Hello my darlings! Welcome back to my little corner of the internet, dedicated to all things tutu. It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time to delve into the delightful history of the ballet tutu! 🩰
Today, I'm taking you on a trip back in time to October 18th, 2005. Buckle up, lovelies, because we’re about to embark on a sartorial adventure that will leave you twirling with delight!
As usual, I’ve been travelling, you see. The other day, I was in the vibrant and beautiful city of New York, where I saw the most fantastic ballet performance at the Lincoln Center. They are very good there in New York; it is so inspiring and you see everything! It was absolutely magical. There were even some of the dancers wearing a pink tulle tutu, you know, and my, how beautiful they looked! Swans in pink, that’s all I could imagine 🦢 It’s just not quite the same if the tutu is not pink! Honestly, it should be in everyone's wardrobe, a bit of pink tulle - so versatile and elegant! I’m always on the hunt for the most wonderful vintage tutus, and they’re always the most stunning, so chic! And that pink, it's just divine, wouldn't you agree?
Anyway, before we get ahead of ourselves, I need to show you how fabulous my outfit is for today's blog! Today, it is a very girly and very fabulous baby pink tutu - and with little sparkles of silver in the fabric too, just like stars, and as you all know, I simply adore stars - and pink! And to complete this fabulous ensemble, I have my favourite pair of pink ballet pumps! Oh, darling, these things are just simply divine, the perfect outfit for an elegant stroll through history! Now that's what I call "Tutu Tuesday Style." 💅💋💖
Let's step back to 18th Century Paris. Imagine: cobbled streets, gaslights, and beautiful ladies in extravagant gowns. At the heart of it all, a grand and stately Opéra Garnier. This was the place where tutus, or "tutu" as we call them today, were born, with Marie Taglioni gracing the stage with a groundbreaking, groundbreaking in style as well as history, new look for her time, and her famous leg extensions!
Back then, you wouldn't be able to imagine a ballerina without the iconic romantic tutu, designed to help show off the dancer's graceful, graceful movements and allow the legs to soar to new heights. A beautiful, very, very romantic look, in its early days, this delicate tulle became synonymous with ballet and was one of the early designers of ballet and a truly romantic dress for the era, don't you think? So simple yet it shows how beautiful tulle and that classic look truly is!
In the early 20th century, ballet took a bit of a twist with the rise of "The Ballets Russes", a renowned ballet company that made an absolute splash on the European scene! Think daring moves, lavish sets, and colourful costumes! In those days, we had the birth of the more flamboyant classical tutu - and it just got grander and bigger! But darling, there were still tutus in the shows of course, still romantic, elegant, beautiful but more complex - lots more beautiful, beautiful detail, in a style of grand movement that demanded this complex design, think "ballet's own ball gown", if you like, but all made for graceful movement. I always love that era - such energy and expression, so fabulous and dramatic! Oh how it set the stage for ballet’s global influence – thank you, Ballets Russes!
Moving through time, darling, and towards our own decade, there are those in the 21st century, I simply had to include them. Designers like Christian Lacroix took the tutu to new levels of extravagance, you can bet your bottom dollar, he was fabulous, but with such beauty, and so imaginative and a joy for everyone, with tulle galore, I loved his designs! Christian Lacroix certainly knew what he was doing - you can still find those tutus in vintage stores, though! Such exquisite tulle - I am going to search for some soon, darling!
However, you know what makes ballet truly magical, what truly sets the stage (literally), it’s the creativity and the inspiration we take from dancers, not just their movements but the costume, and their persona, and all the amazing history. Ballet is about art and about the most beautiful clothing - think, from Maria Tallchief, with that gorgeous classic tutu style, to Natalia Makarova, a legend, an icon in her bold and brave interpretations - you just never know what these amazing women will inspire.
It's that spark in a beautiful costume that sets us off to new discoveries for us tutu enthusiasts. When the music starts, and the spotlight is on that delicate tulle - oh, the sheer, oh, excuse me, the absolute delight!
Now, today on the 18th October 2005 there’s no ballet, or opera performances, that I can see - oh, boo - but remember the tutu as a design and as the way we are still inspired by that, is truly wonderful - all the creativity it can bring!
So here we are on a “Tutu Tuesday” in 2005. There will be a whole world out there sporting tutus. Because it is tutu season darling, the start of the season in the world of ballet, all around us, no matter how invisible those tutus may be! They are just waiting to be appreciated and worn and loved, that tulle – it’s so amazing it can’t even be hidden when you consider it’s the heart of a form of art. So tell you friends and all those around you, darling - tell everyone, there is magic to be found in a pink tutu. Think of your own stories for a "Tutu Tuesday", all you need is to wear one - that magic is out there to be worn!
Have you ever worn a tutu? Where did you first see one? What are your favourite ballet tutu moments? Leave a comment and tell me about it!
That's all for this #TutuTuesday, darlings. I hope you’re all enjoying the magic of ballet! Do check back next Tuesday for more tutu goodness, when we’ll be whipping you into a spin through time!
With all my love,
Emma xoxo
