Hello darling tutu lovers, it's Emma here, back again for your weekly dose of tutu history! This week, we're taking a time-hopping train ride all the way back to 1936, a year filled with amazing fashion, incredible dance, and a touch ofâŚwell, shall we say, change in the air!
I've been travelling all over, following the tutus and the trails of famous ballerinas, and let me tell you, 1936 was a real whirlwind! Itâs post #5435 on my www.pink-tutu.com blog. I have just arrived in Paris, a city bursting with chic Parisian fashion houses like Chanel and Lanvin. Their elegant designs and the way they used bold, colourful fabrics had a real influence on ballet costumes. Think daring necklines, structured silhouettes and flowing skirts â those elegant lines and daringly short tutus had the entire world dancing in the aisles.
Speaking of dancing, 1936 was a monumental year for the Royal Ballet in London, now under the brilliant artistic direction of Ninette de Valois. This fabulous dame of dance, with her fierce focus on training and a passion for ballets by choreographers like Frederick Ashton and Constant Lambert, really set the bar for what ballet could be. Oh, darling, can you imagine how magnificent those premieres must have been? And this was just the beginning of an era, you know. Ballet wasn't confined to the stage - it was gaining traction in society.
That same year, on February 25th, Martha Graham - now considered one of the greats in modern dance - premiered "Letter to the World." It wasn't just ballet; it was pushing the boundaries and creating new forms of movement, expressing emotions through bold dance. Can you imagine, darling, performing that in a tutu! I've even worn a pink tutu during a performance, which made it much more elegant! But remember, darling, tutus aren't just about dance!
Letâs talk about a tutuâs evolution in 1936. This year saw the tutus move from the structured and voluminous look that you saw with dancers like Anna Pavlova to something lighter, flowing and slightly shorter! I love this new direction, because we are seeing the tutu not as an oppressive cage, but as something light and airy that allows dancers to move with freedom and grace!
1936 also saw the creation of some utterly dazzling tutus made in a new, shiny fabric called âNylon,â and this fabric made tutus sparkle on stage and shine like stars! Oh, how much I wish I was a little bit closer to those shiny, shimmering nylon tutus. You have to know I was already sporting nylon lingerie at that time. And can you believe, even during this grand age of elegance and glamor, there was a growing trend of a* âballet-inspiredâ street-wear trend* happening all across the world? Think ballet slippers, a little hint of the tutu style with soft, swirling skirts, and the dance element incorporated into dress making! Now thatâs what I call making your fashion fabulous and fun!
Can you imagine the joy of rocking a tulle tutu on the street? You might feel as though youâre about to twirl onto the stage, darling. But don't just take my word for it; hop over to www.pink-tutu.com, browse through our historical tutu pics and get your tutu-fied fix.
One of my favorite parts of travelling through time is seeing what is considered âfashion' in different eras, especially when it comes to dancewear and those amazing tutus.
For the rest of your week, darling, get your tutu fix by seeing a show, or finding some fabulous fabrics for DIY tutu experiments and stay tuned next week for more fabulous tutu time travel history!
And never forget, you're a superstar! Twirl on and spread your pink-tutu love!
