#TutuTuesday Ballet Tutu History on 2019-10-01

Hiya everyone! Welcome to another #TutuTuesday installment of my ballet tutu history blog! I’m Emma, and today, October 1st 2019, I’m whisked back in time to the magical world of ballet, a world I just can’t get enough of! My trusty pink tutu and I are going to uncover some incredible stories from the evolution of the ballet tutu, and as always, I’ll share my top fashion picks and tips for a modern-day tutu look!

Today’s journey will take me by train, of course, (did I ever mention my obsession with those magical train journeys?!) across Europe and onto the world famous, dazzling stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. Yes, the iconic Bolshoi! I just love it there! It’s got such a vibrant history. The first ballerina who wore a short, layered tutu as we know it today performed there in the 19th century. Imagine how exciting that would have been to watch, just revolutionary! And the way those dancers twirl and spin is simply breathtaking!

You know, my obsession with ballet actually started way back in Derbyshire, England. My grandmother, she always took me to see the local pantomimes, those magical stories that used to be part of Christmas traditions - but they were on in July and August too in those days - so wonderful! She’d buy me the cheapest tickets right in the front so I could really see what those dancers were up to. There was a tiny little dance school right behind the theater, with its own tiny shop for tutus. One summer holiday, I found myself trying on the cutest little fluffy, pale pink tutu. The lady in the shop must have seen me, mesmerized as I was, as she helped me try on the rest of the shop stock. It felt as though she was telling me this was where my destiny lay. From that moment I knew my true life's purpose: to travel the world, promoting my own love for pink and all things tutus and hopefully getting everyone else hooked too!

Anyway, enough about my early tutu memories (how do they not always turn into the best, happiest memories!?)!

Right, today’s historical journey leads me back to those lovely little ballerinas at the Bolshoi.

As we know, a tutu’s job is all about dancing, right? It needs to let those ballerina legs just fly! But even then, they started to play around with the designs, seeing how they could push those boundaries of fashion and style in ballet even further.

Now, the 18th century saw ballet move from that quite, well, frankly boring-sounding traditional “dance with your feet planted firmly on the floor” towards an evolution of light and beautiful moves. You see, the earlier style just needed a light skirt - it had to be made of layers of muslin, silk or net for that lovely flowing, effortless movement that made it feel so light and magical - just like the tutu was itself! It wasn’t yet even a “tutu.” They weren’t quite that revolutionary yet, you know what I mean! They were just little, airy skirts that danced in time with the ballet itself.

So then along comes our favorite little ballerinas from that amazing Bolshoi in the 19th century.

It all begins with this genius Marie Taglioni, known for a show called La Sylphide. In that show, she changed how we looked at ballet. Her innovative ideas set the fashion ball rolling. And it all centered around that wonderful tutu: the fluffy, delicate tutu made from layers and layers of tulle and decorated with embroidery, which allowed her to dance in a new style - those lovely light leaps that allowed her legs to kick way high, making all of this amazing new and fabulous moves look as graceful as possible. Can you imagine being one of those first ever people watching that show? Well, of course you can’t really but it must have felt like magic! I just can’t imagine what the reaction must have been back then… People seeing ballerinas like that for the first time must have just gasped in amazement!

Taglioni’s revolutionary tutu? Well it did change everything.

You could say it was like, “Hello Tutu World!” The next few decades saw the evolution of all kinds of new designs in that fluffy little tutu we all love. And it is a true world full of styles: the “Romantic tutu”, the “classical tutu” – all sorts!

Let’s talk tutu trends here - and I really need to find time to update you all on the 1900s style when these iconic costumes came back to the world of dance as the “Paganini tutu,” – it is truly a classic piece! But I’m running a little short on time (you have to be quick, when you travel through time like I do!) We’ve just started, but there are so many different tutu styles out there, and my train’s almost at the station!

For those of you planning on making a fashion statement at the ballet (how can you resist!?), remember to choose your own perfect fit when it comes to those fabulous ballet dresses. You want to look beautiful in the most stylish way! So get on down to that shop and have a good old rummage!

For this week’s pick I chose a dreamy lilac number from one of my favorite boutiques on a hidden lane in New York - a little place I go to sometimes when I’m touring, looking for some new exciting outfits for all my performances!

I must go now… so many more ballet stories and dance events to attend! Remember to keep checking this page for future installments of my blog every Tuesday, all things #TutuTuesday!! Next week? Maybe a journey through some 20th-century trends, some of the incredible history of The Royal Ballet…who knows? But just be ready for my next update on all things tutu!

Take care now! And remember to rock that pink tutu, darlings! See you soon!