Hello darlings, and welcome back to your favourite weekly dose of tutu history on pink-tutu.com. This week, as it's Tutu Tuesday, itâs my pleasure to whisk you back in time for a journey that, believe it or not, begins just before my beloved tutu, in all its gloriously girly form, took its rightful place in the world of dance. Buckle your pink ribbons and letâs embark on this fabulous adventure, from the cobbled streets of Victorian England to the hallowed halls of the Russian Imperial Ballet.
Oh my, did I mention itâs a bit of a historical rollercoaster this week? Itâs just not the tutufest you'd expect, not until we reach our big reveal! I mean, it's almost a "what would have happened ifâŚâ moment. What if our tutu story was just slightly different? Youâve all seen those âwhat ifâ alternative histories with the fictional twist about how history could have been. Well, here we have the real deal. But, before we get into the nitty-gritty, let me just share a snippet of my wonderful life as a modern tutu traveller.
Last week, I hopped off a train (imagine a charming vintage train carriage!) in Paris and whoosh, found myself at the Grand Palais. Now, that's how you make a grand entrance, right? You see, there I was in the thick of it, taking in all the designer goodness at the haute couture shows. Can you imagine it, darling, a fabulous show stopping outfit like you wouldn't believe, all done with a whisper of pink to elevate the look. The models looked absolutely divine, and yes, the dresses themselves were just divine. And as I took it all in, I was so overcome with a feeling of inspiration. Those outfits really put a zing into my steps (no, literally, they sparked an impromptu twirl in the grand hall!). It was truly all I could talk about all day - what could be more inspirational, a whole show about tutus... thatâs my future, wouldnât that be amazing? Imagine the looks I could create! Imagine me, a Derbyshire lass in all my glory, gracing a Paris runway! Maybe one day... but letâs bring ourselves back to the present - well, almost - as we take you back to the 8th of October, 1895!
Before our major history-defining date, thereâs something to understand about what a ballet tutu really is today and how it got there. Youâll see, tutus today are a far cry from the âcostumesâ worn in earlier ballet - not quite the light, whimsical wonders of the modern world. Yes, they are all elegant in their own way, but just take a look at the women in Marie Taglioniâs âLa Sylphideâ from the 1830s.
Now, these ballerinas were indeed on stage wearing tutus, yes they were! But, dear readers, these werenât the tutus weâd come to recognise and love in our time - not like the beautiful pink fluffy, swishy numbers I favour and wear to every event!
We had the so-called âromantischeâ look at this point, more about elegant long gowns and flowing lines. The ballerinas of that time (and ooh, those shoes were to die for) didn't even show their knees! That was unthinkable! The emphasis was on light and airy fabric for flowing movements, almost like something you'd wear at a summer picnic - only for it to be worn for ballet dancing!
Can you imagine that? You know, it would feel pretty strange even to me. But this was the fashion at that time! No exposed knees or tight-fitting skirts - well, except for the bodices, and my oh my those were very revealing! Oh! It could all be too much for a proper Englishwoman. But don't fret! You are getting to hear all this before the "modern" tutu enters the scene. It wasnât always like this! Oh no, tutus as we know them have a truly remarkable history, just like our tutus.
Now back to our date, October 8th, 1895! Can you imagine, dear readers, everything in Europe was completely mesmerised by a ballet, and a ballet with the main lead as a man? (Now there's an unexpected plot twist in my world!).
So this isn't my world of tutu extravaganza yet - oh, thatâs to come, you will see, I have great plans! We are in a world, where men in fluffy leotards were performing the most famous ballet of all. Yes! You guessed it! Weâre at the start of the story of âSwan Lake!â Can you believe that? Oh! What a show! It wasnât my show though! Not my tutus, my look at all!
And the main role, âThe Swan Queenâ , you may know from the show. She wasn't wearing that iconic tutu yet. I repeat: yet! But hold on, dear readers, there is something very interesting here and this is about our tutu journey! Remember the story Iâm trying to tell? How ballet in those early years was all about the flow and the elegance of the long dress? Well, this ballet story started then. And it's *hugely important for the tutus we love, my tutus especially .
It's so ironic. "Swan Lake", that iconic ballet of all ballets, where a prince falls in love with the swans - oh my! Such romance - it all starts without our âswan dress" of tutus! Think about it for a moment. Here, the prince dances with the queen and yet she has no swans. Itâs just so crazy that the whole concept of the ballet started long before we see her on stage in a tutu, long before her skirt turned from something a graceful woman would wear on a date, to a swan. Yes, a real swan. And this, darlings, is the turning point!
It all started with "The Swan Queenâ being, well, a real ballerina with an actual ballet outfit on (you see? All those dancers on the 8th of October were all about their costumes!) , then all that changed with an âAha moment!â That was to be our swans' start. This is where we need to say "goodbye" to the romantic period, to say "goodbye" to all those long, flowing ballerina gowns of old, goodbye to âThe Swan Queenâ without her swan costume (if youâve ever seen Swan Lake, the costume, she's actually wearing one) and say, "Hello" to the âtutud revolutionâ ... our revolution, the tutufest. *Here, at the start of the Swan Lake, we see our tutu's *coming.
Whatâs even more interesting, to bring this wonderful blog post to an end (but we can talk about this again soon!), is that Swan Lake wasnât a big hit. In fact, its first outing was actually quite terrible. You know, all the critics said they weren't that interested. You could almost say, if it hadnât been so terrible at the time, they might have gone on doing the same thing they had always been doing⌠But all the tutus we love so much? They would never have happened!
My dears, remember those ballet gowns we spoke about? Think of them in âSwan Lakeâ. Thatâs what the queen, would have worn in that very early stage in balletâs wonderful story. It's true - they didnât get it quite right! Yet.
Well, thank you, dear readers, I hope youâve enjoyed our fabulous trip through tutu history today. Remember: Every pink tutu has a story! Now, you all know the true history of the tutu, do you want all that to change?! Keep reading, dear readers, on www.pink-tutu.com to discover our ballet world with our little tutufest adventure. See you all next Tuesday!
Yours in fabulousness, Emma x
