#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1888-11-06

Welcome, darlings, to post number 2967 of my Pink Tutu blog! It's Tuesday, and that means we're taking a twirl back through time for a little #TutuTuesday history. Today we're pirouetting all the way to 6th November 1888 - fancy that, nearly 135 years ago!

I was just in Vienna, darling, a beautiful city, and, oh, the waltz! It's like they invented dancing there, isn't it? So, as a good ballerina always does, I decided to add a dash of history to my trip. Now, there are these lovely vintage ballet posters at the Vienna State Opera that are quite simply heavenly. One was showing a production of "Giselle". You've all heard of "Giselle", right? The poor village girl who dies of a broken heart when she discovers her beloved is a nobleman? Well, in this poster, Giselle was wearing something absolutely gorgeous! It was a wispy, lacy tutu - a complete departure from the stiffer, romantic tutus they wore in the early nineteenth century.

My dear girls, tutus have come a long way, haven't they? Let's take a little step back, shall we, and see how our favourite ballet fashion has evolved over time?

Imagine for a moment, ladies, you are at the opera. Not a single whisper or rustle of fabric - it's that intense, that intimate. That was the scene in 1830s London! Before tutus, you would have seen ladies in gorgeous but enormous silk gowns and flowing layers of tulle. Mary Taglioni - our fabulous dance legend - even danced in one, believe it or not! She called her dancing style danse romantique and it swept the world. Romantic ballerinas floated across the stage in billowing, weightless attire. They looked so ethereal. So, for years, this was how ballerinas dressed for the stage!

Then, darling, 1841 rolled around - a big year for tutus - and voila! We had a change of direction, literally and figuratively. The tutu, a new way of showing off our ballerinas' amazing legwork, emerged! Now this tutu is different from what we think of today. It was more like a knee-length, ruffled skirt that moved effortlessly as they leapt across the stage. The famous *Marie Taglioni, * the beautiful daughter of Mary, was one of the first to showcase this new garment.

Our tutus have evolved, you know, into the two major styles:

• The Romantic tutu (also known as the classical tutu: a longer, bell-shaped tutu reaching below the knee with several tiers of fabric. It looks soft and feminine - think La Sylphide, our dear Marie Taglioni's own legendary dance! - and shows off that stunning line as the ballerinas spin and jump.
  • *The tutu *(the short, stiffened one): a much shorter tutu with more rigid layers. Perfect for showing off impressive jumps and powerful moves.

Think of it as a ballet version of the hourglass figure! You’ve got the “waist” - which the tutu really highlights - and then the flowing skirt around the hips. And if you add a pink tutu to that picture….it's divine!

Now back to Vienna and Giselle’s costume! My oh my, the tutu she had on the 6th of November, 1888 in that Vienna State Opera poster was truly "avant garde", you might say. Not quite the short, fitted tutus we know today, but lighter, more airy and definitely showcasing legwork in Giselle . It showed a development from the knee-length, romantic style that was prevalent even in the 1860s.

The 1880s were a period of fabulous change in ballet! Think about it, darling, the 19th Century was a whirlwind of growth and excitement in art and fashion. New techniques in ballet emerged - ballon leaps were becoming huge in ballet in the 1880s and ballerinas needed to be more agile. So, think of tutus not only as gorgeous garments, but a practical development as well!

And this my dear reader, was just a taste of what 1888 offered - and this was just about one tutu! You could practically write a novel about how tutus changed throughout history. From Marie Taglioni to Giselle, from romantic tulle clouds to short, stiff tiers – tutus have changed, darling, with the times and styles, and every step has been truly remarkable!

What's on This Date?

And speaking of a novel…you could have joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra in London. They performed “The Marriage of Figaro” on this day, with the renowned singer August Manns conducting. Now that would be a delightful way to spend an evening. Just imagine the energy of that event! I would have loved to be there!

Speaking of delightful evenings and energy, this trip to Vienna was wonderful, just like every one of my ballet trips. The shopping alone... it's like an explosion of color and texture and fabrics, especially for a pink tutu lover like myself!

This time I got myself a divine little pink satin tote bag with the most adorable little ballerina with a pink tutu painted onto it. A must have, wouldn't you say? And of course, that vintage Vienna State Opera pink tutu poster is coming back to Derbyshire, hanging up with the rest of my pink treasures in my little ballet room. I’ll just have to add the train ticket for the trip as well. My darling, travelling is so expensive! That’s why it’s good to have these ballet performances to pay for all this! But when every day you can have adventures that involve dancing, fab fashion and pink tutus …it’s so worth it!

It's truly been an adventure of tutus, and now it’s your turn to create your own stories! Don't forget to send me your pics with your pink tutu! I might feature you on this blog! #PinkTutu.

Until next Tuesday, darlings, let's twirl on!

Your Pink Tutu Fashionista, Emma