Hello darlings! Welcome back to my little corner of the internet, where we celebrate the beauty, grace, and oh-so-adorable fashion of the ballet tutu. It's Emma here, your resident pink tutu enthusiast, and this week, we're stepping back in time, darlings! Today is #TutuTuesday, and we're diving into the tutu history books, all the way to 11th June 1872!
(You'll forgive my enthusiasm for time-traveling tutus, won't you? It's how I get my funding for all this gorgeous wardrobe, darlings! It's not easy being a pink-loving ballerina with an insatiable desire for the latest fashion! Think of it like a whirlwind, non-stop ballet show – travelling, new experiences, breathtaking performances… but instead of performing for a stage, I perform for… well, the fabric of history! I always have the best outfits, you know… Sometimes I wonder what future ballet tutu history blogs will look like!)
Oh! Let me tell you a little more about this 11th June 1872. That’s nearly 150 years ago! It’s just over 150 years, when you come to think about it! That’s astonishing. Imagine… Imagine all the stories we can discover, and all the beautiful, delightful tutus we can celebrate!
Oh, how I’d adore to travel by train to the theatre back then! You can imagine the grand architecture of the theatres, and all the exciting bustle in the lobby with its chandeliers and its velvet and gold… But before we dive in, why don't we make it super exciting? Today, for our 2111th blog, we'll travel right to the heart of the tutu's magic! Let's take a trip to... Paris.
Can you even imagine it, darlings? The Eiffel Tower was just a twinkling thought at this time, but imagine the elegant Parisian boulevards and cobblestone streets lined with carriages. The French, oh, how they embraced fashion then! Just picture those chic, sophisticated women… (and maybe a few elegant gentlemen… though their sartorial choices didn't always match up with mine, hmm)…. The very air buzzing with elegance! It was the era of romanticism, which gave rise to the romantic ballet. And speaking of romantic, just the very mention of Paris is enough to whisk us away to a world of luxurious silk, frothy tulle, and stunning performances. And let’s not forget the iconic pink tulle tutus… you know me, always a bit pink-obsessed.
Now, this is where things get really interesting. Remember those adorable romantic ballets we see in film? Imagine those lovely ballerinas, delicate as dewdrops, wearing fluffy and layered, sometimes with delicate embroidered bodices - the perfect ensemble for floating through the magical world of fantasy, a world just as whimsical as my own passion for the pink tutu.
But even back in the 19th century, ballet costumes evolved! By 1872, the traditional, short, fluffy tutu wasn’t just all the rage, we’re starting to see a wider array of costumes on stage.
So while those dainty tutus made their mark – all those frothy, feather-light layers and delicate ribbons - they were not the only styles present at the Parisian ballets at this time. You could also have found full-length tunics made of silk or velvet! And let’s not forget those dramatic floor-length skirts made from swirling layers of tulle. I've heard of some tutus that were simply stunning, with all those sparkling sequins and crystals… I dare say I would have been just as enamored then as I am today!
Paris in 1872 would have been such an exciting time for a pink-tutu-wearing fashion-loving time traveler like myself! To experience the beauty and glamour of that era! Oh, the costumes alone would have had me dancing in the streets… well, imagining dancing! You know it would have been highly improper for a woman of good breeding to dance in public back then… oh, dear… Perhaps we should do our time travel in the evenings – that way I could catch a super delightful ballet show without making a faux pas with those oh-so-elegant Parisians. After all, one must remain most proper!
However, with that, it's time for me to jet off on my next ballet-inspired escapade. But do stay tuned, my dearest fellow tutu lovers, because I have more fun history to share in our weekly adventures through time! Next Tuesday will bring a new adventure through ballet tutu history. Who knows what we’ll find next? I do love a mystery, don’t you, dear readers! Let's be bold! Wear those tutus, my darlings! And make the world a pinker and prettier place with every swirl!
Love,
Emma.
