#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1877-12-18

Dearest readers,

Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, your one-stop shop for all things twirly and utterly divine! Today, we're hopping onto the time-traveling express train for a delightful trip back to the year 1877 - an exciting era for the ballet world and for our beloved tutus, too! 🩰

As ever, it's me, your fabulous friend Emma, straight from the heart of Derbyshire. This week's journey is a particularly exciting one, as we're diving deep into the history of the tutu's development, all those wonderful frills, the flowing skirts and the ultimate symbol of grace. Just remember, every Tuesday, you can find a fresh #TutuTuesday blog post right here, keeping the tradition of the tutu alive.

Before we delve into this intriguing time period, don't forget you can catch me live in the City. Last night's show at the Royal Opera House was spectacular! I truly adore the way London fills up with elegant people every evening when the curtain rises - it's all just so magical, isn't it?

Let's hop back to the elegant world of 1877 and explore what it held for ballet and its glamorous costumes!

Oh darling, it was the time of change! Imagine – no trains and the main form of transportation is the horse-drawn carriage! But imagine this… the theatres! You could simply walk in – and with a twirl of your own - be instantly transported to another world! Just like me today with my fabulous time machine, but with no need for special pink glitter potions or magic sparkles. 💫

1877, my dears, was a key turning point in tutu history. Think: the Romantics had been all the rage. Tutus, at this time, were flowing, with romantic flounces, billowing fabric and a distinctly ethereal air. Picture wisps of gauze, floating, with no shortage of ethereal white and dreamy cream, all just perfect for capturing those feelings of lightness, grace, and delicate wonder that we associate with the Romantic period.

But hold your pink tutu high, dears, because it's all about to get shorter. 🤫 The world was about to meet the tutu we know today, or should I say almost know today! The ballet tutu of the era, though still with a fuller, skirt, began its transition into the tighter, shorter form that would reign for the next hundred years. It was an exciting and truly glamorous time to be in the theatre and dance the night away with some stunning tutus.

Imagine this: the Royal Opera House. Imagine me, a little pink-tutu clad vision with sparkling diamond embellishments on my pointe shoes, ready to watch the first performance of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, on March 4th, 1877! This legendary performance launched a true icon into the world: a tutu that changed ballet for good!

Just as the dancers transformed from white swans to menacing black ones, their costumes also transitioned. Maria Petipa, one of ballet's most brilliant and innovative choreographers, was the brainchild behind this transformation and she, with the genius of Charles Liotard, a true expert on the construction of the ballerina's dress, created a true masterpiece of dance!

The transformation on stage during Swan Lake's performance was, dare I say, almost magic! A single flourish from the hands of the costumer – the elegant, graceful white tutu would change to something fierce, and darker… for the menacing black swans! The costume not only marked the change between innocent white and dark and powerful black swans, but also created a visual effect like no other! Can you imagine how incredible the ballet's costuming looked during the performance? Just picture it. You can't? Let's just say, darling, my jaw was on the floor. ✨

It's moments like this that really give ballet the magical quality it has and truly highlights what the perfect, well designed tutu can bring to a stage production! Don't you agree, darling?

Forget all of the current fast fashion retailers and shops darling, it’s a bit different back in 1877! While fashion houses of course had started emerging (think about all the lovely silks! - they are definitely my favorites for a special event) you would mainly visit boutiques, where all those creative, artistic hands that sew the delicate fabric and lace on your perfect dress come together. Just imagine you’re at one of the many dress shops near London’s fashionable Mayfair!

For this period in time you'd have had to make do with a tutu made with natural fabrics such as silk and lace. Can you imagine? No elastic? They used fabric for everything! You know my passion for tutus goes all the way to these almost forgotten techniques that are needed to design and sew a beautiful tutu. It's a special blend of tradition and creativity that really puts the art back into 'The Art of Ballet', darling!

Just a bit more…

It was during this era, a real push for change took hold, making ballet the popular, dramatic and exciting theatrical art form we love to this day! Remember, it was during these Victorian years when the very act of being in the theatre became incredibly fashionable. And yes darling, we all know tutus are just the perfect compliment to all of those grand operas, dramatic playwrights and Shakespeare's brilliant tales on the stage! 💖

That's all for this week's #TutuTuesday! As always, darling, remember that we all deserve to embrace our inner ballerina! And even though it may have been over 140 years since this period in ballet, its heritage can really make you feel the magical powers of a graceful dance, don’t you think? I, for one, think the art of the tutu will forever be linked to that elegant era and how far ballet has come.

Oh, one more thing! For those of you curious about 18th December 1877, it was just a regular Tuesday then, not as glamorous as we are! Nothing much occurred. Just imagine, on 18th December 1877 the future of tutu history was being made without anyone even knowing it, even without my time traveling pink tutu knowledge, hehe! Just another normal Tuesday back in 1877 but what a day in ballet's history it would go on to be! ✨

Catch you next Tuesday, dears,

Emma x

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