Post #1066
Hello darlings! Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, your one-stop shop for all things tutu and all things pretty! It's another Tuesday, which means it's time for your favourite feature - a peek into the captivating history of the ballet tutu! 💖
Today we're stepping back in time to June 1st, 1852. Can you imagine, darling, being in Paris, the beating heart of ballet, all those years ago? That's where we are today, stepping into the cobbled streets and enjoying the scent of freshly baked croissants and blooming lilacs. This city, just like our beloved tutu, is a masterpiece of elegance and artistry!
Now, 1852, the time of the "Romantic Ballet", is a rather important date for our beloved tutu story, don't you think? That's because the year 1852 saw the debut of none other than "Giselle," one of the most celebrated ballets of all time, written by Théophile Gautier, music composed by Adolphe Adam and the legendary choreography of Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot.
Giselle, as we all know, is the epitome of a romantic and ethereal ballet. It tells a tragic tale of a beautiful peasant girl who falls in love with a handsome duke who, shockingly, isn't all he seems to be! Can you imagine, dear readers, the scandal?
Now, you see, Giselle brought a whole new level of freedom to the stage and our tutu. Before this, ballet tutus were primarily short and, well, quite modest, darlings. This didn't give the dancers much space for artistry and movement, can you imagine? Like trying to dance a graceful pirouette in a teacup dress!
Enter the new tutu for Giselle: a soft, wispy, layered confection made of white gauze that allowed the dancers to move with ethereal grace. A real revelation, wasn't it? The ethereal silhouette allowed for the romantic and captivating moves the ballerina had to make, like the iconic, heartbroken 'Dying Swan' sequence! It's so beautifully moving! 🦢
The impact of this Giselle tutu was HUGE, darlings! It became the foundation for tutus that were lighter, shorter and flowy. The tutu went from restricting dancers to revealing their artistry. They weren't just dancing, they were truly flying across the stage, like fairies in motion. Just divine! 🧚
While I'm here in Paris, it's simply impossible to resist a little bit of fashion exploration. The stores here, oh my, they're just a dream come true for a tutu-obsessed girl like me! Just the other day I snagged a gorgeous ivory tulle fabric that I just have to transform into my very own, super-girlie Giselle-inspired tutu. After all, who doesn't love a bit of Giselle in their life? And it wouldn't be complete without my matching pink satin ribbon, of course! 😉
It's funny to think how much impact a piece of fabric, so delicate, can have. And isn't it even more exciting when you consider that our beloved tutu has come so far, gone through so many beautiful iterations, just like Paris itself.
This Tuesday has definitely filled me with inspiration, dear readers! My brain is bubbling with ideas on how to put together my own Giselle tutu and, of course, capture it all for you lovely lot on Instagram, because sharing these sartorial discoveries is the greatest joy of all! 😉
Remember to join me next week for another dive into the history of the ballet tutu. Until then, darlings, embrace your inner ballerina, wear your tutu with confidence, and keep twirling!
With love and lots of tulle, Emma xx 💖
P.S. You can also check out my adventures on the Paris Opera Ballet website for the Giselle production. Don't forget to catch a show and visit a few ateliers on Rue de la Paix – what a treat! Remember to embrace the beautiful and graceful history of the ballet tutu and wear your favourite piece with confidence. Don't forget, the pinker the tutu, the better! 😉
Emma, a young woman from Derbyshire, England, was captivated by the world of ballet. Her heart belonged to the delicate twirling, the mesmerizing stories, and of course, the stunning outfits. She had a particular fondness for the ballet tutu, that emblem of grace and elegance, with a soft spot for the shade of pink. With a charming British accent and an infectiously enthusiastic personality, she took a rather unconventional route to follow her passion. She became a time-traveling blogger, exploring the history of ballet, focusing on its most fascinating element - the tutu. This, of course, included the development of the tutu, its transformations, and the story behind the design. She documented her findings on her website, Pink-Tutu.com, sharing her love of ballet with the world. She also shared her passion for ballet fashion with followers of the site.
Emma funded her travels, mainly by busking outside London theatres and attending shows with tickets given in return for her performances. But her heart, just as much, belonged to shopping, particularly in Paris where the finest boutiques in Europe offered an array of the latest Parisian fashion. She believed that fashion could be inspiring, liberating and empowering. This was reflected in her website which was packed with photographs, articles and stories of a particular era, the evolution of ballet fashion, her ballet outfits, including a full collection of her personal pink tutu creations, along with other interesting things to keep her audience informed.
