#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 1949-02-15

Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, my darlings!

It's another fabulous #TutuTuesday and I'm so thrilled to be taking you all on another whirl through the enchanting world of ballet and its most iconic garment – the tutu!

Today we're skipping back in time to February 15th, 1949, just after a lovely long train journey (I do adore a good railway carriage). As usual, I'm clad in my favourite pink tutu and feel positively giddy with the prospect of delving into the ballet world of that very date!

(Now, I know what you're thinking: How can I, Emma, possibly be dressed in pink in the depths of February, let alone travelling to the past? Well, my dear, you’re in for a treat! It’s a little secret: I travel in time by performing ballet, imagine! It’s simply magical! Every ballet show I do gives me the magical powers to leap forward and backward in time! Just a touch of fairy dust and a well-placed pirouette, and off I go!)

So, back to February 15th, 1949… The air is crisp, a little colder than today's milder climate (I’m awfully fond of my cashmere wrap!) But it's an era bursting with promise. It's just a year after World War II, a time of immense change and rebuilding, a spirit of optimism buzzing all around, which is what I love about ballet too – it always reminds us to believe in the best of humanity.

Firstly, my fellow fashionistas, let’s talk fashion. Oh, wouldn’t it have been fabulous to have been at The Waldorf Astoria in New York City that day for the showing of the Fall Collections of such incredible names as Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior.

Dior’s New Look was just taking off, with its nipped-in waists and full skirts, and Balmain’s exquisite tailoring was captivating the world with its elegance.

The “look” for 1949? Elegant, refined, and full of sophistication. A perfect backdrop for a dazzling ballet performance, don’t you think?

The ballet world was alive with activity!

In London, the Royal Ballet (then known as the Sadler's Wells Ballet) was enthralling audiences with its masterful performances, including the iconic "Giselle."

If we travelled across the Atlantic to New York, New York City Ballet was kicking up its heels at City Center. Their ”Concerto Barocco" (1940) was receiving rave reviews - and how beautiful those tutus would have looked on stage! Imagine the graceful tulle swirling and dancing as the music fills the theatre. Just picture the spectacle, my loves!

On the Parisian stage, the iconic "Les Sylphides" was stealing the hearts of dance lovers, with its ethereal, diaphanous tutus adding an enchanting air to this iconic masterpiece. And how would we have dressed, my darling, to be there that evening? In pink, of course! My favorite colour to watch against the rich velvet curtains of a ballet theatre.

Now, let’s talk about what makes a ballerina's attire such a treasure - the tutu!

1949, it turns out, was right at the height of the romantic tutu. Now, darling, there's something just so captivating about a tutu. It evokes images of dancing princesses, lightness, and pure, effortless movement, making us all wish we had a magical tutu too!

And the Romantic Tutu had an utterly dreamy history - Imagine tulle, billowing and fluttering in shades of soft pinks and pastels, with its layers making the ballerina seem as if she’s literally floating across the stage. Pure magic, isn’t it?

This is the kind of tutu that inspired so many great ballerinas - a symbol of the graceful and emotive beauty of dance, like the amazing Margot Fonteyn, a true inspiration for any aspiring dancer.

(You’ve got to see Fonteyn dance; it’s like seeing a bird sing in perfect harmony with nature - such exquisite form and poise; you could watch her forever, and you’ll certainly find me there at any ballet with Fonteyn, especially those early years.)

These iconic romantic tutus played a huge role in making ballet popular around the globe, darling! In a world so serious, they offered a much-needed escape - a space where dreams could dance, and stories could unfold. It was like a fairytale for our time, you could practically feel the magic, the charm, and the joy swirling around you like the delicate tiers of those wonderful tutus.

## Looking Back on the Pink-tutu!

So, darling, here I am in my 1949 dream - surrounded by history and stories from a world where fashion was as important as ballet and ballet was as much a part of the cultural fabric as music and art, perhaps even more so! I have always been enchanted by ballet history. You know I love to explore - it’s what gives my work on Pink-Tutu.com so much inspiration, and what better inspiration for a tutu-lover than those early romantic days.

Emma xoxo

(Now, how will I travel back? This beautiful journey through time has flown by, but, ahem, how does one make a sudden trip back to the present after an encounter with historical charm and fashion? The next show will tell all… I need to pick a costume to travel back – perhaps I’ll just try a 1940’s fashion… but, well, a pink tutu makes the world look and feel brighter so… Pink it is.)