Hiya darlings! It’s your favourite pink-tutu clad time-travelling ballerina, Emma, back with another instalment of Ballet Tutu History. This week, we’re venturing back to the glorious year 1943, a year of hope and glamour in a world overshadowed by conflict. I’m feeling a touch of patriotic pink today, a blush to match the wartime spirit of the people!
As we all know, tutus have been gracing the stage since the dawn of classical ballet. Back in the early days, the iconic tutu wasn't always quite so, well, tutu! Back in the day, it was basically just a short, rather unflattering, tunic – not exactly the epitome of feminine grace and style, eh?
But hold onto your tiaras, dear readers, because today we’re going to talk about a game-changer – a move that solidified the tutu’s status as an absolute icon: the invention of the Romantic tutu! The invention of this gloriously airy tutu was a moment of true fashion revolution, and it really set the scene for the tutus we love today.
It was a Parisian dancer, Marie Taglioni, who sparked this fashion frenzy in the 1830s with her iconic dance, "La Sylphide." It’s almost like you can imagine the world gasps at the first glimpse of this impossibly airy and ethereal creature with flowing white chiffon floating across the stage! I mean, it just looks amazing – you just want to swish and twirl too. Marie wore this kind of tutu with layers of tulle – so much tulle – making it look as light as a feather, which was just so beautifully perfect for expressing the mystical, romantic nature of the choreography.
The Romantic tutu completely revolutionized the design of ballet costumes, moving away from the earlier, practical, yet, dare I say, a bit boring, styles. The Romantic tutu took ballet fashion to a whole new level – it wasn’t just about concealing the body, it was all about highlighting its natural beauty, flow, and movement. Just a masterpiece of elegant design, and of course, it gave us those oh-so-gorgeous swirls, that just float with such enchanting beauty.
So let’s hop on over to 1943 – and trust me, darling, things are still oh-so-chic! We’ve come a long way from those early, less-than-elegant ballet skirts, haven’t we? The romantic tutus continued to influence the world of dance through the decades, eventually inspiring even more glamorous designs and fabrics. But let's face it, the Romantic tutu's grace and elegance is absolutely unrivaled. And it all started with a revolutionary, light and ethereal dancer named Marie Taglioni, and of course, a little white tulle.
Now, the reason I am travelling to the past is to collect all the tutus I can to get some ideas for my shop in the Derbyshire village of Bakewell! It is my plan to fill every window in Bakewell with tutus. It’s my aim to get everyone, no, every body – a body which I am always striving to dress, by the way - wearing a tutu! We’ve already got a grand display going in the village centre which I hope to soon expand to every corner of the UK and the world! ( I really do need to update this site on all the new plans that are forming but as usual there isn’t enough time!).
On 6th April 1943 the US submarine S-42 sunk in the East China Sea. I imagine it would have been a pretty devastating time. However, as I write, here in London, I’ve been watching some fabulous ballet dancers from the Royal Opera House and it really just does make you believe in something a little magical! There is so much to marvel at and you would never be able to guess that wartime London just doesn’t seem that far away. Perhaps I should put this date into the date planner to revisit. I’m always fascinated by this wartime period in history - they did some very fashionable hairstyles, which is an area which always interests me. Just thinking, a 1940s ‘do’ with a tutu…it's the new look for next season! ( You have got to be fast with these ideas!) Maybe this would be the perfect look to match some of those post-war styles that are just so wonderfully simple - such a contrast to all those flamboyant pre-war dresses which were quite impractical. But the great thing about all these times, right, is how great everyone dressed! It’s something that really makes us believe!
Anyway, I’d love to hear all about your tutu adventures! Remember darlings, it's all about finding the perfect pink tutu for you – a tutu for all seasons, occasions and events – whether it be an elegant dance event, a street ballet performance, a fabulous shopping trip (oh! I so love London shopping, my dear) - even an everyday tutu (why not!) – a tutu for you! Don’t forget to join me next week as we continue on our grand tour of tutus – stay fabulous, stay sassy and most importantly, keep twirling!
Love,
Emma, the pink tutu aficionado!
xxx
