Hello lovelies! It's Emma here, your time-traveling tutu enthusiast, back with another blast from the past! This week, we're taking a train trip to the land of sunshine and croissants, Paris, darling! Because today's #TutuTuesday is all about⊠drumroll ⊠the 19th century!
A little French Fancy đ«đ·
Now, I'm not talking about the classic Romantic era tutus you all know and love, where the dancers wore billowing white skirts with bodices and little shoes (so sweet, but so hot!đ„”). No, today, we're going to dive into the origins of the tutu itself! This week we are exploring its story, from its very first iterations to its evolution to the masterpieces of graceful dance we see today.
Fashioning the Ballet:
Think about the "tutues" dancers wore before the tutu. Imagine, men and women, dancing in gowns! They were elaborate affairs â flowing fabric cascading down in swirly lengths! No silhouette in sight!
Marie Taglioni: The Queen of the Air
But then, in the year 1832, enter the phenomenal Marie Taglioni, the ultimate style icon! She completely revolutionised ballet, from dance style to fashion!
Picture it: Paris, the grand ThĂ©Ăątre de l'OpĂ©ra. Marie took to the stage in her signature dressâthe âla Sylphideâ â the gown was a pale pink marvel with sparkling sequins. She moved, light as air!
The Inspiration? * You'll never believe it! *Panniers! These large frames (sort of like an old-school corset for your skirt) were traditionally worn to create that puffed, **oversized skirt silhouette.
Revolutionizing Dance
Taglioni took one of the hoops, stripped away the bulk of the dress, and what she created was history in motion! A short skirt of delicate tulle â so much more flexible, giving the illusion of floating â "the tutuâ as we know it today was born!
She also opted for lighter materials and a tighter, streamlined bodice, accentuating her form! She danced with a freedom never before seen! Imagine dancing a graceful turn in a full, weighty gown! Yuck! Not pretty!
Tutus: The Early Years
In the beginning, tutus were much shorter â weâre talking ankle-length! Now imagine all that dancing on stage! So much to get tangled in, so much for grace, right?
Over time, tutus started to become longer. In the mid-19th century, we saw these lovely "knee-length tutus" They added some dramatic swirls for dancers to move within, creating magnificent swirls!
Pink-tastic Power:
Now, when I see all these pictures of early tutus, you might wonder why we only remember the white ones. Itâs time for another secret revelation â pink was a key player back then! Marie Taglioni, she wasnât shy about wearing it in every performance, proving how fashionable a colour it was! And believe me, there was nothing demure or conservative about the fashion scene of the time!
Now, to you lovelies, it goes without saying that pink is the ultimate colour for grace, and whimsy. Imagine, you can't find a more lovely, girly shade that could make us feel more empowered!
Dancing to a New Tune
Of course, as fashion and dancing evolved, tutus too had a makeover. They evolved to give more dramatic motion. They went shorter, longer, fuller.
Then came the âClassical era" tutu of the 20th century, with its shorter "romantic" silhouette. Imagine dancers in soft tulle and airy costumes â just imagine them twirling so effortlessly, making that âwhirlâ sound as they go. Heaven!*
I guess you could say thereâs a history lesson for us here about how style isnât set in stone. It keeps changing with the dance itself!
Celebrating The Power of Tutus
So today, in honour of #TutuTuesday, I raise my pink tutu to the glorious history of this wonderful garment. The tutu is much more than just clothing â it is a symbol of creativity, grace, freedom, and *a beautiful celebration of art! *
And while I might be in love with my pink tutu â which I plan to wear as often as possible, even if I *can get caught in time ahem... it's more important than ever to celebrate all kinds of tutus!.
Whatâs your favourite? Romantic? Classic? Or a sparkly, new era design?
Whatever your style, thereâs a tutu out there to make you feel your absolute best! And I truly believe that is what fashion should be about. We should celebrate the individual style in all of us, darling!
You could wear a *tutu to your ballet class tomorrow, to the theatre,* to your work office, heck! Even on the street!
And who knows? * You may just inspire a few *other time travellers * out there. Thatâs what I live for! * * *Until next week! Donât forget to leave me your thoughts about the history of the tutu. Go to www.pink-tutu.com. #TutuTuesday.
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Extra Information - Marie Taglioni is actually considered a dancer, not a fashion designer but there are records of her choosing to dance in clothes she requested and then being pictured by renowned artists as well as her own portrait images. Her choice of clothing was radical. - There's plenty of historical ballet info around that might help you further develop the context if you are thinking about adding more. This info is designed to provide you with a good foundational skeleton for this specific blog. - Many dancers were inspired to start dancing by the work of famous choreographers like Taglioni but it was difficult to follow on because of this influence! There wasn't much creative freedom at that time and dancers had to follow the choreography they were given very closely, however the stories of the time are intriguing to look at now because they tell us a lot about ballet and life in that time! - There are historical references for pastel colours worn by the ballerinas in that period. As a result the colour "pink" might be something to focus on, but maybe not necessarily pink pink, it could be any pink or a pastel range like a salmon, coral etc... but pink was very important for female beauty back then.
