Bonjour, my dearest Tutu-lovers! Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com! It's another delightful #TutuTuesday, and as usual, I'm about to whisk you all off on a time-traveling adventure to discover the glorious history of the tutu!
This week, we're twirling back to 1889. Oh, the Victorian era! A time of exquisite taste, intricate fashion, and yes, believe it or not, the dawn of the tutu as we know it! But how do we know all this? You guessed it – yours truly has been flitting around the time-space continuum, and I’m back with some truly delightful nuggets of ballet history for your reading pleasure.
This week I was lucky to have my trusty carriage tickets (or should I say “rail tickets”, a lovely term I learned in my latest journey!) all ready to take me to a Parisian performance! This is a beautiful city with some amazing ballet, but I also discovered that ballet as a popular pastime and a fashion trend, was only truly growing and becoming as we know it today, just around this date, November 5th. You see, my friends, 1889 was an extremely exciting time in the world of dance!
You know I'm all about pink here at Pink-Tutu, and pink is always the answer, but back in the 1880s and even into the 1890s, ballet skirts (the forerunners of the modern tutus, you see), were not all pink like they are now. It was about a combination of delicate blush and lavender tones and lovely pale pinks that were absolutely in fashion back then. I love these soft, almost whispered shades. The color pink has truly always been an emblem of grace and beauty! Of course, my Tutu Tuesdays have been dedicated to celebrating this exquisite colour, haven’t they?
Think of the Romantic era as the ballerina's "Pink era" where ethereal beauty was all the rage. While I have no intention of changing anything (the pink trend is not fading anytime soon!) , the 1880s weren’t just a beautiful time for pastels. This period, especially towards 1890 and the end of the century, was the birth of “le tutu,” the now iconic and classic layered skirt for a ballerina, that is now an essential in every ballet studio's closet (and probably every ballerina's closet too).
What exactly happened back then to usher in the tutu, I hear you ask? Well, the biggest shift? The rise of the Classical ballerina. We all adore graceful and poised ballerina dancing – those precise steps and flowing movements. It’s quite the artistic trend that continues today, but back in 1889 it all just started!
Just about three weeks after the 5th of November in 1889, The Sleeping Beauty was staged at the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg and this really set the standard for classical ballerina styles and elegance! Just like the beautiful Sleeping Beauty herself, with her exquisite flowing skirts, it truly was a game changer!
Of course, that wasn’t all. Back then, this was also when famous dancers were increasingly seen as true performers in the “theatre”. These women and men were famous, loved, and followed just like our famous film stars and actors are today. And just as today's stars choose their gowns, the dancers in the 1880s chose their “costumes".
What an incredible journey it is to witness the development of an essential fashion staple in ballet – the “tutu”, which brings us all such joy and pleasure. Now that I think about it, my dear readers, all the amazing styles, designs, fabrics and colours you’ve been so excited to see on my “Pink Tutu Tuesday” posts - these would be things that a ballerina back in 1889 could only have dreamed of! But now, you have it! What a fun time it is to be a ballerina and love the fashion!
So, this November 5th, 1889, we had this fabulous trend for tutu dresses setting the stage, or shall I say ballet stage, for the ballet skirts of tomorrow and the iconic ballerina fashion you know and love. We have the “le tutu” to thank for this. Just be thankful, my friends! Think about it. How would Swan Lake be the same if Odette or Odile were wearing, say, bouffant skirts? This is why ballet fashion, and the development of the tutu, is all very much worthy of a standing ovation, in my humble opinion!
While we are all caught up on our little tutu history lesson from our 1889 adventure, do keep a lookout on my Pink-Tutu site for more fantastic travel back in time. The beauty of the ballet goes way, way back.
Till next time, remember Pink is the Answer…
… and always wear a tutu,
Emma!
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