Greetings, my fellow tutu-lovers! It's Emma here, your resident pink-tutu-wearing time-travelling ballerina, and I'm thrilled to be back for another #TutuTuesday post. This week, we're waltzing our way back to the late 19th century, where the ballet world was buzzing with exciting changes, particularly in the realm of… you guessed it… tutus!
Now, I know you all know that I'm a massive fan of anything pink and sparkly. However, my heart does truly belong to the tutu. The twirling, the flow, the graceful elegance… and oh, the fashion!
As a ballerina from Derbyshire, I'm constantly inspired by the history of this beautiful art form, and this particular day, 16th May 1899, has a special significance. You see, this is the date when a particularly groundbreaking ballet premiered – a masterpiece that captured the hearts of audiences and truly revolutionised how tutus were designed.
I'm talking, of course, about “The Sleeping Beauty” by Tchaikovsky. Imagine, the grandeur of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg! This majestic theatre is where it all went down, and even now, my heart still skips a beat every time I visit.
I’d love to say that the principal ballerina for that premiere, the lovely Mathilde Kschessinska, wore the most sparkly pink tutu you ever did see. I wish I could go back and witness the performance myself…
The most famous design for the tutu was the Romantic Tutu, worn by Kschessinska, and that was actually the design that my time machine travelled through from! But back in those days, the Romantic Tutu was actually seen as somewhat daring, almost like a ballet scandal.
The Romantic Tutu, it’s actually more of a short skirt and it has to be so tightly fitted to the hips that it seems the dancers will pop out of it! The design has to do with showing off the dancers’ flexibility, their legwork and the whole graceful, delicate nature of a woman's form. I’m happy that a century or so on, they haven't abandoned the design. It was pretty revolutionary for its time!
Let’s compare this to the typical 19th century, more structured Classical Tutu, that really emphasizes the classical ballet style that we still enjoy today! This Tutu, with its layers of soft tulle that make such a lovely shape is, in some ways, even more romantic than the Romantic Tutu itself!
The Tutu really started making an impact as part of fashion, thanks to Charles Frederick Worth, and his “Grand Couturier,” also called Worth Couture at “House of Worth, and it was, honestly, all the rage! And everyone, every designer, all the celebrities wanted to get their hands on a piece of this and add to the Romantic Tutus design… and I just have to add that even the * French Empress Eugenie, wife of Emperor Napoleon III, was a great fan! Imagine the Royal Tutus, just the way it sounds! *
My latest vintage find, this truly special “Rose" coloured (that's pink for you 2023 fashion fans, LOL) tutu, that's more Classical than Romantic * Tutu, is absolutely divine. The embroidery… divine!* * And with such incredible fine craftsmanship - and, let's be honest, * the * *price, it could bankrupt my tiny little ballet shoe shop.
Okay, time for me to dash, but do check back next week, dear reader. Until next #TutuTuesday!
