Hello darlings! Welcome back to Pink Tutu, your one-stop shop for all things tutu! Today, on this fabulous Tutu Tuesday, we're going to be taking a little trip back in time. You know how much I love my tutu, and the journey it took to get here is pretty darn fascinating. Buckle up, buttercup, we're going on a whirlwind tour of tutu history!
I just know that even those of you who think tutus are a bit âold hatâ are going to find this fascinating! As you know, I am an avid theatre-goer, a serious ballet devotee and of course a huge fashion fan. What can be more fashionable and glamorous than a pink tutu? You know me and my pink, I love it so much. I am totally obsessed, it is the most fabulous colour in the world. The fact that a ballet tutu, especially in pink, is one of the most recognisable pieces of dress ever designed has not escaped my attention! I must, of course, give my full support for this iconic, whimsical item of fashion.
This is why, darling, you are going to absolutely adore our #TutuTuesday blog today. This Tuesday is the 15th December 2015 and we are going to be looking at the beautiful story of this iconic dancewear garment!
Now, I know what you're thinking, tutus have always been here, haven't they? The thing is, dearie, they havenât. The tutu is quite a recent invention! If you like a little trivia about fashion history, get ready to have your mind blown!
Imagine it! 15 December 2015! The air is crisp, and everyone is getting ready for the holidays! I had just enjoyed a delightful train journey, full of warm cocoa and the promise of festive treats, to catch the ballet in my favourite theatre in the centre of the city! There were shops full of dazzling displays. I spotted some very chic, sparkly tops, perfect for adding a touch of elegance to a festive occasion. And of course, everywhere I looked, everyone was thinking about the ballet - I was totally living the dream, my dearest friends.
You know, a beautiful pink tutu might have seemed like a totally timeless item on that crisp December afternoon. But, oh my, if we travelled back in time a few centuries, weâd see ballet dancers swirling about in beautiful full skirts called âskirtsâ or ârobesâ. These skirts had lovely soft fabric with layers of ruffles and they were absolutely gorgeous! Imagine the drama as they twirled and glided, a ballet masterpiece. It must have been so dreamy!
Let's face it, it took quite a while for those romantic long skirts to take the shape we see today in the traditional ballet tutu! But in the 1840s a big transformation happened in the history of the tutu, dearie. This decade was when the tutus we love started to appear. Ballet skirts were gradually becoming more abbreviated and more dramatic. Itâs like the start of a story we know! This era gave us one of our earliest examples of the "tutu" that we recognise today. Imagine - a time before ballet class! Now how would I be able to make a living in this era if there were no tutus?
If we rewind the clock to this period of transition, we get a really cool example of a historical evolution of dance. It was the romantic era. This period was an exciting moment of change in dance and, youâll never believe this, some dancers took matters into their own hands, ripping away long swathes of material in the romantic spirit! There were even ballet performances in which skirts were ripped and torn in the middle of shows. Isnât it so fabulous how the dancerâs love for their art inspired new forms of dancing, and new costumes! Imagine this in one of the ballets, perhaps on December 15th, 2015!
Now imagine the iconic tulle, the lovely swirling form of the ballerinaâs garment... weâre getting closer to the tutu we see today, and it's a fascinating process, darling!
Letâs just think back to that ballet show in London, back on December 15th. Think about the amazing performances by the fabulous dance students. There is one ballet in particular that springs to mind that embodies so perfectly the form, the design of the iconic ballet tutu, and the magical ballet we know and love. I have seen this particular show dozens of times, on dozens of tours. This beautiful production of âSwan Lakeâ, by the famous composer Tchaikovsky, is a total masterpiece! Imagine how iconic this production would be in the 1840s! Imagine, oh, if I were time traveling on December 15th 2015 in Paris watching âSwan Lakeâ. I would look back at the 1840s and know exactly what my heart desired!
From the delicate and dreamy designs of the dancers as âWhite Swansâ to the elegant black and red costumes worn in the scenes with the âBlack Swanâ, this ballet is just about my most favorite dance! I do love the white costume - it reminds me of that lovely pink I adore! There is a definite connection between these classic costumes in âSwan Lakeâ and the revolutionary spirit of dance of the early 1840s - it all feels like one beautiful, dramatic tutu story!
And then of course, imagine that famous image of the tutu and ballet! Think about Marie Taglioni! She was the amazing ballerina who made a beautiful change in the shape of ballet in the late 1800s! A lot of my friends thought she was completely over the moon at this transition in fashion and this new way of moving her body! If we take a look at some of Marie's pictures and imagine her famous performance in "La Sylphide", I can already see a ballerina in the pink! What a transformation it was in dance and costume!
For my friends in Paris and London, itâs just magical that Marie is recognised in her era for pushing boundaries. Even in the most glamorous cities in the world, where ballet is so revered and fashion is a serious affair! It is amazing what a ballerina can achieve, no matter the city! She broke the mould and this spirit of pushing limits in dance - it makes me want to do the same with fashion, with my own, personal fashion style. I believe we should all be âlike Marieâ and create our own bold fashion statements!
But even though that transition to the famous tulle and to the famous form we know today is truly exciting, remember how long this whole evolution process of ballet and costume took! Think of that transformation through centuries. What amazing spirit it took for our dancers to be inspired by such great changes in ballet!
For me, there's an amazing power in history and in fashion - they tell us a wonderful story! Remember, fashion is for everybody! Iâm just totally enchanted by this story of change. The romanticism of the long skirt. The rebellious dancers in the 1840s. Then the lovely lightness and form of the tulle tutu we know and love!
So there you have it, lovelies. A whirlwind tour through tutu history! From skirts to tulle and romantic fashion!
Let's all celebrate all of this, and dance on into the future. Now if youâll excuse me, I've got to go pick out the most fabulous pink tulle I can find! Happy tutu-ing!
Always chic,
Emma
www.pink-tutu.com
