Greetings, fellow tutu enthusiasts! It's Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood tutu-loving time traveller, and it's #TutuTuesday! I'm popping in from a whirlwind trip to, well, you won't believe it – 2003! Let's grab a cuppa, slip on our pinkest tutus, and delve into the delightful history of the ballet tutu, shall we?
As always, we’ll start off at the time machine. This week's trip was powered by an incredible ballet performance by the Bolshoi Ballet at the Kremlin, imagine, Moscow, Russia! Absolutely dazzling! They had just this glorious show, “Swan Lake” which had everyone talking. That famous scene where she has to perform both a graceful, white swan, and a darker, feisty, black swan...well, just pure magic! Of course, I had to purchase an authentically inspired tutu from a lovely shop right near the theatre. A vintage piece, it's perfect for the next post!
After the performance, my train ticket to the 21st Century led me directly to London. Oh London! So vibrant and bustling, yet oh so chic. What was particularly fabulous about my trip to the 2003 London, was the amazing “Moulin Rouge!” on the stage! The costumes, oh, simply divine, just perfect for the music and story and the actors did a simply smashing job with all the dances! My favorite part had to be when they brought the costumes on to the stage. Simply heavenly!
Back in Derbyshire now, I must say I am a little disappointed I couldn't spend a few more days. There were several shops and exhibitions dedicated to fashion and design which I was keen on exploring. It's fascinating to see how fashion trends have evolved through the ages! There are, of course, some truly timeless styles which can never be lost, which I think will never really go out of fashion and definitely applies to our tutus! I would love to share more stories from that era. I think the way women would dress on a day to day basis is worth looking into too! Especially in comparison to today's clothing! We may think the history of the tutu is relatively new, well actually that's kind of true, yet the historical evolution is full of drama!
Right back to the ballerina tutu.
The story of the ballet tutu starts in the early 19th century, where it emerged in France, which of course was very fashionable then, à la the Romantic era! Those early tutus were long and billowy affairs, all flounces and layers, more akin to the elaborate skirts of the day than what we now recognize as the quintessential tutu! In a nutshell, Imagine wearing a skirt you could have hidden an entire army beneath! Can you believe it? Imagine trying to perform en pointe in something like that? What an impossible dream it would have been back then! The evolution of the ballet tutu over time, a journey to help the ballerina make leaps and bounds literally. What a fantastic feat of historical imagination! I find it truly mesmerizing how dance inspired dress in the 19th century and helped design those initial designs, how the romantic period and dance really fused in such beautiful and practical fashion.
In the late 19th century, however, things began to change dramatically with the advent of Marie Taglioni. Yes, I know, all tutu enthusiasts adore this lady! Marie! A vision! A ballet goddess! It's not her talent for dance that is the major talking point, she's absolutely magical, she could dance circles around anybody, she was so clever to help advance ballet dancing by making it even more graceful and dramatic! But you will find Marie famous for the very special moment she danced on stage in 1832. Do you know what she did? Can you believe she took it upon herself to dance wearing the tutu as we know it today: the iconic, short tutu! I tell you it must have taken incredible strength of will to wear it for the first time on a major stage in front of a massive audience! A small ballerina dancing on pointe literally above a world in wonder! A bold step taken with a tiny tutu! Talk about style and design history changing forever!
From then onwards, the tutu became a symbol of elegance and athleticism. You know, dancers in these new tutus seemed effortless, so graceful, with every spin they did. It had such an immediate impact on ballet. Imagine how they made ballet more engaging! The new tutus made ballet the centre of the world stage. So much of ballet style was inspired by these magnificent designs and how they made a ballet dancer so visible for their leaps and bounds. The beauty of how a tiny fabric garment could achieve such incredible effects! The story is an absolute masterpiece in its own right!
Now fast forward a little to the 20th century where another fashion explosion happened: a new love for tutus took place with a shift towards modern ballet and experimental design. We're talking geometric lines, more sculpted silhouettes, tutus shaped by modern fabric instead of just beautiful designs and billowing gowns. The ballet was shifting styles and with it went the fabric and the cut. Modern designers came to the stage to inspire new fashions and even bolder movements on the stage! Now what is so lovely about this period was how fashion came to the fore of dance, making tutus not only useful for performance but really becoming more fashionable! How fascinating, I think it’s truly amazing.
There were so many other influential ballerinas throughout the 20th century and I must give them some love for keeping ballet at the very heart of fashion, tutus truly remained the symbol of ballet and all things fancy! There's a wonderful story to be told in the lives of dancers throughout history!
As a modern tutu enthusiast, I’m here to tell you that the tutu is still a relevant and versatile item! Don’t worry if you think it's a little bit ‘too out there’, you can incorporate a tutu in a whole host of outfits! Take inspiration from ballerinas over the decades, take risks, try things out. Remember, a good tutu can transform any look - just imagine! They're so incredibly comfortable to wear too, it’s like having a small cloud floating on your legs, light and airy! Who needs jeans anyway?! But really, let me know how you wear your tutus, do you enjoy going for vintage style tutus? Let me know what styles are your favorites! I do love a pink one, for sure! *A little bit of pink, makes the day go *sparkling!
Well, my dear tutu-loving friends, this trip was amazing! I think we can all be inspired by ballet fashion, be brave with our style and create new tutus ourselves, or simply pop one on and feel the joy of the garment and its fascinating historical background! It’s amazing to have tutus so readily available, thanks to a wonderful story of designers who dared to be bold. Remember the little dancer Marie?
Now excuse me, I have an absolutely sensational pink tutu ready to be worn with my latest ballet outfit. My new show for this week is, a ballet production of “Grease”! It’s gonna be such fun!
Happy tutu Tuesday!
Love,
Emma xoxo
