Hello darlings! It’s Emma here, your trusty guide to all things tutu! It's another Tuesday, which means it’s time for a little historical exploration in the glorious world of ballet tutus! As you all know, a tutu is more than just a garment, it's an embodiment of dreams, elegance, and of course, pink. 💗 Today, we're stepping back in time, right back to the glorious 1st of November 2011 – the day I saw a most wonderful production of 'The Nutcracker'!
But first, tea! ☕️ Fancy a spot of Earl Grey before we set off on our time-travelling adventure? I just adore the aroma of Earl Grey, don't you? So calming and elegant, just like a beautifully crafted tutu.
Right, now for the main event! Today, my lovely pink-tutu-loving friends, we are going to talk about the history of the tutu, a story as lovely and delightful as a twirling ballerina.
(It's worth noting that, with my secret time-travel powers, I have witnessed the ballet's glorious evolution, including the changing shape and form of tutus over time!)
Now, rewind with me to the 1830s, where the ballet world was a flurry of fluffy, ankle-length skirts that certainly did not do much for allowing those beautiful ballerina legs to fly! 💃 Can you imagine trying to leap with all that fabric trailing around? A veritable wardrobe malfunction in the making!
Thank goodness, then came the ingenious Madame Taglioni. Imagine my delight! A visionary ballerina with an amazing ability to see the future – a future with the tutu, the gorgeous tulle garment we adore today.
The story goes (and I'm absolutely positively certain it is true!), that Madame Taglioni designed a tutu for her performance of “La Sylphide" which was so short and graceful, revealing the ballerina's graceful legs in all their glorious athleticism! This was truly groundbreaking.
Oh my! It was an absolute revolution in ballet fashion, darling! Not just in its design but in its message! Imagine it, freedom of movement!
By the time I visited 1841 (my, those long journeys on the train! but oh so worth it!), Marie Taglioni, who was my all-time favourite ballerina, graced the stage in her stunning "La Sylphide" tutu - a beautiful, almost billowing shape, made of a white gauze-like fabric, that created this magical cloud-like effect. Talk about glamorous!
The short tutu, like a flower bud, remained a fixture, growing in popularity with each passing year. The ballerinas became, and still are, veritable human flowers – delicate and full of movement, swirling gracefully across the stage.
In the 20th century, you could really see how the ballet world really began to develop new styles of tutu!
By the 1940s, tutus were becoming more daring and even slightly ridiculously magnificent with an abundance of frills and frills! Think of 'Giselle' with its layers of frilly tulle. Absolutely sensational! The amount of tulle used on some of those was positively mind-blowing.
For the ballet classics, the tutus are always perfectly paired with those wonderful pointed shoes – shoes, just to mention, that are both painful and absolutely exquisite – ballet shoes which always get my toes tingling. I mean, they’re just so stylish, right?!
As I’m writing this blog post, my mind's dancing in the 1960s. Can you imagine, the arrival of The Modern Ballet? Think of how the long tutus suddenly got super short, almost resembling skirts. We can thank Balanchine for this change, darling – oh, what an inspiring chap! You really should watch his ballet 'Agon', I just love his modern use of movement and costume.
And oh! Then there are those wonderful little tutu styles - like the 'tutu de fil' – which almost looks like an over-skirt, then there is the 'tutu de pannier', oh, I could talk about them for days! So much gorgeousness, and glamour. I simply adore them! The little fluffs around the bottom of these tutus are just perfect. Do you know, the tutu de pannier is actually a style of tutu that has not changed at all. Think of the ballet Swan Lake. How wonderful! And those pink shoes? Well, simply breathtaking.
Fast forward to the 21st century, darling, the Tutu, thankfully, is here to stay.
Right now, we see tutus everywhere – they are all over Instagram, and on fashion catwalks all over the world.
If I'm honest, a tutu makes me feel a million pounds. Honestly, the shape just feels so liberating!
Remember, my loves, wearing a tutu is not about ballet – it’s about feeling good. It's about confidence. It’s about expressing your own personal style.
Right now, there are loads of exciting, new *designers using the *tutu style in the way they create clothing and dresses. * I was so thrilled to visit the UK based designer Charlie Brear. * What beautiful work! She used layers and layers of tulle - to create a kind of modern style tutu that looks amazing as wedding dress. I was really inspired and so happy to buy one! You’ll find links to a couple of these in the comments.**
And my dear, oh my! What was the highlight of today's Tutu Tuesday? Of course, I had to visit the iconic Royal Ballet School in Richmond. A dream come true, darling! What a fantastic day out, but the best bit was talking to some of the talented student dancers. You will just love hearing their stories – it's so interesting to hear them speak about how much their passion and commitment to their ballet is inspired by tutus, it's all those beautiful swirly fabrics that help to fuel their desire to dance!
Right then, my lovely friends, it's time to wind this up - I'll be back next week with more tutu-tastic delights! And, of course, if you're looking for that special pink tutu (it has to be pink!), do come and visit my store * www.pink-tutu.com*
Love you, lots
Emma xxx
Remember,
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Please note, as I have just come out of a fabulous show this evening of the Giselle production. I can now totally understand why a tutu de pannier takes about six weeks to make! It was utterly stunning to see and absolutely mind-blowingly impressive - if I’m honest I don’t think it'll ever be my absolute favourite style of tutu. Personally, I just adore the little frills on a tutu de fil. But this is my opinion, as everyone knows, opinions are just like tutus, they are just amazing!
