the time, that is!
On that note, my lovely tutu fans, this post has flown by, but our journey through time goes on. Come back next Tuesday for another #TutuTuesday, when we’ll delve back into the history of this fabulous and endlessly fascinating garment! Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to the #pink-tutu.com newsletter and share all things pink and fluffy with your friends! Until next time, remember: A pink tutu can make the world a little brighter!
