Hello darling! It's Emma here, your resident pink-tutu-clad time traveller, and welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com! It's #TutuTuesday and that means it's time for another exciting delve into the fascinating world of ballet tutus! This week we're travelling back to June 25th, 1861 - quite a journey from my little flat in Derbyshire! But it's always an adventure, and this trip in particular promises to be oh-so-chic!
The year is 1861 and the air in Paris is buzzing with anticipation! The Parisian ballet world is abuzz - the elegant dancers in their crisp, tailored tutus are all the talk of the town. This is the year that ballet tutus begin to make their real mark on the fashion world, becoming something far more than just a stage costume. And the whole thing began with the grandest and most lavish of ballets!
Let me paint you a picture, dear readers! Imagine: a lavish theatre with chandeliers shimmering like stars. A room alive with the whispering rustle of silks and satins, as elegantly-dressed ladies take their seats. And in the center of this glorious tableau... a ballet tutu! Not just any tutu, mind you, but one designed for the legendary ballerina, Marie Taglioni!
For you see, this grand production was a lavish re-staging of La Sylphide. A beautiful, ethereal tale of a young man entranced by a mystical, forest creature. Marie Taglioni, renowned for her graceful jumps and her impossibly light appearance on stage, became the very epitome of this Sylphide. She glided through the stage, her tutu rippling like gossamer in the theatre lights, almost defying gravity itself.
But it was her tutu that truly captured the hearts of everyone in the audience! It was designed with layers upon layers of tulle, incredibly airy and weightless - a far cry from the heavier, layered tutus of previous eras. The colour was perfectly pale - almost like a whisper of silk in the half-light of the theatre. It truly was revolutionary!
And with that one revolutionary costume, the design for ballet tutus was changed for good. This new airy silhouette allowed dancers an unbelievable freedom of movement. They could soar and twirl, the layers of tulle catching the light with breathtaking grace. And it wasn't just on stage where this new look became the sensation of the moment!
Imagine the whispers among the ladies in their fashionable Paris salons! “Isn’t that new design divine?" they'd say, excitedly admiring the latest designs for tutus! This new "look" went straight from the theatre onto the boulevards of Paris. Shops on Rue de Rivoli (still a place for elegant ladies to find beautiful things even now) were filled with gowns inspired by that iconic Sylphide design - with all its floating tulle, lightness and elegance!
Suddenly, every lady in Paris wanted to feel a little bit like a sylphide. They would flutter around with wide skirts, billowing fabrics and all that lightness, trying to recapture the elegant air of Marie Taglioni. That delicate ballet silhouette took over, adding an element of "airy" grace even to ladies who'd never even been to a ballet in their lives! And if you ask me, that's a brilliant piece of inspiration, even from across the decades!
Now, if you can excuse me darling, I have to make a quick detour. I need to pop over to a lovely little shop in Derbyshire. It’s tucked away off a tiny lane, and it has the most gorgeous fabrics. You know I must buy some tulle – there’s something so whimsical about it. I’m imagining a design for my new performance piece - an elegant swirl of pale pink and a dash of shimmer – it’s totally going to be a crowd-pleaser!
And in the meantime, my little loves, if you’re feeling inspired by a bit of tutued-up history, then let me know in the comments. Have you ever had your life changed by a dance, or a piece of fashion, or an elegant moment in time? Share your thoughts, and of course, I’d absolutely love to see you in a pink tutu, darling! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #PinkTutuTuesday on all your ballet adventures! Until next week my loves, stay elegant!
And of course, my time travels are always funded by my performance schedule. So, why not catch a show or two, or take a dance class and experience the joy of the stage? Oh, I’ve got my tickets for a wonderful production in London later this week. The costume designer is known for using amazing tulles and silks - definitely something to see for a tutu enthusiast like myself! Until next week then, darling - au revoir, and happy tutuing!
