Hello my darling dears! It's Emma here, and welcome to another scintillating edition of #TutuTuesday - your weekly dose of all things tutus, history and everything in between! đŠ°â¨ This week, weâre whisking ourselves back in time to 22nd July 1941. Buckle up, because today, my loves, weâre taking a peek into a period of real, true, sartorial innovation.
Now, 1941. Itâs a time etched in our history for so many reasons, not all of them sparkly. World War II cast a long, heavy shadow across the globe. But here in the realm of tutus, a quiet revolution was happening, an evolution of form and fabric that's still felt today!
Today's blog takes me back to New York City, the throbbing heart of American culture, buzzing with excitement, a symphony of sound, scent and âŚwell, you've probably gathered Iâm going to focus on the last one. Fashion. Even amid wartime rationing and austerity, my lovelies, the spirit of the beautiful persisted. And we're going to talk about just that today.
It was a different time back then. You see, after decades of the more-is-more, âgrand dameâ styles of ballerinas like Anna Pavlova (donât even get me started on her stunning costumes, I swear they must have weighed a ton!), a change was in the air.
A Shift Towards Modernity
Iâm not going to say, my dears, that the war directly brought this new approach into being â fashion, as we all know, has a life of its own, and even when it reflects the times, it doesnât copy them precisely.
But this era in history did push the envelope. A push toward streamlined shapes, a less is more philosophy, thatâs echoed right down through to modern ballet! And tutus became, well, more practical and streamlined. Imagine that!
Fabric Frenzy!
Before the war, the typical ballerina costume was quite something. A dense pile of layers of tulle â often several metres â a veritable ocean of gossamer loveliness. They were, itâs true, glorious! Imagine waltzing around in an almost billowing cloud of sheer silk â it makes my heart sing just thinking about it!
The problem? Not everyone could carry that off, my dears! It took strength and skill. And then wartime rationing came along, making all those yards and yards of delicate, flowing fabric impossible to get! What did the ballerinas do?
The Power of Ingenuity
What did they do? They were inventive! Instead of the elaborate âfluffy cloudâ of a traditional tutu, ballerinas started opting for more simplified, less bulky designs â like the now-iconic âskirt tutuâ, or what is called the âclassicâ tutu today.
And they even incorporated nylon! It was a revelation! Strong, but light as a feather â think of the freedom that allowed the dancers! They were still billowing with joy, they were justâŚwell, let's call them âsensible clouds.â
The Modern Tutu Emerges
As I see it, that shift toward lighter, leaner, stronger styles was crucial for the evolution of ballet. And Iâm talking not just onstage but on the streets, my darling dears. Itâs one of the main reasons why tutus today are so utterly adaptable.
This kind of transformation is why we have so many variations now: from the ultra-dramatic romantic tulle of the âprincess tutuâ style (which is actually more common to late Victorian periods) to the clean, graphic elegance of the âmodern tutuâ which often feels like fabric sculptures, so streamlined, simple, almost starkly minimalist â and of course, our favourite, the âpastel tutu.â I'm dreaming of having one that's entirely pink to be worn in public â the ultimate #TutuTuesday statement, and I think the fashion of the 40s is to thank!
1941 & The Dance Scene:
Letâs shift the focus now from the fashion to the actual ballet of this period! Because, while fashion may influence, it's what the ballerinas do with it that truly counts!
Well, my lovely readers, there are so many incredible ballerinas that came to the fore in 1941 â too many to name here, but if you ever see me in New York, ask me to chat over a glass of lemonade about it. And there are two particularly interesting events going on in New York.
A Performance at the Met!
First, on 22nd July, Swan Lake was playing at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. It was, youâve guessed it, the New York City Ballet that performed it â the crème de la crème of the US Ballet scene. Just thinking about the history here brings a shiver to my bones. And what fashion â do they not look absolutely magnificent?!
More Dancing - On The Silver Screen!
Now, my dear readers, this is one to note! Because this was the beginning of a golden era â not for dance on stage but in movies. A little film, titled Birth of the Blues, a true dance drama! The beautiful and wonderfully-named Dorothy Dandridge featured a memorable danse â oh the talent of those years!
Pink Tutu Time!
I'm ending this post by taking a small trip through time! So, you've been listening to the incredible ballet history of this date and let me paint a beautiful picture for you. It is July 22nd, 1941, the Metropolitan Opera is aglow with the lights, the music swells. There is an electricity in the air, you can hear it â in the hush of the audience, in the music itself!
You are, as if by magic, swept up into this incredible moment of art and creativity, a wave of elegance washing over you... but this time... you are there wearing a gorgeous, frothy, flowing pink tutu.
Imagine the elegance!
A dream come true, the height of chic, and not even the Second World War could spoil that!
Thatâs all for today my dears! But as always, I must say, get your pink tutus on, make some memories, take loads of pictures (if itâs a fancy event, donât be afraid to tag your Instagram pictures #TutuTuesday! â just tag it, donât actually tag me as you are totally not supposed to tag historical figuresâŚ)
Until next week, my darlings, and remember: life, as a pink tutu lover, is a ballet to be danced with a twirl of joyous confidence,
Love always,
Emma đŠ°đ đ
www.pink-tutu.com
(ps. It's going to be very important to remember that travelling back in time is quite the perilous experience - not only that, you may be able to see all the events happen, but the act of "being there" itself might disrupt your own timeline. For your own safety and that of the fabric of space-time, I suggest you never attempt to interact with historical events).
