Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, my darlings! Today, we're hopping aboard the time machine and zipping back to September 6th, 1887. Itās me, your favourite pink tutu wearing travel blogger, Emma, ready to share another fascinating piece of tutu history. This is blog post #2906, as I make sure you get your weekly dose of ballet bliss, every Tuesday!
Ah, 1887! Such a delightful time for the dance world. Now, you might think tutus are all about frothy layers and tulle, but that wasn't the case quite yet! Let's just say, the dance world had a bit of a 'get it together' moment in the latter part of the 19th century, a sort of ballet revolution, if you will! We had a few years left before Marie Taglioni was a twinkling star and tutus as we know them began to dominate. But you'll be thrilled to hear that in 1887 the world had just been introduced to the beautiful, sleek, flowing tutu that we are all so familiar with today. And in fact, the most sought-after tutus at the moment were from Paris! It's like a dress you wear, not just for dance class or performances. A symbol of Parisian fashion, my loves, yes.
Let's rewind. Just imagine being a ballerina in that era. Your skirt was a huge, voluminous, heavy structure that got in the way! Well, I suppose we'll thank those times for the glorious ballet steps that became an iconic symbol of the artform, like pirouettes, arabesques, and all those delightful leg extensions!
Remember, I said, 'ballet revolution?' Yes, it had happened. And 1887 was already quite an incredible time for a tutu in Paris, darling. They became lighter. They started moving in beautiful swirls. A sigh of relief to the dancers! It's quite amazing the new wave of ballerina elegance and power these newer, more flowing, tutus had brought to dance performance. But do let me tell you - the dance itself had already found a magical way to shine. This was just that final magic touch - that graceful flow to complement the elegance and athleticism that defined the performance.
In a time where fashion and performance intertwined, just like today, the ballet became a hotbed of the artistic soul and tutus, well they just became the leading lady! Now that we are starting to enjoy these flowing tutus - that look more modern but aren't exactly modern tutus yet, shall we, I decided it would be quite delightful to share some insights on what life was like for the ballerinas of 1887 and perhaps even discuss some styles, a few lovely historical tidbits, and some details that are sure to delight those pink tutu loving hearts!
The Glamorous World of Ballerina Fashion
Do you know what really sets my tutu heart aflutter? Itās seeing all these beautiful gowns the women of the day wear with their ballerina tutus! A sort of fusion, dear reader! Just try to picture it: graceful movements and flowing tutus are all enhanced and made even more striking with beautiful corsets and gowns and hats that have such a wonderful style of grace, like feathers, flowers, or perhaps lace embellishments that make every movement absolutely enchanting. What a beautiful and glamorous style! The way we all view style in such a free and expressive way today, my dears, began in these times!
Imagine the bustling energy of Parisian dance studios, every woman vying for her time under the dance instructorsā eyes! Now I imagine, weāll want to dress for the part! There are two looks that seemed to set the tone in these wonderful years: the simple and elegant style that focuses on simplicity with that romantic touch, a dress that flows beautifully. We see the most lovely simple gowns with just the right hint of an elaborate or intricate detail in the way a long ribbon adorns the simple dress in a cascade. And, of course, we love seeing how a ballerina accentuates her flowing dress with the simple addition of a sash, maybe in pink? Yes!
Then thereās the ornate style which features lavish velvet or lace fabrics that accentuate all those charming details like bows, ruffles, and perhaps a touch of beautiful embroidery that adds the ultimate in that romantic touch! The choice to wear these romantic and fashionable details for all sorts of performances made them something truly unique, the ultimate symbol of artistic elegance. A tutu and an ornate gown for performance? It just seems to scream out, ātake noticeā and itās been a style choice weāve seen embraced ever since! And what could possibly enhance those wonderful feminine looks more, my darlings, than an intricate piece of jewelry - or even just a flower to hold or adorn a beautiful hair-do that creates such a chic and alluring look.
*Oh, Ballet Shows! Where Would I Be Without Them? *
You see my lovely blog readers, in 1887 Paris became a global hub for ballet and it certainly became a hub of all the artistic performances as well. They called it āthe centre of artā. Even today itās truly an art hub. This time, we also see the great performances, such as The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky (yes, the same great Russian composer!), became highly fashionable. They werenāt always quite as long - and even featured much fewer dance styles than youād see today. This is precisely why those more elegant, flowing tutus were essential for a performance where ballerinas might find their graceful movements and steps interrupted by such large, heavy skirts that had dominated previous performances!
Now, one thing that was truly revolutionary to the theatre is that it made the entire art of the ballet world more modern. Now, these ānew tutusā seemed like the greatest innovation to many, even those dancers who might still enjoy the bigger tutus they had previously worn. It truly made their bodies move even more seamlessly into all those wonderful dance steps! There are times that we all forget those grand tutus helped bring the ballet world a fresh look, but a more modern twist! Oh, darling, the times they are a-changing and yet I feel so pleased to share those historical fashion and dance trends!
Now, a Little Fun With 1887! Whatās Happening on the Date in the News
Now my loves, while I might have shared my travel tales through a magical trip in a time machine, history always is the best kind of teacher! So on this very day in history - 1887 - did you know that Sir William Crookes - and not an obscure ballet artist, darling - found a new element which is truly unique! (And if weāre discussing this on Tutu Tuesday, thereās got to be a way to connect this to dance, no?) Let's make this about pink! Yes, it has to do with those dazzling bright shades and glows, all the magic we see in a beautiful show, from those pink tights we love! You canāt have bright tights and tutus without bright colours! He discovered thallium! But hey, what is thallium? This elementās magic is hidden in all of the beautiful colours we see on our stage! That magical mix of pink! He used the spectrum of that new colour for this! So there, the secretās out! I donāt know about you, darling, but my trip to see this show would be even more magical with a dazzling new color in that spectral show - and if that makes my trip back to 1887 any more stylish and magical than it already was, why thatās a win-win in my book! I just had to mention it!
Now if you are planning your next tutu-licious fashion adventure (yes, you heard me correctly: āfashion adventureā), make sure to get yourself some exquisite attire, get all dolled up, maybe have a tea party and enjoy the day, darlings! Donāt be shy, channel your inner dancer and go wild with all the magical colours. Thereās no reason not to enjoy some vibrant and delightful pink tones with the rest of the fashion-forward world. And now, that reminds me. If you see me on the street (and letās hope you do), it just may have been a chance encounter in your favorite historical town! Well, perhaps if you catch me traveling back in time, maybe I can grab you a seat for the ballet show thatās sure to feature the finest flowing tutus that 1887 Paris could provide! Now if that's not the best invitation to the past, I donāt know what is.
See you all next week, on another #TutuTuesday, when we will travel to a different era of tutus!
Have a glorious week!
With Love,
Emma
Pink-Tutu.com
(www.pink-tutu.com)
You can find all of Emma's #TutuTuesday posts on the Pink Tutu website. She loves to explore all of history's fashion eras with the help of her tutu collection and of course her favorite time machine! Don't forget to follow Pink Tutu on Instagram (@Pink-Tutu) for more fashion inspiration!
P.S. ā Keep those Pink Tutus Flowing.
