Hello lovelies! Welcome back to my little corner of the internet, where all things tutu are celebrated! Today, we're going to travel back in time to the wonderful world of ballet in 1959, a year when the stage was ablaze with the sparkle of tutus!
As a fellow time-travelling ballet aficionado, you know how much I love those shimmering skirts, and finding out about their history makes my heart flutter! Today's #TutuTuesday post is dedicated to exploring the exciting evolution of the tutu around this time, when some truly iconic designs emerged!
Now, I donât know about you lovelies, but nothing gets my engine revving like a beautifully made, perfectly fitted tutu! And 1959 was certainly a year that made a tutu lover like me weak at the knees. The ballet world was ablaze with glamour and graceful movement, and the tutus of the time reflected the exquisite elegance of the era.
Letâs dive in to some of the fabulous tutu trends I witnessed as I hopped off the Orient Express (one of the few train services at the time that was nearly as glamorous as a pink tutu, to be honest) in Paris.
Parisian Elegance - Tutus in Bloom!
Paris! Where else could I start, you ask? I mean, the Eiffel Tower wasnât just beautiful but the perfect frame for the most fantastic shows! Honestly, it's just like you step out of a storybook. The air itself hums with artistry and style! The theatres were just bursting with excitement and beauty. You can truly feel the electric buzz in the atmosphere!
Just thinking about it makes my pink tutu all the more sparkly. It was here in Paris where I caught the most incredible performance, which truly put the tutu on display in a spectacular way. The Paris Opera Ballet (then the Ballet of the Opera) was presenting the masterpiece, âLa Bayadèreâ, with the dazzling ĂŠtoile (prima ballerina) being none other than the iconic Margot Fonteyn!
Oh darling! If you ever want to talk tutu perfection, talk to me about that show! Fonteyn moved like a dream; every leap, every pirouette, simply unforgettable. And of course, the tutus, the absolutely glorious tutus. They werenât just costumes, they were extensions of the dancers' bodies! The exquisite detail, the flowing tulle - everything about them was simply stunning. And you know what I love about the Paris Opera, their colour choices for tutus. That subtle pastel blue is always perfect.
And you know, the iconic tutus of "La Bayadère" werenât all we had to feast our eyes on. "Giselle", a perennial favourite, had also just recently come to Paris (originally premiered in 1841 but given a gorgeous staging with dazzling costumes), with ballerinas making that most magical leap and bound across the stage.
The ballerina's grace made me want to grab my pointe shoes and twirl myself right into the centre stage.
A Tutu Explosion: From the Stage to the Screen
But the magic wasn't just limited to the stage, oh no! In 1959, ballet was taking over the silver screen! Did you all see âThe Red Shoesâ? Gasps. What a breathtaking spectacle of movement, drama, and â of course â a gloriously romantic portrayal of the tutus that danced a love story of their own! Oh, how I loved the romantic ballet scene, you know, the "Serenade for the Strings" moment! A complete and utter tutu dream.
Of course, what ballet would be complete without the perfect music? For a girl with an artistic heart like mine, listening to the perfect score is always a necessity. Thereâs nothing quite like listening to the delicate symphony, with the sounds of strings, horns, and piano weaving a tapestry of musical wonder to complement the ballerinaâs captivating movement and stunning outfits! It simply heightens the magical experience for a tutu lover like me.
On Tutu Trends:
The most iconic trend, of course, were the multi-layered tulle skirts that were just absolutely breathtaking on the stage. The sheer, weightless flow of them. Oh, the perfection! I remember my aunt going out to buy material to make a DIY version when "The Red Shoes" came out. All my classmates wanted to try out those swirling and ethereal movements. There was a kind of magic in those movements. We'd run around, making the tutus swish and flow, the only sound our giggles!
Let's Talk Colour!
While pink tutus always steal my heart, darling, I'll be honest, the ballet of 1959 loved all the shades of romantic pink. And by all I do mean all, from blushing pale to those rich berry tones! In fact, every ballerina at this time seemed to own a romantic pink tutu. Just imagine! The most exquisite pastel palettes. Simply gorgeous! I must confess to going through my pink wardrobe before writing this, but itâs quite the temptation to be back there for another night of starlit ballet with such romantic tutu looks.
But honestly, my tutu fashionista heart also danced with the graceful movement of ballet dancers in those exquisite shades of lilac and delicate mauve! Such a breathtaking combination of hues - soft and elegant with a delicate whisper of something beautiful and grand. They even managed to have gorgeous tutu looks for darker hues, such as the dark romantic, luxurious midnight blue, perfect for âGiselleâ when she was expressing the dramatic grief in that choreography.
And don't even get me started on the little sequins, darlings! I found my aunt's stash of these gems (the best find ever). I am totally putting them to good use this tutu season, of course, itâs practically a crime not to embrace the sparkles!
I'll be back next week with another post on the wonderful world of the tutu, but in the meantime, why not get your creative juices flowing by making a tutu masterpiece with those sequins! You might be the next Margot Fonteyn. But keep it a secret from me darling, I have a little competitive side.
Donât forget to visit my website www.pink-tutu.com, find me on Instagram @EmmaThePinkTutu. I love reading your comments about tutu trends and what ballet performances you are going to see. Until next time, darlings! Stay glamorous, stay beautiful and never stop believing in the power of a pink tutu.
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