#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 2001-07-24

Bonjour mes chéries! It's your favourite tutu-loving traveller, Emma, here, reporting live from…well, it's a bit of a secret, darling. Let's just say I'm in a fabulous location that's all about elegance and sophistication, the kind of place that makes you want to twirl in your pinkest tutu.

I'm currently preparing for a magnificent evening at the ballet, naturally. You know me, darling, I never miss a performance if I can help it. This one's especially exciting – they're performing a classic, and trust me, a good old-fashioned ballet is a real treat!

But before we dive into the delights of this evening's performance, it's time for our weekly journey through the history of the ballet tutu! Today we’re focusing on July 24th, 2001, which might not sound terribly exciting at first glance, but oh darling, we’ve got some fascinating fashion developments on our hands.

You might remember last week when I spoke about the early development of the tutu? The time when ballet skirts were long and flowy, like beautiful flowing gowns? We all know how much the dance style of the ballet evolved over time. It’s what happened around the same time that ballerinas decided they needed their dancing space – they wanted their legs to move and kick freely without trailing material getting in the way! So that meant a whole lot of shortening of skirt lengths… and we got the tutu as we know it today, a design that became more streamlined.

It was actually quite a dramatic transition and it started in the late 19th Century as ballet moves became more challenging, dancers found themselves unable to do the choreography properly. Now I’m not suggesting this happened overnight – there wasn’t one fateful performance where someone tore the hem off their costume and had a breakthrough, there were gradually shortening lengths that took years to refine until we saw that unmistakable, flowing design we see on ballet stage today. It took many a designer to figure out the perfect mix of structure and fluidity for the most amazing ballerina twirls. It's just a delight to watch.

The iconic shape, the lightweight fabrics, the perfectly engineered details that allows the dancers to leap, to pirouette, and to take flight in those most gorgeous ballets, was really all designed around these factors, you know, that bit where the ballet started moving toward greater fluidity, a real focus on strength and agility in their beautiful performances.

Now on July 24th 2001, it's really about seeing how fashion, the designs of fashion, continued to develop over the past century since that first “shortening.” We're talking about the tutus you see today: all those shimmering, elaborate, almost unbelievable masterpieces you see at those shows – those tutus that are designed for beauty as well as being lightweight and structured in their construction for dancers’ movements – yes those! I think there’s a reason for those lovely tutus, those delicate and stylish creations: we’ve come a long way.

You know darling, when we talk about tutus, it’s so important to recognise that tutus are more than just something the ballet dancers wear – it's really an important part of how we understand ballet and what the dancers achieve in performance. Every stitch, every detail has to be just right! It's fashion, but it's performance fashion and, oh my, how very delightful.

It's worth remembering those women that were bold enough to pioneer this new style, because the shortening of the skirt really was groundbreaking. Just imagine how liberating that must have been! It changed the look of ballet forever and continues to make the most glorious, dramatic impact with every dance show.

But it wasn't just the shortening, no darling! As time went on, and the designs developed further, you've got to appreciate how different types of tutus evolved as well, right? From the fluffy, classic, fluffy romantic tutu that every little girl associates with ballet – those that have layers and layers of soft, floating fabric – to the “pencil tutu,” or “tight tutu,” as it's often known, designed to emphasise a more sculptural look and to accentuate those ballerina lines and those beautiful ballet moves with real elegance and sophistication. The iconic designs continued to change over time, darling, and each type of tutu created something new and stunning that became almost inseparable from the ballet we know today.

We’ve got tutus for just about every era and every performance, from those classical ones in the nineteenth century to the modern ones that really highlight and show off dancers’ athleticism and flexibility, you’ve got it, darling. I find it fascinating, as I'm sure you do, the way they developed alongside the art of ballet itself.

To illustrate that journey from past to present, here's a little fashion history fact that will really knock your socks off:

Did you know that on this very day in 2001, in a little shop in New York, there was a new kind of tutu unveiled in a fashion collection. Yes darling! It wasn't specifically designed for ballet – more like something you’d wear to the party - it was what we’d call, now, a ‘street tutu’. The thing is, at that time it was so radical – but I think those new styles paved the way for a lot of those ‘tutu trend’ fashion that we’re seeing on the street today – a combination of elegant fashion and ballet history! Who’d have thought the two would work so beautifully together?

The thing is, ballet is about being beautiful, about expressing a story through graceful movements, but there’s always this exciting fashion element, a dramatic edge, right? And it's something we see with so much modern fashion today. The designers from that little boutique in New York were showing the world, well actually America at that point in time, how elegant a little tulle could be. The impact of the ballet world, darling, in what we wear now, is quite something. And who’d have thought a small shop in New York would be such an inspiration for so many women wanting to make a stylish statement with that delightful feminine touch?

Now before we go, darling, I can't forget to mention: I love travelling! The best thing about my journey to explore this fascinating history is taking all those railway journeys and seeing what is out there in the world. My most favourite form of transport? The train, darling. There’s no better way to relax and look at those beautiful changing views as you whizz along – just you, the scenery, and your love for those beautiful pink tutus. The fact that the journey can take me just about anywhere, from my beloved Derbyshire, England, to anywhere in the world, means I have so much opportunity to go exploring, to follow my passion, and to find those gorgeous pink tutus and share all of the magic of dance and the wonderful history of tutus!

That’s all for this week darling. Make sure you wear your pinkest tutu when you go out to watch that lovely ballet show!

Until next time, my lovelies! Happy Twirling.

Emma

P.S. If you loved today’s blog and would like to continue to explore with me the history of ballet, sign up at www.pink-tutu.com and follow my latest posts - new one coming soon! Don’t forget to let me know if you want me to head off on a journey to a specific time, location, or particular topic – I am ready to explore for you!

*P.P.S. Stay tuned to the #TutuTuesday blog and to www.pink-tutu.com - there will be more information about my new book coming out later in the year on how you can become the “Queen of Tutus!” Make sure to subscribe! Don’t forget your pink tutus and remember you're a beautiful ballerina. *