Hello lovelies! 🩰
It's Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood time-travelling tutu enthusiast, and welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, your one-stop shop for all things tutus! I'm thrilled you've joined me today for our 2301st instalment of #TutuTuesday, our weekly deep-dive into the enchanting world of ballet tutus.
Time to whisk us away… Paris, 1876 🇫🇷
Ooh la la! This week we’re hopping on the Orient Express, travelling across the Channel to the heart of the ballet world, Paris, where tutus are truly taking centre stage! We’re at the very beginning of the Romantic era of ballet, and it’s all about expressing the soul through movement and music.
The tutu is becoming a central feature – not only for dancers, but for all women who want a touch of elegant lightness in their wardrobes. This, my dears, is where the tutu begins to transition from the dance floor to the everyday!
Today’s Parisian woman, just like us modern fashionistas, wants to be on-trend and express herself through clothing. And, oh my, the fashion is blooming spectacular! Imagine lush silks, crisp cotton, shimmering satins - it's all in the mix. It's quite a shift from the heavy skirts and corseted garments of past decades, and the tutu perfectly encapsulates the change!
Picture the tutus in this era: soft, billowing layers of tulle, sometimes draped in ribbons or delicately beaded, showcasing graceful lines that complement a dancer's every move. These are still not your modern-day tutus, but you can see how the idea of delicate movement and flowing lines is gaining momentum.
Think of the* ballerina in white, she’s no longer bound by restricting layers. She moves freely, beautifully, a *symbol of the grace and lightness that is starting to infiltrate society!
We all have to thank Marie Taglioni, * the legendary ballerina who *revolutionised ballet and helped make tutus so fashionable. Just the sight of her twirling on stage in that lightweight tutu back in the 1830s created a whole new aesthetic - airy, graceful, and undeniably stunning!
It’s hard to think now of how big of an impact the change in fashion was at the time! A world where skirts were always ankle length, corsets were commonplace, and then... a billowing layer of airy tulle emerges. Now that’s how you make a statement!
Of course, tutus weren’t all sweetness and light back then. The movement, with its airy lines and free expression, caused quite a bit of uproar! The emphasis on a feminine aesthetic was very new, and some critics felt the lightness and movement went against the ideals of modesty. The ballet world was still finding its voice, and tutus definitely had some powerful opinions surrounding them.
Now for a fun fact, darling: Did you know that February 1st 1876 saw the inauguration of the first telephone service in Paris? Think of the exciting possibilities for ballet announcements and gossip sharing that came along with it!
To end on a positive note, it’s amazing to see how a simple garment like the tutu can stir up such a revolution. The Romantic era, through the grace of the tutu, was beginning to reimagine how women could dress, and how we could present ourselves to the world. What could be more uplifting than a vision of grace, fluidity, and femininity?
That’s all for #TutuTuesday today. Don’t forget to pop over to Pink-Tutu.com to see this week's dazzling collection, and, remember, ladies, don’t be afraid to twirl your own tutu magic into the world!
Until next week,
Your favourite time-travelling ballerina,
Emma 🩰 💖
