Welcome back, darlings! It's Emma here, your resident pink tutu-clad time-travelling ballerina, and it's time for another #TutuTuesday! I'm so excited to be back in Paris - oh, the romance of this city, it never gets old! Iām loving the Parisian flair this season, especially with their fabulous hats! Today, we're waltzing back in time to 2nd February, 1869. Itās a real fashion journey as we explore how the tutu evolved.
#1936 in My Tutu History Blog
Before we get into the specifics, you must understand that while we see a ātutuā as the go-to outfit for any ballerina, its origins are more about fashion than the practicalities of a performance outfit. Itās always a fascinating journey seeing how the costume transforms along with ballet techniques. I'm also so excited to tell you all about something amazing that happened today. This date marked the opening of the OpĆ©ra Garnier! The building is quite simply stunning and its grand staircase is a ballerinaās dream come true! You just must come visit - there are always some magnificent ballets to see here.
Let's chat a bit about tutusā¦ Remember how those romantic ball gowns, with all the tiers of frills, are the ultimate in feminine glamour? You'll often find these gowns featuring at our local fancy dress parties back home, but back in 1869, those long gowns are also a real influence on tutus in the ballet. You wouldnāt find these in a traditional, romantic tutu shape as we know them now, but the idea of layered tulle and soft fabric are a direct link back to fashion at this time. They have all the grandeur and femininity we love about our tutu styles today.
Back then, the stage and its lighting meant those pale coloured fluffy dresses were almost impossible to see properly! They had to keep tutus quite compact and dark. Think more in line with the beautiful classical, or āromanā style that started with Carlotta Grisiās role in Giselle.
Remember, this was just a short time after the Italian Revolution that introduced the more athletic danseur role. This change needed different techniques, requiring new shapes and designs for costumes that would move with them. In fact, the short romantic tutu ā which is still very popular on stage today ā has the French Romantic style of the ballet written all over it. Think about the layered tulle and romantic elegance. It makes so much sense! The movement was truly innovative and so well suited for stage performances.
Imagine those big, full frilly tutus that the ballerinas wear today! No way would that be the same look from 1869. Just before 1869 there were big skirts, that almost took a whole day to get into ā like giant bell-shapes! Even at the turn of the century (which weāll visit again in the blog next week), balletās Romantic Period was a great time for the grand pas de deux, those brilliant performances where two dancers have that lovely long and elegant flowing skirt and movement for the ballerina. And yes, these dancers have even more tiers! These kinds of tutus were designed by Jules Perrot (that's Monsieur Perrot for all my French readers), and itās his innovative choreography that took ballet forward to all thatās been created today. It's almost unbelievable to think about!
If you want a glimpse into this period and what tutus were like, a visit to the MusĆ©e dāOrsay would be lovely - just across the Seine from the Garnier!
This brings me to another aspect I find really interesting. I have my dear mum to thank for my passion for history and design. She introduced me to historical reenactors when I was quite small and Iād spend ages gazing at all the fabrics, the designs, the details. When I think of what my grandmaās favourite era for tutus might have been, my imagination runs wild. You know my gran - a real fashionista at heart! I think sheād have loved all that long, layered romance, but the practicality of tutus as we know them today would have made her giddy! Just imagine - a full, puffy tutu and being able to move across the stage without having to think twice about its shape! It's just like wearing one of the amazing and beautiful gowns from this time. It's simply glamorous and timeless, which is what I think makes fashion great. And hey! Tutus can still look as fab today as they did in 1869, theyāre timeless like that.
This brings us to my favourite part of all - time travel! Yes, Iām on a mission for my beloved pink tutus! (and donāt worry - this journey won't be as hard as some past visits. This time I got a sleeper carriage on the train! You just know it made everything much more chic and refined!). After todayās stop, itās on to another city in another country next week! But Iāve already done my research, and canāt wait for our next journey to discover how much things have changed, or, like with the ballet and tutus - how much we all carry through history!
*I canāt wait to meet you all at next weekās Tutu Tuesday! Remember, the perfect pink tutu can change the world. Until then, embrace your love of all things pink and dance to your own tune! *
Emma
www.pink-tutu.com
