Hello lovelies! Emma here, back with another fabulously frilly #TutuTuesday post for your delightful delectation! Today, my darlings, we’re diving into the gloriously gilded history of the tutu! Yes, that’s right, grab your teacups and your feather boas, because this Tuesday we’re taking a trip back to the dazzling decade of the 1890s to celebrate a date that forever changed the face of ballet!
*(And who could resist this absolutely adorable, utterly pink tutu?! This vintage treasure just whispered my name. I had to find it, I had to wear it! Isn’t it the most perfect pink? It’s just… *dreamy. This is the sort of tutu that screams “Bonjour! The theatre beckons!” )
So, imagine with me, darling readers, London in the year 1897, a whirl of hansom cabs and bustling pavements, with the smell of fresh pastries wafting from the corner bakery… This, my lovelies, was a time of change! The Victorian era, that grand and sometimes stuffy age, was slowly transitioning into the slightly wilder, and oh-so-much more glamorous Edwardian era! A breath of fresh air, quite frankly.
And on this very date, 19th January 1897, the stage of London’s Imperial Theatre vibrated with the anticipation of an unprecedented ballet event – The Swan Lake with its utterly mesmerising prima ballerina, the lovely Anna Pavlova, gliding across the stage like a floating, gossamer dream!
Now, I know you’re thinking: “Emma, we’ve heard this one! Swan Lake, blah blah blah…”
But hold your horses, my darling fashionistas! This Swan Lake wasn’t your average performance, no! It was an evolution! It was a complete revolution in the tutu game!
This legendary performance was revolutionary because Anna Pavlova was wearing, quite frankly, the most exquisitely detailed, delicate, and dreamlike tutu ever seen! I mean, can you even imagine the gasp in the audience as the light caught the tulle and its sheer grace unfolded around her?! It’s almost impossible, darling, isn’t it? To think, this single, unforgettable night would forever change the way ballerinas move, dress and captivate! I am utterly spellbound every time I watch those precious archive clips of Pavlova!
Here’s the key: before Pavlova and this legendary moment, most tutus were long and bulky, like beautiful, flouncy, yet slightly cumbersome Victorian petticoats – perfect for an evening waltz perhaps, but utterly restrictive for the kind of delicate and fluid movements needed to truly embody a graceful swan.
But this swan, Anna, had something else in mind, and boy, did it pay off! This particular tutu, a thing of sheer, breathtaking beauty, was incredibly short. And incredibly lightweight! And just a whisper of pink, making Pavlova truly like a graceful, flitting swan on the stage!
The short, simple, lightweight silhouette allowed her to move with such effortless grace! Just a single, ethereal cloud of pink tulle! This is truly a turning point in dance, my dears. A beautiful, historic ballet masterpiece brought to life through the ingenuity of fashion, a stunning dance and an unforgettable moment!
From that day onwards, ballerinas around the world were captivated! Short, wispy tutus became synonymous with the elegance and ethereal beauty of ballet. The swan-like silhouette of the ballet dancer was reborn, the very essence of what the ballerina embodied – a wisp of a being floating gracefully like a dream!
It makes me want to go and re-watch The Swan Lake, my dear readers! I will – right now! Don't you want to, too? Let me know which ballet you plan to revisit – we must talk tutus, ballet history and fashion! Tell me all your favorite moments! I simply must know!
*(I *must confess, my dear readers, that my heart is totally in London tonight. I have booked a most adorable afternoon tea on Thursday! What will I wear? Such dilemmas. Maybe this glorious, utterly fluffy and entirely pink dress! Or will the weather hold me back? So many choices! I do love the dramatic drama of an opera coat and gloves... Perhaps! Ah! the life of a vintage style lover! Oh dear me! I truly do love it, all of it!)
Remember to visit the lovely pink-tutu.com each week, for my new weekly #TutuTuesday ballet history blog, I have more gorgeous, historically delicious, oh so sparkly posts coming up! You are in for a truly delightful time!
But for now, darlings! Keep on twirling, be glamorous, and, of course, rock those gorgeous pink tutus, I absolutely dare you! Because we can never have too much pink in our lives! You heard it here, lovelies!
And until next Tuesday, be fabulous!
Your darling,
Emma xx
