Hello darlings! It's Emma here, your resident tutu enthusiast, back with another dive into the glorious history of the ballet tutu! And trust me, you won't want to miss this one! I'm here, fresh from a whirlwind trip to the heart of ballet, Paris, of course!
Now, before I begin, let's talk about this amazing date – the 16th of March, 2021. You wouldn't believe the treasures I found in the Parisian archives, just in time for our #TutuTuesday! We're going to delve into a specific type of tutu today - a true Parisian creation.
Imagine stepping into a world of silk and sequins, feathers and lace, and the delicate swirls of tulle, that's Paris in the early 20th century for you! The City of Lights is a place where tutus have a history of both classic grandeur and radical experimentation.
Today we are going to be celebrating The Romantic Tutu. Let’s rewind our clock a few decades to when tutus took on a new romantic era, specifically the period between the 1830s and the mid 1850s.
So, how did this style of tutu come to be? It all started with a desire for a different kind of performance. It’s no coincidence that this style of tutu rose in popularity with the Romantic era in the arts! Romantic ballerinas needed costumes that reflected this movement – graceful and feminine. They needed a costumes that allowed them to flit and flutter like a fairy across the stage. They were ethereal creatures of light!
It was the renowned Marie Taglioni, known as "the Nightingale of the Dance" who led the way! The Italian ballerina revolutionized the tutu, changing the shape of ballet forever.
I’ve just spent a delightful few hours in the Musée de la Danse at the Palais Garnier in Paris. You would be surprised how small the original Romantics' tutus are – very simple yet striking.
A huge inspiration to me, I love this idea of lightness, grace and movement in dance. It is all in the detail, which is why we need a little bit more history to really grasp how Romantic tutus are so influential. Imagine if I tried to perform with these tutus!
Imagine if you could find some vintage Romantics' tutus and adapt them to modern looks? That is where my real passion comes into play. That’s my job here! The art of the modern-day fashionista who can take these vintage looks and adapt them for our present day world! I love fashion history, but really it's all about looking good, right?! And these old romantic tutus really inspire a unique fashion vision. I hope I inspire you!
Why is The Romantic Tutu so Special?This tutu truly embraced lightness. Forget those stiff, multi-layered skirts. These tutus were all about swirling tulle and airy grace. You know that feeling of watching a delicate flower sway in the wind? The Romantic tutu captured that delicate movement! It was so far from the past. It was completely new!
To understand how the romantic tutu came about, I am going to take you back a few decades to understand how revolutionary this style was:
Before the romantic era of the tutu, ballerina skirts were essentially tight dresses with panniers underneath, think crinoline!
Then Marie Taglioni appeared – in all her glorious talent. Taglioni was celebrated in this style of ballet which involved long lines and an almost spiritual expression of a ballet performance!
Here's the big change: The original Romantic Tutu – and Marie Taglioni revolutionised ballet by taking the form of a very simple knee-length skirt, which made of only one layer of very fine tulle!
I bet this shocked all those who were used to stiff tutus with panniers! Can you imagine! These must have seemed like a very bold fashion choice – and for ballet that was such a powerful symbol of femininity at the time!
Think how the Romantic tutu must have been an unforgettable moment for everyone who saw Taglioni dance in that first romantic tutu!
Where the Tutu Went -So, from this point, tutus took a radical and experimental shift – and so too did ballet as a whole!
Over the decades, there were further variations to the Romantic Tutu – and these styles are worth looking at – let's call this an exciting journey. From 1850 onwards to around the turn of the century!
I have written in my ballet blogs previously about the following types:
The Romantic French tutu: This one had more frills. They even got the "pagoda tutu" with a tiered shape, adding layers with very large bouffant volume!
The Romantics’ tutus were in many cases adapted for ballet class in the 1800s, becoming the very basis for all tutus which continue to exist today – it is how all classical ballet has been formed – so much history, right!
But the real revolution was in 1880 - the appearance of a true Classical Tutu. This is still known as the Romantic Tutu style by today's standard - and if we go to class today that’s the style which many wear.
In a later post, we will consider all of this in more detail. Today we've looked at how the Romantic French Tutu made such a large impact in the nineteenth century and why this period was such a unique part of tutu history! The Romantic Tutu had made the big break and the story goes on and on.
It is really worth spending a day, like I have just spent, exploring all these stages of ballet history. There is so much style out there that it is just impossible to say which look is your favourite. It’s impossible not to fall in love with each! I am going to keep this post shorter this time because I have more shopping and shows to do and see on my next adventure, I'll be posting from Venice!
Before I sign off I just want to say: Remember, love your tutu – I’ll be here to see how you style your outfit each week. I think I've managed to inspire you to have some fun with the Romantic tutu today, haven’t I? Until next week.
With the utmost love,
Emma xx
