Hello, my lovelies! Welcome back to another Tuesday of twirling with your favourite pink-tutu-wearing historian, Emma! 🩰🌸
It's been a whirlwind of a week, darling. This weekend, I travelled all the way to Paris, where I took in a glorious performance of the Ballets Russes! Imagine - Diaghilev himself, his visionary talent taking the stage!
Oh, but it’s so much more than the choreography and the dance that fascinates me! Have you ever taken a really good look at the costumes in a Ballet Russes production? Simply exquisite! I swear, the detail is mind-boggling, with every feather, bead, and even the tiniest of sequins placed perfectly. My, my, that detail. Those incredible designers truly make me wish I could sew!
And you know what else gets my inner-historian swirling? Those glorious tutus. Not the perfectly pouffed romantic tutus you’ll see in later years. These are a little bit shorter, a bit more streamlined - a dance-forward, less bulky affair - if you will! (The word haute couture barely describes these dazzlingly beautiful masterpieces! Goodness! The colours, the fabrics! Absolutely thrilling.)
This brings me to this week's topic! Oh, darling! What a fascinating date it is, dear readers, in our #TutuTuesday timeline. Today, June the 5th, 1923, is a date that would have sparked my great-grandmother's inner-dancer - as she'd no doubt been thrilled to hear news about this ballet: "The Three-Cornered Hat." Now, you all know how much I adore Spain! And the ballet version? Pure visual delight. If you've ever gotten the opportunity to watch the Three-Cornered Hat, oh darling! You know what I'm talking about - The incredible staging, the story, the choreography, and most importantly those gorgeous costumes.
Oh! I bet I'm being totally cryptic! Let me take you through the timeline:
It's 1923. It's June. And in Paris! It's opening night for “Le Tricorne,” otherwise known to us Anglophiles as The Three-Cornered Hat! A ballet based on a Spanish comedy by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón - choreographed, darling, by none other than the divine Leónide Massine - it had music by that ever so popular composer of the time, Manuel de Falla, *the entire performance, utterly charming, with the entire production set in a beautiful Spanish countryside and *those incredible gorgeous costumes by the genius of Pablo Picasso. And those tutus? (Take it from me) utterly divine!
The History: (Just in case you need more background than this!)
It had it all, this production - it was so very, very very popular back then that even I, my darling! A 20th century traveller from 1923 - got a chance to see The Three-Cornered Hat myself - you know how I adore ballet! So, let me tell you all about it.
The Ballets Russes had an enormous influence on the evolution of tutus, even back in 1923! Remember the long, puffy romantic tutus I was mentioning earlier? It was like the Russians (and by Russian, I mean, those fantastic talented dancers!) set out to totally reinvent the shape, totally revamp and restructure them!
Think of tutus in the era, those that have stood the test of time... oh darling, they were changing and those changes weren't just a bit of a fancy detail - they had huge implications for dance - they were made to help with a dancer’s agility and speed - imagine twirling to the full of your ability! It was an absolute movement revolution for the dancers, darling! It made for those more danceable costumes that are the tutus of today! (I love my romantic tutus, though!) Oh dear, the memories... I may have accidentally tripped in one back when I first came across one in a London vintage boutique in the late 2000's - I still have nightmares about falling into the aisle in the middle of a dress boutique... Oh darling, that’s what happened, let me tell you - and the way the sales assistant gave me a stare down....Oh my... 😱)
Let's get back to the time, 1923 - the year that “The Three-Cornered Hat" really took hold! Imagine those vibrant reds, yellows, and greens – those fantastic colours in a costume for a show set in Spain? It was practically made for it! (And oh! Remember what we were talking about earlier with my Parisian weekend... think, “La Dame aux Camélias” (The Lady of the Camellias - now I totally feel my 21st century being bleeding into my 20th century!) This totally reminded me of a dress that absolutely has to be mentioned in a “ballet tutu history blog!” Remember the absolutely beautiful pink one that everybody loved, and those incredible feather trimmings?!
You may also be thinking what a perfect date to *re-think my own, lovely personal style, (oh I adore re-thinking my style... darling!) The Ballets Russes costumes are full of such fabulous design inspiration. It's almost like a new, utterly perfect dance style. And think of it - not only are those costumes, but there are so many other interesting style notes that popped out. Even in the 20th century! Oh dear... there I go... losing track of time again. What a delightful combination - there is something just perfect for every single dancing outfit out there. What's not to adore about the ballet's creativity? The detail. It's always the detail that just takes me away - (as you're well aware by now)! It's what makes that special connection with time through dance - even with those, very particular 20th century designs! It truly adds a layer of “something more” - which we know can only be ballet.
In honour of our little time warp through "The Three-Cornered Hat" today. If you're up for the adventure: Let's all indulge this coming weekend! What could be a better celebration of June than doing a little research into ballet history yourself! *Think of the incredible tutus you may stumble upon and maybe, even just maybe... a fantastic historical inspiration for a new, truly creative *personal style! Oh darling, a wonderful journey for all!
Now, I have got to go, because a day full of Parisian delights await... you know how it is - time flies so fast, and a certain vintage shop in the 8th has just the most incredible 1920s gowns!
Until next week, darlings! 🩰
Emma x
P.S: Don't forget to come back every Tuesday for our new weekly blog - because with my fabulous #TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History blog I will be back with more about fashion, more about ballet history and of course those fantastic tutus! 💕
