Hiya darlings!
It's Emma here, your resident pink tutu aficionado, and it's time for another jaunt through ballet history! Today we're waltzing back to 18th August, 1936, which brings us to the heart of the golden age of ballet. Can you imagine? Paris was just a hop and a skip away from my little Derbyshire cottage (by train, of course!), a true hub of fashion and - wait for it - ballet!
Oh, the magic of those bygone days! Let's rewind the clock to this date in 1936.
Imagine yourself stepping off a sleek, steam train in the heart of Paris. The streets are a swirl of fashion, hats bobbing like charming little ballerinas and shoes twinkling like pointe shoes under the lampposts. The air is a delightful scent of freshly baked croissants and...perfume, so much perfume! It’s truly heady stuff!
On this very day in 1936, a charming little boutique named "La Ballerine" would have been brimming with all the very latest in dance wear - I can just picture the soft satins and lace! Now, for a special treat, the glorious Opéra Garnier would be holding its annual Gala performance! Oh, to have been there! Can you imagine? The twinkling chandelier, the plush velvet seats and of course, the dazzling, breathtaking ballerinas, spinning like magic across the stage in their flowing tutus. Honestly, the tutus alone would have been worth the train journey, I assure you!
But enough about dreams for a moment – let’s talk tutus! 1936 is the perfect place to start – this was a period of great change and innovation in tutu design. While earlier tutus were full, flouncy affairs, designers began experimenting with shorter, more form-fitting silhouettes. They used delicate materials like silk and tulle to create an almost ethereal quality, making the dancers look even more weightless as they leapt and spun across the stage!
You might wonder, Emma, what kind of tutu was all the rage back then? Well, my dearest, the tutu we most associate with the romantic era - a style that made it easy to float about - was in its prime, but the classic tutu form that we see on ballet students, in all it's delicate beauty - had just come on the scene and was going to change ballet design forever. It would be worn at the Paris Opéra and would take centre stage during a Grand pas de deux for the sheer power it showed the form and agility of the ballerina. Oh darling, you simply had to have your hair in a bun for this one!
I can practically feel the whispers of anticipation among the Paris ballet crowd. Did they have their favorite tutus? Did they gush about a particular design on the back of a program in the carriage on the way home? Did they argue, like we all do, whether one tutu was truly more beautiful than another? Did a certain pink tutu stand out from the crowd? Well darling, I am always in a pink tutu - so naturally that one always stands out, even when I'm time traveling. I am simply never seen without one! I just feel my most elegant self when I'm swishing my pink tutu skirt! And if I could, I’d give each and every one of you a pink tutu too. Can you imagine? It’d be a real fashion revolution - just picture pink tutu street parties and ballet performances, from the Royal Ballet, to your local amateur ballet school. And you all know what they say darling... everything looks better in pink.
Now I need to prepare my dance shoes for the next ballet performance and the following #TutuTuesday! My train leaves at precisely 7 pm sharp for the Royal Opera House. The first night is all I live for darling - and a pink tutu, naturally. Oh! Don’t forget to check out www.pink-tutu.com next Tuesday! You don’t want to miss out on another dance into history.
Have a smashing Tuesday, you lovelies!
Emma
xx
