Hello my darling dance devotees! It's Emma here, your ever-so-slightly-pink-obsessed tutu historian, bringing you another peek into the wonderful world of ballet's most fabulous garment â the tutu! Buckle up buttercups, because this week's trip is going to take us to the shimmering 1950s!
Ah, the 1950s. The era of poodle skirts, saddle shoes, and oh, so much frilly petticoats! But let's not forget the stunning ballet tutus, all swishing and whirling across stages worldwide. Picture it: grand ballerinas gliding through the air in the softest pinks, flowing yellows, and the most decadent reds!
You see, in 1954, ballet was experiencing a sort of glamorous renaissance. There was a renewed emphasis on classical technique and romanticism. Tutus were reflecting that! Gone were the more severe, simple styles that might have graced the stage only a few years prior, replaced with a resurgence of the Romantic Tutu. This graceful, full, and frothy creation â think La Sylphide! They had delicate, almost-invisible layers, each adding a touch of soft, romantic tulle.
For todayâs #TutuTuesday journey, imagine ourselves in Paris, darling! Oh, the city of love, light, and oh-so-many beautiful ballets! We could be stepping out of the Gare du Nord after a luxurious overnight train ride from England (a Derbyshire girl has to be on the platform for a 10:30 train departure, donât you know!). Let's just say I have my eye on that divine floral dress in the window of Printemps (who needs a tutu when youâve got a frothy, polka-dot dream!), then it's off to see âGiselleâ at the Paris Opera Ballet! Now thatâs what I call a fab evening! Oh darling, canât you just picture Margot Fonteyn, the prima ballerina assoluta (the best, I mean, what a word!) in her iconic âGiselleâ Romantic Tutu? So inspiring.
This, darling, is how you can get your dose of tutus in the 1950s â all romance, graceful movements, and a whole lot of glitz and glamour. Itâs almost as good as seeing a show in London with all my amazing ballet girlfriends, though London might need a few more train journeys to get there, dear readers, and I always find those so very tiresome!
What does a tutu look like for a romantic ballerina? A "Giselle"-style tutu usually has an apron of white or light-coloured fabric attached to a fitted bodice (a little like an inverted cone with loads of gathers!). You know Iâm all about details. I must add that in the late 1940s and 1950s, those tiny embellishments were just starting to get in on the action. They might have started off as only a few scattered sequins or pearls, but, honey, this was just the start. Oh my, it all came to life like a magnificent, sparkly dream â we just couldnât get enough!
Speaking of details! For our fashion-focused tutus, let's think about the colour. These designs embraced pastels, pale pinks, powder blues, and buttery yellows â just like the sweetness and innocence of that magical time period! âLa Sylphideâ and âGiselleâ both feature beautiful examples of this! Oh, the softness! Such a lovely contrast to the rigid skirts worn only a generation before! (Imagine a hard, uncomfortable tulle on your little delicate bum...no thanks, dear.)
And how do those ballerina legs look in a full Romantic Tutu? Absolutely stunning! The fabric billowed outwards, swirling and twisting in the most beautiful and feminine ways. The soft, fine tulle moved effortlessly with each delicate flick of the dancerâs feet. (Honestly, that is what really gets my pink tutu-wearing heart jumping!)
Don't think the ballet world is limited to all these ethereal gowns! Of course, darling! You had to have The classic Classical Tutu. A shorter and structured design with a rigid tulle shape that had that amazing sense of statuesque grace. It gave that glorious, athletic feel to ballet â that incredible precision and control that just made me gasp and swoon in the auditorium! This type of tutu has an even shorter length than the Romantic, with layers of stiff, almost horizontal, tulle to create a flared effect. The shape, darling, is almost the size and style of a wedding cake, I can see how that works. I adore a little white dress, after all, even if the fabric isn't exactly soft! It can be seen in many of the "Swan Lake" productions (we might need a full blog post on this beautiful classic, what do you think dear readers?) with those grand âSwan Lakeâ port de bras movements, I do love that lovely, graceful look of arms thatâs all part of that classical look! (You're welcome, by the way. I can write up a whole ballet syllabus guide on this - give me a nod, you'll know I mean business!.)
Itâs just as well those ballet shoes had a soft cushioned padding for these darling ballerina feet as all that twirling and pirouetting doesnât come cheap! It might have seemed like just a stage prop back then, but I knew what it signified â all the beautiful artistry and meticulous craft in its delicate shape, darling. *Isn't it true that every tutus deserves a full standing ovation? We should treat these beauties like the ballerinas themselves - oh, so very delicately! *
*Oh darling, isn't it fantastic to see just how these tutus evolved into the pieces we know and love? Itâs a dance history through gorgeous fabric and design! And, the storyâs still unfolding⌠just as our very own life story continues to grow with new challenges and wonderful new experiences each and every day. It's all quite fascinating! *
*Whatâs more, you know I love fashion! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a train to catch to a performance at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow tonight⌠* I've got my very own fluffy, pink tutu all packed, a couple of new pastel-pink pairs of dance shoes from one of my favourite shops in London - I canât wait for the ballet show, can't wait to buy another frock (maybe from a little independent Moscow shopâŚ!), can't wait for the dancing! You all know I've just got to keep an eye out for that one gorgeous detail (youâre looking for the jewels in the costume, darling - the details, youâve got to find the story in the smallest stitch!). I promise Iâll tell you all about it tomorrow!
See you next week!
Love, Emma (the one in the pink tutu!)
www.pink-tutu.com
