Hello my darling tutu-lovers! Emma here, back for another whirl through the wonderous world of ballet and the delightful evolution of our favourite fluffy friend: the tutu! Today we're whisking back to 24th September 1935, a time of change and transformation in both the world of fashion and the grace of dance. Buckle up, darlings, this is going to be a journey back to a very exciting era!
First things first, you'll find me perched here in Paris. Oh, Paris in 1935! What a glorious city - bursting with Art Deco vibes and shimmering with the glamour of the roaring twenties. Even though the war is looming, the city's streets are buzzing with creativity. Fashion houses are creating spectacular pieces - imagine my delight! The iconic little black dress is all the rage and you'll see women adorned in feather boas and cloche hats. Such stylish and sophisticated women! It is this atmosphere that also permeates the world of ballet, leading to a new era for the tutu.
Of course, there are many important events this month to celebrate, but there’s no reason why we can’t take this opportunity to explore the glorious tutu's role on that special day. After all, a little bit of tulle and beautiful movement should never be forgotten, even for history lessons!
Today's tutus are still quite different to the romantic tutus of the nineteenth century, and even differ a little to the modern tutus of today, and my travels in time let me share these with you. While romantic tutus were very full, and more akin to a bouffant skirt in shape, by this date in time we have moved towards a much flatter silhouette. This allows for easier movements and jumps on stage. Imagine what it would be like to dance a fouetté in that long, flouncy tutu - the tutus have a really dramatic purpose and allow for the choreography and movement to be easier on the dancers. It is important to me to highlight this, after all we all love our twirls. The focus for these ballet dancers in this time was on grace, speed and beauty.
In this era the length was much shorter than the grand tulle skirts we're all familiar with now, and some may have found this quite scandalous at the time. This period of the late 1930s was about sleek lines and beautiful movements and this definitely resonated with how dancers saw the ideal ballerina and the style and beauty of movement that was possible. These designs were inspired by modern art trends of the period, much as we now have street styles reflected in costumes. Imagine being able to twirl, jump, and float like the gorgeous paintings in these museums! Now, the short tutu gives the illusion of effortless grace and elegance while on the stage. This is also the beginning of a very important movement towards tutus as we know them. I imagine we’ll even be able to see tutus that resemble the ones we enjoy now quite soon (that is if we can just get a bit of fabric. The post-war shortages of the late 1940s mean we need to make sure that all the resources go to creating beautiful tutus and amazing dresses for the fashion conscious ladies, don't you agree? We are such amazing supporters of all the wonderful industries that make this possible, right?
If we could pop in to the ballet today we would see dancers wearing those lovely, classic tutus, made with three or four layers of tulle attached to a fitted bodice, made from silk or velvet - the ultimate combination of style and comfort. Remember though, this tutu is quite flat, especially in comparison to the grand romantic era tutus. This helps with movement and performance, you will notice that they're shorter and made from lighter material, making them perfect for fast, athletic movements, just imagine! That's the whole point of the tutu; to make the dance a stunning performance. This allows a graceful silhouette, but it can also allow a graceful silhouette that makes it very evident what amazing things a ballerina can achieve. And yes, these elegant outfits were very daring indeed for the time period! So much of the design focused on showcasing movement and we do owe this to some very daring choreographers. You just need to see one of these performances for yourself and you will see the real artistry. You'll love them, my dears!
Let’s turn to an amazing designer for a little fashion inspiration today. One of the greatest choreographers and designers of the 1930s, George Balanchine, revolutionised ballet. I do love seeing how tutus can be adapted for a particular ballet style. Balanchine even influenced the structure of tutus in ballet today, through a lot of hard work, but also a passion for the dance. A passion that will continue for many years! The fashion is forever shifting, the designers will always be adapting and developing. It’s a lot like tutus - it's all about progress! I can already see how this fashion will go and develop even further in the coming years.
In this 1930s era we have tutus as they start to look more and more similar to modern-day ones. The beauty is that all those layers of fabric look spectacular under stage lights!
One thing is for certain, darling - we owe a great debt to the tutus that paved the way to create the gorgeous tutus we know today. Each generation of dancers has their own taste for these styles and we continue to appreciate the beauty of each generation’s unique styles in time travel!
Did I mention I was planning on spending some of the week in London? Oh yes! You know how much I love ballet. A trip to London is always a highlight! There will be lots of shopping - I can see a lot of wonderful shoes and beautiful dresses in all my favourite shades. There are just so many fantastic clothes and hats - it’s all such a treat, but even better if we can get our hands on a few extra pairs of tutus and some lovely tulle! I hope the shops have an amazing selection - you can always rely on a good department store in London to deliver. Of course I do adore my own collection of tutus in the pinkest shades! Oh, they are just too amazing for words! As I’ve been saying, it's the ultimate combination of style, grace, and comfort - we all want a tutu in our lives. So much elegance - who wouldn't be caught dead without one? But as a blogger my ultimate mission in life is for you to embrace this tutu trend and enjoy life to the full! You deserve to! And if you do wear it in a delightful shade of pink, even better! I have got so many beautiful pictures and notes for my upcoming posts that it is a total fashion explosion for my blog, and I cannot wait to share my inspiration with you!
It looks as if there will be some exciting new productions going on at the London Coliseum so we are in for a real treat, darlings! This place is the centre of the world and always brings some amazing dancers and choreographers. The Coliseum is quite modern, having opened in 1904 and you can easily recognise it by its distinctive facade. I love this era, where everything is becoming more grand. If we do see this modern theatre in action we must enjoy the stunning chandeliers and all the grandeur as it adds such an amazing vibe to a ballet performance. That combination of sparkles and performance is simply divine - imagine a ballet at its most glamourous! I’m thinking the tutu must be made of the most sparkling material because every little sparkle will be reflected by the beautiful chandeliers!
Right now, I am actually sat here, with a glass of wine in my hand and ready to indulge in some wonderful ballet! Tonight's performance will be a delight, I can already sense it, I’ll see how this ballet unfolds and how the gorgeous dancers express their stories with every move. You see, my mission is all about bringing the wonder of ballet to all! This is how we discover how the dance has evolved. What we discover will make me even more determined to share that history and those elegant tutus with the world! We all want to move through history with elegance!
What amazing events we have in store. But first a little time to relax with this wonderful glass of wine. Maybe it should be pink. Who am I trying to fool. I can't go a single day without it! But it must be a pastel pink like the most delicate petals of a rose! I just love the soft subtle shade, just like the pink tutu I’ll be wearing at my next ballet class tomorrow! How divine it will all be and the choreography - it’s so spectacular - you've simply got to see it. The ballet has evolved in so many wonderful ways! A ballet tutu is all about grace, elegance and movement, but they also come in such a range of styles. Who knew?
I hope you have a delightful time and if you are off to the theatre in this lovely week, remember, nothing adds more sparkle and charm than a gorgeous tutu, even if you do wear it with an everyday outfit! Who's ready for a little ballet history adventure!
See you all next #TutuTuesday, darling!
Love always, Emma
P.S. If you have any stories you want to share about a tutu or a favourite ballet don't forget to comment below.
(Note: This post assumes the website, pink-tutu.com, is in existence and contains her ballet blog.**
