Hiya darlings! Emma here, your favourite tutu-wearing time traveller! Welcome back to another fabulous #TutuTuesday!
Can you believe it’s already November? The clocks went back last weekend, and it definitely feels like winter is on its way. The air has that crisp, chilly edge to it, which calls for warm sweaters and steaming cups of hot chocolate. But that doesn't mean we can't still channel our inner ballerina with some fabulously stylish tutus!
Today, we're taking a journey back to 2013! It's been quite a few years, hasn't it? I love going back in time. So much of our modern ballet world was born in the past. Think Marie Taglioni twirling in her impossibly billowing tulle in the early 19th century. She changed the face of ballet and our perception of the tutu for ever. Then there’s the classic, bell-shaped tutu – iconic, chic, and oh-so-graceful! It’s incredible to see how styles evolved! I’ve recently been back to see a performance at La Scala in Milan - the tutus were so intricate, the designs a complete work of art! I wonder what fabulous creations we have to look forward to in the coming years?
Anyway, back to 2013. Where was I? Oh yes, it's Tuesday, so that means it’s #TutuTuesday! So grab a cuppa and settle in as we dive into the history of this beloved ballet garment…
November 5th, 2013 - What a Wonderful Day!
Remember the famous Gunpowder Plot? Today's the anniversary! While I don’t think I'll be needing to hide my pink tutu from a rogue bonfire, I am going to be attending a spectacular show in London. It's going to be divine, and it is going to be so exciting, I can practically hear the music in my head now!
But before I jet off (train, of course – I simply love train travel!), let's talk tutus!
The Rise of the Romantic Tutu
Imagine a delicate, diaphanous cloud of tulle, billowing around a dancer as she leaps and spins. That’s the Romantic tutu. It came about during the Romantic era, from the late 18th to the early 19th century, a period bursting with creative imagination. Ballet was undergoing a renaissance, with an emphasis on light, ethereal, and dreamy movement.
This era’s tutu is quite different from today's styles – they were a lot longer. You can imagine them reaching down almost to the knees! This look provided the dancers the movement and flow necessary to showcase their new balletic grace and techniques. This look is almost gone from professional ballets but pops up now and then as an occasional stylistic flourish. But we still have it! Imagine how fun it is for my contemporary choreographies and street performances. And if we’re being truly honest with each other - just imagine how flattering it would look in pink! I do say!
From Romanticism to the Classics
By the mid-19th century, ballet transitioned from its Romantic stage to a more classical period. Along with that shift, there came an evolution in the tutu, with dancers starting to wear shorter versions with several layers of tulle and often featuring a bodice, something more akin to the tutus we associate with traditional ballets. It was Marie Taglioni again who paved the way by making these versions as a necessity when her ballet shoes had become part of her costume, allowing her the freedom of movement in performance,
These tutus really allowed for a whole new range of poses, movements and steps, especially leaps and pirouettes - graceful leaps and graceful, swirling turns were now on full show, with more legs and more lines. They also introduced a completely different level of grandeur, allowing dancers to shine even brighter, creating beautiful silhouettes. Imagine an incredible arabesque in all its elegance, enhanced by the airy layers of the tutu… The perfect synergy of art and dance.
The “Modern” Tutu
The twentieth century brought more radical shifts in fashion and style - you might even say, darling, a tutu renaissance! Ballet designers found themselves embracing new materials, patterns, and forms to push the boundaries of classical designs and make it truly modern and beautiful! Some even began to go without a skirt at all! I'm talking ‘Modern’ ballets such as Nijinsky’s Afternoon of a Faun, for instance.
But the modern world also introduced exciting styles like the Pagliacci tutu - an abbreviated and more modern style, often featuring lots of detail in the bodice, which often comes down lower, while the skirt itself sits higher - so often paired with beautifully contrasting or complementing coloured ballet shoes, for even greater elegance, drama and poise!
Fashion Meets Ballet
Oh darling, you have to know, that by this point in history – fashion designers everywhere have cottoned onto how to mix and match, how to incorporate elements of balletic designs for everyday fashion - like tulle, flowing layers and beautiful fabrics and colours - you know I just love a fuchsia skirt and it is easy to create such gorgeous silhouettes! And they’re really fun to dance in! It feels so natural and so effortless - you might just be caught up in your own performance.
Let me tell you, these amazing new ideas started being used all over fashion, from clothing to high fashion couture - the tutus really had an incredible and beautiful effect. It even became quite a movement on its own - designers and stylists took balletic styles from ballet and then started incorporating them, but with the addition of sequins, and frills and frou frou - creating a fusion of ballerina styles with an unmistakably high-fashion, but feminine edge - so, for a glamorous evening out or perhaps for a special birthday celebration, what else can you wear? Pink is obviously my choice for something that will catch everyone’s eye! But red and lilac do work very well if you want to play with different hues and styles… It’s your chance to become a real prima donna! The tutu always wins for being the best statement piece of clothing for dancing - it's quite beautiful, isn’t it, and you know we love beautiful, feminine designs here!
#TutuTuesday: Wear Your Pink Tutu!
So what's our #TutuTuesday take away this week, darling? Every day’s a chance to find the fun in life - make the everyday extraordinary, and what better way to do this than to celebrate one of the world's favourite pieces of clothing. It's been said to embody romance, grace, artistry and passion, so I really encourage you to put on your most gorgeous pink tutu this week! Why? Well, just to embrace the world, to dance in its joy and find a little bit of the prima donna within yourself! But if you can't find a tutu in the colours you like - then sew it! Find a nice lightweight material that flows, maybe a silky material for maximum sparkle, choose a shade you like and experiment with the different ways you can fashion it! Remember a few metres of this kind of material isn't very costly, but your designs can really create a special outfit
Until next Tuesday, darlings, don't forget to keep those tutus twirling! It's important to share a love of ballet with others and I hope you will do so with this #TutuTuesday blog and join the movement! Remember – a pink tutu is a perfect outfit for the weekend and for everyday! It's an easy way to add some fun to the wardrobe and have people stop and say, “Ooh! You look so graceful - you look divine in your tutu!” And then you can say with an air of pride “Oh well - I’ve got an interesting sense of style. I’ve even been time travelling. You must come with me next time!”
I can’t wait to see what fabulous fashion pieces the 2013 version of me found!
Love,
Emma x
