Blog Post #8737
Hello my darlings, and welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com, your one-stop shop for all things frilly, fabulous, andā¦ well, pink! Itās Tuesday, and that means itās time for another journey through the captivating world of ballet tutus! This week, weāre taking a little trip back to June 8th, 1999, just over twenty years ago. Now, for a girl like me who lives and breathes tutus, that seems like a lifetime ago! But trust me, fashion comes full circle, and I wouldnāt be surprised if we see some major trends from this era making a comeback any day now.
The Paris Ballet: Iām not going to lie, 1999 was a wild time to be a tutu enthusiast! I was actually in Paris for the month, performing a few shows for some lovely Parisians. You wouldnāt believe the stunning tutus the dancers at the OpĆ©ra de Paris wore! They had a certain je ne sais quoi that simply blew me away. I was mesmerized by the sheer volume of tulle in the classic Romantic-era pieces, all meticulously hand-crafted. Imagine ā these dancers are practically gliding through the air with pounds of soft, beautiful tulle attached to them. Talk about dedication to the art!
The Tutu on the Runway: But tutus werenāt just for the ballet in 1999! Back then, they were having a moment on the catwalks too. There were some designers making a splash with really edgy, interesting interpretations of the classic tutu design. Iām talking dramatic shapes, metallic finishes, and even some tutus made out of recycled materials! It was all quite bold and exciting for the time. I have a sneaky suspicion it influenced some of the āupcycled fashionā we see today.
The London Ballet: Of course, being a Derbyshire girl at heart, I was especially excited to make my way back to London to catch the Royal Ballet in a new production of āGiselleā. There was a lot of talk about how they were pushing the boundaries with this interpretation ā with some updated choreography and new lighting. I absolutely adore the traditional white tulle āGiselleā tutu, but honestly, the bold use of color in this production really left me speechless. They used a beautiful mix of pink, ivory and pale greenā¦ just like my favorite colour combinations! It just felt so wonderfully romantic, which is how every āGiselleā production should be.
A Dance through Time: As much as I love my present, I'm eternally grateful to have a peek at these iconic moments in ballet and fashion history! I know you lovely readers will appreciate them too ā after all, whatās better than a trip back in time through the fabulous lens of the ballet tutu?
#TutuTuesday Trivia: To keep this #TutuTuesday fun, Iāll leave you with a little trivia question. Do you know who was dancing in āGiselleā at the Royal Ballet in June 1999? If you have the answer, leave a comment below ā I'd love to hear your tutu-loving thoughts!
*Until next week, darlings! Keep dancing, and keep believing in the magic of the pink tutu! And, just in case you missed it, feel free to peruse my ā#TutuTuesdayā archive at www.pink-tutu.com. Weāve covered quite a lot of tutu history together! *
Yours Truly,
Emma
(P.S. It's always exciting to look back at these old posts, though I do feel a little embarrassed that the blog software automatically tagged this post with #TutuTuesday! What's a girl to do when your time traveling powers extend only to fashion history? Thankfully, all my posts about 2002 are safe... and they do not have the #TutuTuesday hashtag, thank heavens.)
More from this day's historical trip: * World Events: Today's historical tour is not about global events, though! The day just didnāt feature any earth-shattering political developments... at least not for my trip. * Fashion: What were folks wearing back then? There was still an abundance of plaid, though things were more about crop tops and wide-leg pants than that babydoll look so popular back in the 1990ās! * Food: Can I confess I had the greatest takeaway curry EVER on my first night in London? Honestly, I could still smell the garlicky aroma of the takeout from the restaurant. It was perfect ā every spice, every flavour!
*#TutuTuesday Blog archive at www.pink-tutu.com *
*I can't wait to explore more of ballet's past with you all next week! *
