Hello my gorgeous tutu-loving lovelies!
It’s Emma here, your pink-tutu-clad time-traveling blogger, bringing you another exciting peek into the world of tutus! This week, we’re stepping back in time to January 9th, 1945, just a few short years after the end of the Second World War. It’s a fascinating time for fashion, as the world was slowly but surely embracing new silhouettes and styles, and for us tutu-enthusiasts, a period when the ballet world was going through its own evolution!
The London stage is buzzing with activity. The iconic Sadler's Wells Ballet, now called The Royal Ballet, has just finished a sensational production of Giselle, featuring the graceful and beautiful Margot Fonteyn in the leading role. She was my absolute idol when I saw her perform in London earlier this year! Imagine - my train ticket was booked using some of my earnings from the Swan Lake performances in Derbyshire - it was quite a trip. Anyway, the Giselle costumes, especially the peasant tutu, a short, loose, almost bohemian-looking version of the classic tutu, would have definitely made you think twice about how much we take tutus for granted today. The peasant tutu was much less structured than the iconic multi-layered romantic tutus, allowing for more movement and expression in the performance. I think, to be fair, I've seen enough versions of Giselle by now, both by The Royal Ballet and others, to tell you this is actually still popular today, but it was something very new in 1945!
Speaking of the romantic tutu, a style that would go on to become so iconic, imagine its origins being just around the corner - in this year! As I was stepping off the train and entering London from Derbyshire, I took a stroll around Covent Garden to browse some of the wonderful clothes shops, and spotted one displaying the newest of designs for the year! As a little fun fact, the tutu you know and love was just coming into being. In the mid-1940s, Russian-born ballerina Olga Spessivtseva, who would become legendary, had just left the New York City Ballet for the very Romantic Don Quixote ballet. In this ballet, a beautiful dress was created which became the forerunner of today's Romantic tutu - light and airy with the short skirt we love to dance and twirl in. Olga loved its lightness, but I believe we all think the tutus used now have a more modern silhouette than they had even in the 50s. What would you choose to wear for dancing? What if you could have a 'peasant' or 'romantic' tutu - you see what we are talking about here - choice can be very tough, and they did this sort of thing in the 40s - I wonder if this has anything to do with why this year feels like a new, exciting beginning!
Moving onto what’s hot in fashion: on January 9th 1945, the ladies were rocking styles that reflected the mood of the times - stylish practicality, comfort and, of course, femininity! Think simple, flowing dresses and blouses that used minimal fabric, highlighting the curves of the body. The new fabrics in the 1940s and 50s - nylon, which was mostly used for parachutes in the war, rayon and viscose - started to revolutionize women's fashion. Imagine being one of the first people to wear a dress made from nylon in 1940. It was light and looked incredibly sophisticated on women. In London I picked up some silk blouses to give to my family, who would be very lucky to be able to find any silk fabrics at all this early after the war, but nylon was actually available in a lot of the fashion boutiques in Covent Garden. If you haven’t yet seen one of my posts about how to make a simple 'nylon' skirt with an added, luxurious and decadent pink satin lining (and of course, an oversized tulle skirt underneath), you'll just have to look for my posts about vintage styles from this era - but to be honest I'm trying to get people to ditch the 'silk' skirt for the 'tutu' skirt - you know you can't resist...
Even though there were some very specific trends in fashion and dance that reflected the 1940s and 50s, one thing that will never change is the elegance and grace that we associate with the ballerina! It’s truly inspirational, no matter what time you travel through!
Of course, I had to indulge my own fashion fantasies. Whilst wandering Covent Garden, I popped into a dressmaker and spotted some gorgeous tulle - think the most delicate and dreamy cloud you’ve ever seen! As soon as my fingers brushed that ethereal fabric, I knew what had to be done. I bought a whole heap of the most amazing soft pink tulle I had ever felt, with plans to make my next ballet tutu. Can you imagine? It'll be a vintage style, but with an ultra-modern flair. The pink-tutu-clad, time-traveling blogger has to keep up with the times, after all. If you're going to go on a ballet time machine adventure, I say you have to embrace the tutu of your dreams and embrace some pink as well, because pink was as big back in 1945 as it is now. It is in fact more popular today than back then, though I believe that's going to change very, very soon, as a whole wave of pink is about to engulf us all and there is nothing to stop this incredible, fabulous phenomenon - I see this coming!
But back to my tutu. It’ll be just the thing for my next trip, perhaps back to 19th-century London! There’s so much history waiting to be explored. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll see some stunningly designed tutus from the Ballet Russes days. A tutu that's almost entirely hand sewn? Imagine that!
For now, it’s time for me to step back to the present and continue to embrace all things tutus! Don’t forget, lovelies, I’d love to hear from you about all your favourite tutu stories. Send me a note on my website, or you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok - #pinktutu on each!
Happy tutu-ing everyone and don't forget - a little pink tutu goes a long way!
Lots of love,
Emma, Your Tutu Loving Time-Traveling Blogger
[A photo of a pink tutu]
