Hello, darlings! Welcome back to your favourite pink-tutu-loving history blog! Today we're hopping back in my time machine, all aboard the Tutu Express, and travelling to the 30th August 1859! Buckle your slippers, girls, because we're going to learn all about the very beginning of our favourite ballerina fashion staple!
Oh, did I forget to tell you? I, Emma, am here to make every day Tutu Tuesday! My aim in life? Well, besides dazzling in every pink tutu imaginable, it's to get the entire world swirling in this delightful confection! Why pink, you ask? Why, because it's the most magical, beautiful colour! I even travel around the world with my special, pink Tutu Express! (It's a very large suitcase, and sometimes I have to get a lift from the railway).
Now, Paris, France is the place to be for ballet, and guess what, dear readers? It was just starting to become a huge deal at this time! We're talking 1859, mind you, and I tell you, it's truly exhilarating!
You wouldn't believe how they used to dance before the tutu, honestly. Imagine trying to twirl in all that fabric! Thankfully, on this day, 30th August 1859, Marie Taglioni, a brilliant and daring ballerina (in white, bless her heart, we've got to work on that pink palette!), was performing. Now, this particular dance, La Sylphide (which means 'The Sylph' in French, and if you don't know, it's a pretty ethereal, mystical fairy creature, darling), she just didn't have enough layers of skirts! She had to wear a super short dress, because whoa, those big skirts would drag her down! It would have looked more like an unfortunate tumble, not a beautiful graceful movement, dear.
She'd be a proper hot mess, darling! She looked so wonderful, so airy, so magical, twirling in that shorter, whimsical, lighter-than-air number. And from then on? Well, the Tutu (French for tulle) began its slow but majestic transformation into the essential stage costume we adore today.
Just imagine! Now that's a change I could get on board with. But honestly, the tutus still weren't quite...pink enough back then! Imagine the shock if I was to strut in one of my fabulous, flowing pink wonders right now. But remember, we are pioneers in the pink tutu movement! One step at a time!
Tutus in History
The origins of the tutu go all the way back to the 16th Century, darling. I'm sure you have seen those grand historical ballets, (those elaborate performances, often featuring stories with romance, heroes, and a lot of costume!) that we sometimes have in Derbyshire? It's quite romantic, I do tell you.
Those elegant costumes they wore in those shows were very, very elaborate - like, we're talking HUGE skirts, like Princess proportions. Can you imagine, darling? You wouldn't even be able to see their legs, let alone move! (It really wouldn't be good for their ballet training. One's legs must be seen!) As the century progressed, ballet took off, the costumes slowly started becoming a bit lighter, with less of those layers and folds of fabric. This was thanks to dancers who wanted to show off their exquisite moves. We love it when ballerinas can really showcase what their limbs are capable of doing. Imagine trying to kick those graceful leg-to-the-head grand jetés in an oversized, heavy dress, darlings? You wouldn't be able to do any artistic movements whatsoever! They need that flow, those fluid moves that they show off. The stage needs drama, darling, so, to enhance it all, those *daring, gorgeous ballet performers have had to innovate!
Just like Marie Taglioni, all those other amazing, creative ballerinas through the years have had a part in evolving the ballet tutu! It's a long story, so, let me take you on a journey, step by step! I'm your tutu historian, remember?
- The Romantic tutu was introduced in 1839, so that's nearly two decades before 1859, darling. They took some inspiration from the tutu style, so you know, these lovely dancers still got a lot of that soft fabric to work with. It flowed like a whisper of elegance, you see, and the shape went all the way down to the ground with some amazing draping that swirled and flew around their limbs! They made use of what we now call tulle but, it still wouldn't quite be the pink masterpiece we have today.
- Classical tutu emerged by 1880. Think about The Swan Lake, darling. Imagine Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty. I know! What a wonderful dream! But we must consider this important detail. In those performances, you will often see black and white, soft, flowy skirts, like the fluffy clouds above. A perfect look from the 1870s onward, so those classical ballets all had that wonderful movement of fabrics that you can feel when you are in the theatre watching the amazing talent in black and white. It is truly magical!
But even so, that romantic, *flowing feel isn't really the Tutu that we associate with modern ballet. How did we get to today, then? You might be thinking. Well, listen to your favourite historian.
The Classical tutu, even with its beautiful movement, had no real defining, precise form - like the modern tutu which we think of nowadays, especially when I wear mine! You know, that classic powder pink, the frilly, layered, pleated (all of those amazing folds in a fluffy circle!) shape. Well, we can thank the ballet dancers of the 20th Century, the modern era for what you *see now at the ballet, when they chose to wear the tutu as their signature uniform! They really helped to modernize the look! And don't we love the look, darling? What a perfect form, all for graceful movement.
They kept that lovely flow, even made it even more pronounced, because it really just gives the ballerina that feeling of floating when you watch them gracefully dance. Imagine a ballet without the iconic shape, darling? You wouldn't even see their legs. You would only see the skirts! It would be so tragic! They might even fall!
- The Modern tutu* became really popular at the beginning of the 20th century. They even had new types like the platform tutu for even more visual *drama, and the *knee-length tutu. All about those elegant legs and movement,* darling! A true ballet marvel!**
But just a whisper to you...it still wasn't really *pink! We must consider the ballet history, and, for those times, it really just was a white or very pale beige-ish tutu. Now that is something I would like to change. I'm here to show the world the magic of a pink tutu!
Now, let's head back to today. I'll have another piece of delicious cake whilst thinking about the ballet. Isn't it beautiful that a humble costume has become such a significant piece of stage design and visual language, so essential for creating those gorgeous artistic images* and performing, darling! Even today, it continues to inspire designers with all of its incredible movement possibilities!* We love to see it! Now, let's get dancing, darlings!
Don’t forget to check out our pink-tutu-themed clothes and accessories shop! We’ve got an array of delicious pink tutus ready for your every dance whim, with fabulous patterns, sequins and plenty of tulle to make every day feel magical. Get yours and join the pink tutu revolution! See you next Tuesday!
