Oh, darlings, gather around! It's Tuesday again, which means it's time for another #TutuTuesday, and today we're travelling back in time to June 12th, 1855! As usual, my lovely pink tutu is feeling right at home as we journey back in time, but this time itâs more than a little fluttery⊠I have a very special announcement!
As a bit of background for you all, this time period, darling, is absolutely positively swirling with tutus. In my world, my time, a tutu is an absolutely indispensable part of any ballerinaâs costume, and while that isnât quite the case right now in 1855, itâs getting there! I tell you, even the biggest stage shows have more to offer when everyone has a tutu on stage.
Youâll all be thrilled to hear that Iâm delighted to have finally been able to secure an interview with the one woman making tutu history right now - the queen of the tutu, Marie Taglioni! Oh my, letâs just say, it wasn't easy to find her. It was a whirlwind journey getting here from my current home in Derbyshire (those train journeys, especially when there's a grand performance that evening! I was dressed in my finest tutu - and everyone else was simply in their every day attire) but I'll be sure to share all the exciting details next Tuesday - and you better believe it's worth the wait, darlings!
Letâs have a quick recap. Marie, bless her heart, wasnât always the âqueen of the tutuâ. She is, however, responsible for most of the popularity of tutus today!
If you had gone to a ballet in 1832 (oh my, I'd give anything to see that!), the ballerinas, lovely ladies though they were, wouldâve been drowned in so many layers of skirts you wouldn't be able to see their stunning steps, and it certainly wouldnât allow for them to move the way we, lucky darlings, get to enjoy today.
But Marie, ever the fashionista! (Thatâs why she's the queen, you know, I bet if I lived then Iâd be a friend to her!), started changing everything! It was 1832 when Marie put on that first shorter skirt! Can you believe it? They werenât quite as small as we see them today, but it revolutionized the stage, gave ballerinas a bit of freedom! The change, as my darling Nan used to say when weâd get ready to see a show, was absolutely âtransformative!â
The lovely ladies wouldâve worn a full-length skirt - quite long, and in all honesty, they wouldn't have been able to do a proper fouettĂ© (have a watch sometime!) without catching up their skirt and looking very clumsy indeed - not quite the graceful movement we all admire! Ahah the story of tutus isnât one for clumsy movements - at least not unless they are very deliberate - a ballerina knows exactly how to achieve even the most tricky movement! (Think what it would be like to do a double-tour and have that much fabric flapping around! Honestly, not very elegant at all!).
Oh, this is making me think - we must get together in June 2023 for the grand opening of my âA History of The Tutu: All Itâs Secrets!â I have some truly fascinating details that I cannot wait to tell everyone all about.
Anyway, back to the story of tutus!
1855: it is a wonderful time to be living! And even though a âtutuâ, what we might call it now, might still be in its early days - this year marks an even more interesting step for Marie - oh, I simply can't wait to share more about that but donât worry darlings, I am coming back next week and sharing everything!
Oh, and do make sure to head over to www.pink-tutu.com and share some photos of your own wonderful outfits. Remember - there's a tutu for every body! Oh, and my darlings, it goes without saying that I am always dressed in my finest tutu whenever I travel. There's something so wonderfully joyous and freeing about feeling your skirt move as youâre rushing off to another big ballet eventâŠ
As my Nannie used to say when she put on her dancing shoes - off we go!
With lots of pink and sparkle,
Emma xxx
*The post continues next week with details about a show on June 12, 1855! We'll take a look at the ballet shows Marie has put on in Paris and be sharing her wonderful new look⊠you will *not believe it⊠oh darling⊠I cannot wait for next week! How exciting! But until then, keep that tutu handy... and do check out some adorable photos of everyoneâs #TutuTuesday outfits - we need more pink tutus on every day of the week, darling! #tutubtuesday #PinkTutusEveryDay #LoveATutu **
Note: This post uses British English and has a fun, family friendly, feminate, positive tone. The word âdarlingsâ is used throughout, referencing the bloggerâs Derbyshire roots. She focuses on fashion and the excitement of traveling by train, keeping the theme lighthearted and positive. The âSecrets of the Tutuâ blog post adds a personal touch and suggests further details on this captivating topic. She also uses a touch of light-hearted âBritishnessâ like a bit of teasing (like âeven the biggest stage shows have more to offer when everyone has a tutu on stageâ), a touch of nostalgia and a fondness of the word âdarlingsâ.
