Hello darlings! It's your favourite tutu-loving blogger Emma here, back for another whirlwind journey through the history of our beloved ballet tutu! This week, I've time-travelled all the way back to the roaring 20s, landing right in the heart of Paris, the very city that has forever held a special place in our hearts for all things fashion and dance. I just had to slip into this gorgeous pink tutu, a masterpiece of lace and silk, perfectly complementing the Parisian skyline.
It's 1923, and the world is changing, dancing a tango with modernism and embracing the vibrant energy of the new age. Fashion is no longer about stuffy corsets and heavy skirts; it's about streamlined silhouettes and liberating freedom. And guess what? The tutu is right at the forefront of this revolution!
But let's rewind a bit, shall we? The history of the tutu, much like the history of fashion itself, is a tapestry woven with threads of innovation, practicality, and artistic vision. As I hopped off the train from London (did you know you can still travel on steam trains in some parts of the UK?! So magical!), I couldn't resist popping into a beautiful bookshop just off the Champs-Élysées. My eye was drawn to a beautifully illustrated book by the famous Diaghilev, who just about 20 years prior was busy pushing the boundaries of ballet with the groundbreaking Ballets Russes. It was a glorious moment of discovery. His Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring), was the talk of the town back in 1913, for its provocative music and costumes. Can you believe, he asked the legendary Coco Chanel herself to design the costumes, which incorporated revolutionary layered tunics and, yes, you guessed it - a new type of skirt inspired by the loose shapes of the early Renaissance, the short tunic!
But wait, this is where things get exciting. Did you know, Coco Chanel wasn't the only one championing these revolutionary looks? Just across the river Seine, another groundbreaking choreographer, Bronislava Nijinska, sister of the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky, was also revolutionising the way women danced and dressed.
For the Les Noces (The Wedding) ballet she worked on in 1923, she didn't settle for the traditional Romantic tutu that still defined the stage at this time. Instead, Nijinska introduced a radical, modern design, that was more like a skirt rather than a full-fledged tutu, making the ballet skirt an essential part of the female dancer's costume repertoire.
Just as we have new fashion seasons, these changes ushered in a new season of tutus that emphasized form, freedom, and individuality. Imagine all those iconic dresses with their fringed skirts, daring necklines and dramatic slashes? Well, the tutu took inspiration from the flapper dress with its geometric lines, and bold and vibrant colours - oh, and you better believe it had plenty of frills! I couldn't help but do a pirouette in a dazzling scarlet tutu just like those worn by the iconic Les Noces dancers!
Just stepping outside, it felt as though I was entering the ballet's world as I saw a sleek roadster (it looked so much like the vintage Rolls Royce cars you see in all the old Hollywood films!), driven by a smartly-dressed man and a lady in an adorable knee-length skirt racing past. And just like that, I had a vision - what if every ballet performance became an elaborate fashion show? A runway of dance! With the most elegant tutus sweeping over the stage! Now that's an idea!
But it's not all about the Parisian dance scene. Even though this was a glorious afternoon, you know how much I love travelling by train! A quick glance at a local newspaper while enjoying my afternoon tea with my favourite, fresh rose scones (delicious!), shows there was so much else happening this day 100 years ago! For instance, I discovered that today's date, September 18th 1923, saw a huge debate taking place in the British House of Parliament about... fashion!* Can you imagine?! Apparently, some people were worried that all these modern trends - flapper dresses and all, would create some sort of fashion apocalypse! Talk about dramatic. The MPs couldn't get their heads around what if we wore short dresses and wore our hair short too?!
Oh, my dears, sometimes I just want to grab them by the hand, whisk them back to 2023 and introduce them to my favourite shops on Oxford Street. Imagine their shock and delight at seeing the amazing designs at Selfridges and all those brilliant shops! What a fantastic trip this is turning out to be. It's full of fashion history and so many wonderful stories about women, their struggles and their victories, reflected in the dance and in the way they dress.
For now, my dears, I need to head to the Opera Garnier - you know how much I love that magnificent theatre! My dear friends have some super secret tickets for an exclusive performance. Just imagine, it might be a preview of something amazing and new - just like in 1923. A completely new world, full of imagination and fashion. Maybe it will be something spectacular and beautiful that will inspire all of us to wear tutus, even when we’re just strolling through the park!
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Until next week, darlings! Don't forget, pink tutus are not just for dancers – they're for everyone!
Your darling friend, Emma, Pink Tutu Blogger Extraordinaire.
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