Hello my lovely pink-tutu-loving friends! It's Emma here, back for another delightful #TutuTuesday, straight from the world of fashion, dance, and all things sparkly! This week, let's take a journey back in time â not a train journey this time (although I do adore the romantic whiff of steam and the rhythmic clatter of the wheels!) - but a time-travel journey to 11th September 1860!
My time machine might be a bit dusty this week, but the spirit is certainly alive. Imagine this â weâre standing backstage in a grand opera house. The air hums with anticipation as a new era in ballet is dawning.
Oh, the anticipation! And the pink! Everywhere! It is absolutely pinkalicious! The year is 1860 and tutus, my dearest loves, are in full swing! In the dazzling city of Paris, a young, talented, and absolutely daring designer, M. Charles Worth, decided to take a chance on a revolutionary silhouette that was about to completely transform the dance world. His vision? A billowing cloud of tulle and silk that allowed for freedom of movement while still holding its grace, a ballet dream in soft pinkâŠand wasnât this the start of the most gorgeous evolution? The ballerina, no longer a fragile porcelain doll, became a whirling, fluttering whirlwind of feminine energy!
Can you imagine, my loves, how groundbreaking that must have been? A whole new era for the dancers, and I am eternally grateful for it, as you can tell! Imagine trying to dance with yards of cumbersome silk! Worthâs design allowed for fluid movements and a breathtaking expression of artistic freedom! Now, before you go rushing off to rummage through the vintage clothing shops, remember â these were definitely not your average tutus! It was a look fit for the finest Parisian ballrooms and theatres â not the twirly, bright, frothy little tutus that are worn by young dancers at their schools and theatres today!
These beauties, in all their rosy-hued grandeur, would be worn with extravagant embellishments and perfectly tailored corsets, because it wasnât just the look but the attitude. The ballerinas were like ethereal butterflies on the stage, delicate, graceful, and breathtakingly beautiful. I think it's easy for us today to underestimate how significant this new design was.
Back to our Paris Opera House on 11th September 1860. A packed house waits with bated breath as the famous dancer, Madame CĂ©line Cellier, steps onto the stage, looking resplendent in her pale, pretty, pink, perfectly structured Worth-designed tutu! A hushed silence falls, then, as Madame Cellier begins her performance, thereâs an outburst of gasps and applause â the magic of ballet at its peak! And this, my lovelies, is just the beginning.
Now, you might be thinking â but Emma, isnât it *slightly early to talk about ballet tutus* After all, ballet, the one and only art that truly brings me life, was in existence long before 1860! That is most definitely true! But just before this date, a change was coming. And a pretty change! The perfect combination of practicality, artistry and pure femininity that could be a tutu, and so began the evolution of a ballerinaâs staple piece of attire â The tutu!
We all know that ballet exists because of the men â and a huge thank you to the men for their genius â but honestly, my lovely ladies, isn't it our creativity and grace that really brings ballet to life?! The tutus themselves didnât exactly exist before 1860! (I must mention this isnât to diminish the wonderful women of pre-1860 ballets!). Ballet has always been captivating and beautiful, and the earlier styles, while maybe less tutu styled, still held a breathtaking femininity and magic, just wait, you'll see!
And it was the women, our delightful ladies in the limelight, that began to really make the tutus into what they are today. The women of the ballet had to actually perform these routines, and that is what took the design from simple to sophisticated. Letâs just be honest â these early ladies needed something more wearable, danceable, something graceful, but above all, something sparklingly pink to highlight their beauty and poise as they danced! And thus the tulle rose, just like the delicate bloom of the beautiful rose, on stage and into the history books!
Thereâs this incredible story about a famous ballerina, Carlotta Grisi, who actually had a bespoke pink tutu made for her performance. And it was considered an absolute shock at the time! A revolution, my friends! The audacity of the color, the movement, the confidence of the woman â it was simply dazzling! There are many women, in pre-tutu ballet history that are absolutely deserving of your tutu-loving attention and we will definitely go back to them, and their stories in a later Tutu Tuesday!
The first true tutus, well, they werenât really tutus in the sense we know them today. But, you can definitely tell that there was an emerging style way back then, of the little, bouncy skirt we know today. And you can absolutely say they are the inspiration for what we are so lucky to have today! So, how were these early "tutu" outfits actually constructed? I am delighted you asked, I love to explore and dive into the beauty of our dance history, don't you?
These very early, pre-tutu creations, or âskirtsâ, which you can see in photographs and art works, were all sorts of amazing things - the most basic would have been just strips of fabrics tied around the dancersâ waists and falling all the way to the floor. But, letâs not forget the intricate detail, that early ballet lovers were in awe of. So much was hidden beneath the fabric, in those days! I imagine it felt incredibly glamorous, and with such delicate layers beneath I'm not sure they had much opportunity for much moving aroundâŠ
They were definitely less "floaty" and definitely more restrictive to move in. And they also contained lots of layers of tulle and muslin to create that volume. Thereâs one really fascinating, and definitely more feminine style, (remember we have to remember to pay homage to the true dancers who paved the way, don't we ladies?!). There was this incredible style that was shaped like a big bell or a half-circle, known as the tutu Ă la Française. Can you imagine the grace, my lovely ladies! The tutu, if you can call it that, was layered, bunched up under the waist, but let me tell you, this kind of layered style required serious strength for every turn. Imagine that amount of tulle whirling around! (And definitely not easy to wear when a girlâs in pre-ballet practice!). And, there were those designs that we now know as the âromantiqueâ skirt and that, oh so fabulous, âSpanishâ style. Oh heaven, imagine! They're not all pretty, not all practical, and some a little more challenging than our more modern, twirly, graceful versions⊠but those were real women with real skill and grace!
By the early 19th Century, and we're now moving towards that perfect evolution of the tutu around 1860 and, those beauties were constructed of tulle, layers and layers, with little embellishment, except for what needed to be in place for the ladies to be able to spin, turn, and dance, and all this, under a beautiful and graceful flow of silks. Oh, and of course, everything pink, right down to those dainty pink satin ribbons that they used for their dancing shoes. My pink heart flutters, just thinking about it, I love, love love, those ribbons and all their perfect twirls and flicks! I have got to buy a whole new bag full, you are right?
Remember what I was saying? All that wonderful fabric that wasn't for moving in...but a new era of a tutu was emerging, thanks to Charles Worth! His innovative, groundbreaking designs for Madame Cellier, which started the new dance world era on that 11th September 1860. They had the same shape and feel, the volume, but were lighter and more adaptable for dance! Pink, and more practical and feminine. All the beauty, all the grace and now, effortlessly, allowing ballerinas to float with elegance. I tell you, darling! He truly did something incredible! A true masterpiece!
We could call this the beginning of the tutu we all know and love. And I love it! The tutus now became, that classic image of dance! I can't help but adore the delicate way it looks - just like an oversized ballerina flower, donât you think?! And the way the fabric gathers, revealing just the right amount of leg... perfect! The most feminine style, you can't argue with that, it is so beautifully feminine, even for today! Even if you've never seen a ballet, even if you've never worn one (why not, youâre missing out!).. youâll know what a tutu is. There's something about that billowing skirt, and letâs not forget those perfectly structured pink layers, that gives it a magic touch. I think we all know itâs *a dream dress in our hearts â even if youâve only ever seen a toy ballerina wearing a little one in a box on a shop shelf, even then, it's a dream!
So, that is my very brief look into our gorgeous, historical tutu journey! A glimpse of pre-1860 and that glorious 11th of September! Weâve had an exciting glance at our history! What do you love about tutus? Let me know! What pink color are you currently obsessing over?!
If you havenât already, take a little wander through our fabulous website â Pink-tutu.com! Find the perfect, beautiful tutus in a wonderful range of colors, so you too can live your pink #TutuTuesday dreams! Itâs a perfect little way to remind ourselves how important these designs were in shaping the dance world into the spectacular show that we have today! So, go and twirl, and tell the world we love our tutus!
See you next #TutuTuesday! And remember⊠always wear your tutu with confidence!
With love, Emma.
