#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1921-12-13

Hello, my darlings! Emma here, your time-traveling tutu enthusiast from Derbyshire. It’s #TutuTuesday and you know what that means! 🎊 A peek into the glorious history of ballet tutus and what glorious, glittery outfits were captivating the world way back in time. Today we’re taking the train (what else?) back to 1921-12-13, and trust me, darling, it’s a date we simply have to see in pink. 🎀

Before I get lost in the whirl of historical tulle, let’s chat a bit about why we’re on the magical journey through the past in the first place! ✨ It all boils down to the beautiful tutu - that swirling beacon of elegance and joy that puts a spring in everyone’s step. I’ve always adored tutus; their soft grace, their history, the way they transform us. But even more importantly, it’s about sharing this magic with everyone. That’s why my mission in life, apart from, well, travelling through time, is to get everyone to experience the sheer delight of a pink tutu. And that starts with knowing our history!

And darling, believe me, the year 1921 in Paris is a feast for the eyes! Paris, it goes without saying, was the undisputed heart of fashion in this era, and I'm certain I’m seeing so many ladies wearing their own version of pink tutus here in the street - some as practical as the jupe-culotte, a combination of trousers and skirt which we’d call “culottes” today! These culottes gave such elegance and style but allowed a wider range of motion which all women found so freeing.

Today, darling, I’m going to be talking to you about some truly stunning examples of this era! In this very month, December, and indeed in the very same year of 1921, Coco Chanel's very first collection appeared - what a marvel! Now, although this is a big jump in fashion, we have the Chanel silhouette to thank for the rise in popularity of the tutu for us dancers! Her very fashion-forward women loved to wear a dress that was made of very fine lightweight materials - that's precisely the same effect a dancer's tutu needs, a lighter fabric that moves in a similar fashion. It must have had an influence! Don’t you think?

A new, simpler approach to women’s fashion appeared at the end of World War I - one that was more fluid and looser, and that reflected an emancipation from more structured attire. This new wave in dress helped so much with women’s fashions - they began to incorporate more fluid movement, and of course the ballet style made that easy! There were certainly other reasons as well, the popularity of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes for example, but that’s something we can chat about another Tuesday!

Now back to this glamorous and oh-so-pink decade. Let's head to the ballet and marvel at what was on offer in the era that brought us the first proper ballerinas in long skirts - the dancers I always see in paintings of those bygone days! Today the tutu was no longer just about looking fancy and delicate (although darling, it’s still lovely!), it was designed to let those beautiful women move!

So let's get a cup of tea, or some champagne because I want to share a ballet performance with you. Today it’s December 13th. A date very familiar to those who love fashion. The Ballet Russes had their first performance of "Le Coq d'Or," on December 12, 1921 - the day before! So for us, that means our ballet today has a little less shimmer - and quite a lot of drama.

The production was set in Russia in a village outside the capital. The most interesting detail here in this date was that The Ballet Russes had chosen a composer by the name of Rimsky-Korsakov and based their set design and fashion on the world of traditional Russian costume! How much fun would it have been to see how they were interpreting that into fashion, and into the costume? Imagine - we can see just how a Ballet Russes would have made a fashion statement in the 1920s. Now darling, don’t you want to travel back to see for yourselves?

And here’s another tidbit of fun. Diaghilev, that famous ballet impresario of that era, he really had an eye for what’s glamorous. He hired Leon Bakst, a truly masterful costume designer for the 1910s. We love his amazing creations. He knew just what designs made tutus perfect for dancers’ movements. We don't know what actual costumes were worn for this ballet - the details for these dances are often a little vague, so that gives us a whole lot to imagine about these dances. And, darling, when you’ve got imaginations swirling around this gorgeous fashion, don’t you wish you had a time machine?!

Now for another Parisian fashion detail that makes this year a triumph for us! Gabrielle Réjane was a big star! Imagine how she must have dazzled her audiences in one of those wonderfully long tulle gowns - this truly iconic look is a reminder of how the past never truly leaves. There were always so many glamorous ladies that they wore these stunning clothes!

But here’s the thing, I really want us to understand these dates! December 12, and December 13. The very dates that would shape fashion - a truly iconic year and these dancers are in long skirts and they have started wearing the long tulle that will be seen in ballet! The Russian look with the gorgeous designs from the Ballet Russes gave an idea that would continue to grow into the next decade. And here’s a wonderful bit of news, by the early 1920s a revolution in style meant shorter skirts that were both flattering and easy to dance in, and they helped bring in more and more ladies who liked the look of what we know as the ballerina's tutus - but without the dance!

Fashion in 1921 really started changing. There's no denying it, the look of fashion was transforming, but how do I put this? Think of those long gowns, that simple silhouette... what was happening with Ballet Russes** that decade and, especially in the next decade, the looks were so much more simple.

I believe the look of our dancers today is the best version of this look! Just as women’s fashion changed - those more elegant and graceful gowns inspired so much more fluidity, tutu design moved from those lovely long layers into these smaller, and much more modern looks we have now - there’s nothing we don’t want to wear, the dancewear today is just stunning.

The tutu continues to be an amazing way to celebrate what’s new, a way of honoring tradition - it always inspires a movement. I'm looking forward to more historical fun in #TutuTuesday posts coming up very soon.

I hope this peek into the historical timeline of #TutuTuesday gave you a better insight into how the beautiful look of our dancers came about. That was certainly a time of change and excitement for ballet and fashion. If you want to share your own Tutu Tuesday stories, join the conversation on www.pink-tutu.com and use #TutuTuesday! Until next time, stay graceful and let’s keep making tutus even more magical, one sparkle at a time! 🩰