#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1929-05-21

Hello my lovelies! It's Emma here, your tutu-loving, time-travelling ballerina blogger, back for another trip through the whimsical world of tutus! This week we're travelling back to the 21st of May 1929, a day that holds a very special place in my tutu-loving heart! I mean, just imagine, it's a gorgeous day in Paris, sunshine is pouring down, the Seine is shimmering, and I’m waltzing down the Champs-Élysées with a bunch of fellow ballet dancers, all wearing the most exquisite, delicate tutus! And let me tell you, these weren't just any tutus, my dears! They were the iconic ones we're all familiar with now, with layers and layers of tulle that seem to float on air!

But let’s back up a bit, darlings, and rewind our time machine to understand how those gorgeous tutus came to be. As you know, the tutu is a pretty recent invention. Just a little over a century ago, our dancers were waltzing around in very cumbersome, heavy, long skirts, completely unsuitable for the beautiful movements we now take for granted. But thankfully, a brilliant mind had an even more brilliant idea: the short tutu! This ground-breaking shift, sparked by the innovative choreographer, Marius Petipa, who designed it for the first performance of La Bayadère, made it possible for our ballerinas to twirl and pirouette freely, showing off their graceful leaps and stunning footwork! And the effect was magnificent! Can you imagine, ladies, no more tripping on our skirts, no more clunky footwear!

I absolutely adored seeing this new look in action on the stage at the Opéra Garnier in Paris that day, with all those glamorous ballerinas looking ethereal, their soft, billowing tutus taking flight as they danced with exquisite beauty. They literally had the whole world mesmerised with their elegance!

This wasn’t the first time I was whisked back to the early 20th century, darling. You might recall, in my previous post #5081, we discussed the birth of modern ballet – Diaghilev’s “Ballets Russes”! You've probably seen these legendary shows in some beautifully restored black-and-white films, perhaps even with a vintage touch like the shimmering black sequined leotards under a layered skirt, or that delightful pale pink tulle, the early predecessor of our modern day tutu! Now that we know a bit about its history, you might also start to appreciate why the ballet tutu still fascinates us, a hundred years later!

But back to the 21st of May, 1929 – not only was it an exceptional day for ballet, but it also saw some phenomenal fashion developments in the wider world too! Did you know that that was the year when Paris saw the unveiling of Elsa Schiaparelli’s astounding “Skeleton Dress” designed with the renowned surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, or that the trend for daringly short skirts was all the rage that season?

And the highlight of the day, ladies, was undoubtedly the dazzling array of shimmering and colorful Parisian fashion on display! After catching my favourite performance of Swan Lake, I indulged myself in a bit of shopping at La Samaritaine! It was absolutely packed with fashionistas, ladies like myself with a real passion for colour and style! Now imagine a whirlwind of rich fabrics and textures – silks, satins, dainty little gloves, hats and the most adorable shoes in all the colours you can possibly think of! That day in Paris was an absolute symphony of style, dear!

But there’s a small part of me that always wished the entire fashion world embraced tutus like we did at the Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris, and let’s be honest, a little bit of colour, particularly the gorgeous colour of a pink tutu, wouldn't go amiss on every occasion! Don't you think, darling? You know what? Maybe, just maybe, if we put our heads together and continue to make a noise about tutus and their importance in history and their charm in fashion, we just might make it happen. You might just start to see ladies twirling on a daily basis! Now, who wouldn’t love to see that?!

So let's all keep twirling, keep spreading the love for tutus, and who knows, perhaps, it will inspire even the most cautious dressers to step out of their comfort zones, and dare to twirl into the beautiful world of ballet, maybe even with a dash of pink! After all, I truly believe that every girl has a bit of a ballerina in her heart, it just takes a little bit of courage and the right tutu to unleash it! Until next time, darling!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I’ve got a train to catch – back to my own era!

Don’t forget to head to the comment section below, I'd love to hear what your favourite ballet looks are! Have a twirl-tastic day, and keep dancing, dear!

Lots of love,

Emma xo

P.S. Have you been to a ballet performance recently? Do share your experience with us. If not, why not pop into a class, I’m sure you’ll love it!