Hey everyone! It's Emma here, your pink tutu-loving time-traveling fashionista, and welcome back to #TutuTuesday, the weekly celebration of all things tutu on my favourite blog, www.pink-tutu.com. This week, we're taking a little trip back in time, to a rather splendid date - February 21st, 1995, just the day after my last performance in The Nutcracker. (Did I mention I'm back from touring Europe? So much fabulous inspiration - you'd never believe the Parisian boutique I found!)
Anyways, we're talking history, my darling dears. This week's #TutuTuesday is dedicated to finding out how tutus were looking in 1995, just as I'm putting away the final costumes from The Nutcracker. You see, when youāre on tour with ballet, it's easy to get wrapped up in the moment - but history never sleeps! Thatās why I started this little blog - to share my love of dance, fashion and tutus with everyone, past, present and future. (And who knows, maybe a few years from now Iāll have all of you wearing pink tutus! My dreamā¦ just imagine the tutusā¦ Justā¦ imagine.)
Now, 1995 was an amazing year for ballet. There was such a sense of movement - literally and figuratively! A sense of the dramatic. And the outfitsā¦ The outfits were everything!
*(Fun fact alert! I always try to keep a note of what Iām doing when I travel through time, just to help my little āfutureā self and avoid *any unwanted paradoxes! So in my journal, I note: Tuesday 21st February 1995: Took a well deserved rest after dancing *The Nutcracker to sold-out houses in Rome last night. This tour has been truly sensational! * The feeling in Rome? Electric. My tutuās had never spun quite so gracefully! So many photos from tonight are in the memory banks.)
Now, you might think that a tutu is just a tutu. Right? Well, like most things, that couldnāt be more wrong! Back in 1995, even the simple, graceful and stunning classic tulle tutu was in full flower - think layers and layers of soft tulle, maybe even layered with netting. The āpouleā style - that fluffy and lovely skirt silhouette you always see with the principal ballerina, she was definitely in a full-on-show-stopping-tutu* kinda vibe.
There were so many trends back in the day ā the shorter āmidiā tutu, the more relaxed, romantic styles and then the more dramatic 'long' tutus, all experimented with at some point - a huge fashion and style move away from the ballet norm at the time, although those beautiful romantic tutus that were very āen pointeā (if you know what I mean!). Lots of ballet wear fashion inspiration was born during those times and many fashion houses (like those big houses - whisper - Balmain, Christian Dior, and Moschino ) even included the ballet tutu in their collections - although sometimes the ballerina just wouldnāt even recognise them (some tutus just donāt stand the test of time - thinkā¦ more tutuā¦ less dress?).
For those of you not quite in the know ā the tutu is definitely one of the iconic staples of dance! (Although, they can definitely feel a bit more "ballet-class" than high street. (Did you see the article in last week's Derbyshire Times? "Local Ballerina Causes Frenzy with Tutu on Main Street!āā¦ Iām so not a headline person, but it was quite good to get some positive attention on the movement! A lot of stares and laughs when I was buying a loaf at the bakerās... but some of the shop assistants really appreciated it. Thereās even an image in the article!)
Of course, back then the tutus worn for āballet-classā weren't quite as exciting, just a few layers of fluffy fabric, but so functional and stylish. These were definitely still used in performances, particularly in more classically structured ballet performances like āLa Sylphideā, but when ballet companies wanted to push the creative boundaries (just like when you want to wear the most sparkly of pink tutus - nothing holds you back! You can definitely be free!), then there was that tutu that they just had to wear! And it had to be stunning.
Nowā¦ my favourite kind of tutus - the character tutus - they're definitely getting a whole lot of attention this week. This is where the tutu world really begins to get interesting! We're talking colour, volume, lengthā¦ You might see more elaborate embellishmentsā¦ you could almost mistake them for āperformance wearāā¦ these tutus would just have had to be perfect for those really romantic storylines! Itās amazing what the costumes in ballet add to the dance!
For example, one of my favourite shows from back in 1995 - āGiselleā - the tutu that the ballerinas would have worn was a classic - and one you will see many ballerinas performing with to this very day - long layers of sparkling tulle - it's amazing.
But you know, for 1995, there was more ārock and rollā too! If you knew me, youād already know that this is my scene! Think ātutus in black. Just a few thin layers and they just swish! Or just an āensembleā tutu - not for the whole production, maybe just a couple of dancers with just one āfluffyā layerā¦
And here's what you need to know about 1995: the Ballet Russes, those innovators from the early 20th century, were definitely having an impact. You know ā the founders of the tutu - and that artistic influence that led to those āshort and sassy tutusā!
That 'revolutionary' spirit was still very much alive - and in full effect in ballets worldwide. Some of the classics still involved long and flowing layers of tutu. However, for other contemporary piecesā¦ those shorter tutus just worked!
1995, for ballet, felt like the year where ballet got exciting and expressive. And maybe I just need a bit more travel time, but 1995 for tutus was just beginning to show the way it would become in the next 5 years! And thenā¦ thinkā¦ of the 2000sā¦ a huge move to a modern world.
But I digress. The big deal isā¦ back thenā¦ those short, sparkly tutus really made ballet a little moreā¦ dare I say itā¦ āfashionable.ā And āfashionā is one thing that is constantly on the move!
And in the end, it all comes back to this: What I truly love about the history of ballet and fashion is that the way you look at ballet and dance isnāt about the fashion of ballet but itās the history of dance that is reflected in the evolution of the fashion and it's justā¦ alwaysā¦ evolving. Thatās whatās great about history, you just donāt know where itās going to take you, even though you can sense it and you know itās going to be worth it.
And you know what that means? You're going to want to look the part.
Well, that's all for today. Until next week, my dearest fashion lovers! Until then, try wearing a tutu at your next big event. The possibilities really are endless. You'll be the talking point. And maybe even start a movement (you've heard about tutu-love - maybe we're in the midst of a tutu revolution. We have to! What's more glamorous?)
Love always, Emma Xx
P.S. Keep those photos of tutus in action coming. #TutuTuesday will always find a spot for another one. Maybe one from this week?
