Tutu Tuesday #3551: The Tutu's First Steps onto the World Stage! 🩰✨💖
Hello lovelies, and welcome back to your favourite weekly dose of tutu history! This Tuesday, we're jetting off to the year 1900, a pivotal point in the evolution of our beloved tutu, a time when this magnificent garment started its glorious journey towards becoming the iconic symbol of ballet it is today!
As a Derbyshire girl at heart, I love a good train journey, so imagine my delight when I found myself whisked back in time aboard a magnificent steam train, puffing its way to…Paris! That's right, the City of Lights! For it was here, in the heart of European fashion and artistry, that the tutu was first starting to bloom, like a beautiful rose in full spring. 🌹
1900 was the year of the Exposition Universelle, a massive celebration showcasing the finest achievements of human innovation from all over the world. This magnificent spectacle wasn't just about science and engineering though. It was also an opportunity for the performing arts to take centre stage – and, wouldn't you know it, ballet was the star of the show! ✨
Imagine it: a shimmering array of beautiful ballerinas, gracefully dancing across the stage, captivating audiences with their dazzling skill and poise. Now, I don’t know about you lovelies, but my imagination is running wild! 😍
What was their attire? What did this first generation of true tutus look like?
Well, according to my notes (because a fashionable ballerina always keeps meticulous notes!), it was all about softness and romance - imagine layers of billowing, ethereal tulle, almost like a cloud around a ballerina's frame! 🌸
They weren’t quite the tutus we know today. Think more of a long, flowing skirt, creating beautiful, sweeping lines that helped dancers float through the air with unparalleled grace. The short, bouncy tutus we see today weren't really a thing until the early 1900s - think around 1910 or 1915.
It’s also worth mentioning, for you ballet enthusiasts out there, that the tutus were still predominantly white, with some colour being used for accents, giving a touch of playful elegance. This was still the time of classical ballet at its heart, a movement characterized by purity, and graceful fluidity.
This Parisian Exposition was a huge step forward for the ballet world. It’s safe to say that, without it, the tutu may never have had its star moment – imagine how different our lives would be! 🤯
The year 1900 wasn’t just about fashion – there was an enormous energy of progress, innovation and optimism throughout Europe! It was a world coming alive, and ballet was right there in the midst of it all, gracefully expressing a fresh sense of dynamism and freedom.
This era was also a time of extraordinary progress for women’s fashion - remember the rise of the suffragette movement around this time! This wasn’t just about being able to vote, it was also about challenging traditional ideas of what women should wear and what they should do with their lives. The tutu, in its graceful elegance, became a symbol of female beauty and strength in this new and thrilling period. 💪
However, just like today, tutus didn’t always stay just on stage, dear readers. In this exciting new era of modernity, there was a blossoming interest in new ideas and ways of thinking about dress, and women everywhere were looking to emulate this feeling of freedom in their own style. This is when we started to see the rise of a playful, theatrical new look for everyday fashion – think layers of flowing fabrics, dramatic shapes, and, yes, you guessed it – tutus.
We’re not just talking about a tiny bit of tulle in a skirt. Imagine tutus of all colours, shapes, and lengths worn for everything, from picnics in the park to shopping excursions in town! Can you picture a bustling city full of ladies floating about with such joie de vivre? 💃
Now, of course, tutus were not a common sight in everyday life, but just a glimpse of this movement, this yearning to move away from constrictive styles and embrace the beauty of movement, shows the enduring allure of our dear little tutu. 💖
In fact, it seems like our love for the tutu back in 1900 isn’t so different to how we feel about them today, and there is a real echo of our love for everything pink in the colour choices of that era. It seems we’re forever united across the centuries by our shared adoration for this fantastic garment! 💗
Before I hop on my time travel express to explore a new tutu-filled era, I want to share some gorgeous fashion finds from this time period. 🛍
- The Puffed-Sleeved Blouse – A must-have for any aspiring 1900s fashionista. Imagine these paired with a flowing, ruffled tulle skirt and some chunky shoes for a Parisian chic look.
- The "Gibson Girl" Silhouette - This elegant, slender figure, defined by a high waist, was the ideal image of femininity in the early 1900s. Think soft, flowing fabrics, tight waistlines, and full skirts.
- Lace & Lace & Lace – The more lace, the better! Embellishing almost anything you could think of. Imagine that with some silk ribbon for a timeless beauty.
That's all for this week, my dears. I can’t wait to take you on another adventure next Tuesday – let’s go find the origins of some more fascinating and stylish tutus! 😉💖
Happy twirling everyone!
Until next time…stay fabulous!
Love,
Emma xx
P.S. What are your favourite tutu outfits from this period? Leave a comment below, let's spark some fashionable discussions! 💕
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