Hello lovelies! It's your favourite pink tutu-wearing time traveller, Emma, back with another fabulously flamboyant edition of my #TutuTuesday ballet tutu history blog! As always, grab a cuppa, settle in, and prepare to be swept away by the twirling tale of tutus through time. Today's date? August 24th, 2021. It’s been a busy few weeks for me! I've been dashing back and forth, witnessing some truly incredible ballet performances, and doing a whole lot of tutu shopping, naturally. It's my job to make sure the tutu world is in top shape, you see. And there's nothing quite as fun as bringing some sunshine to a chilly time period with a touch of pink!
Before I whisk you off on this week’s sartorial journey, let me give a shout-out to all of you fabulous readers who are joining me for the first time! Welcome aboard, you beautiful lot. It's lovely to have you join our community. This blog is all about sharing the love for tutus, ballet, and everything sparkly in between. So, whether you're a seasoned tutu aficionado or a newbie about to embark on your own tutu journey, you've come to the right place!
Tutus in the 19th Century
Today, I've decided to explore the 19th Century, a golden era of tutu development! Picture this: Victorian England, a time when fashion was about dramatic volume and intricate details, and, oh, let's not forget the restrictive corsets! I actually made quite a splash in the 1800s. Just a little time travel to see what was going on with my beloved tutus. I even managed to catch a performance of "Giselle", which was brand new and all the rage. It's a truly beautiful story, but it must have been hot and itchy dancing in the Victorian tutus. Let's just say they didn't leave much to the imagination with all the frills and flounces, and not much chance of a quick turn, or even getting a decent pirouette in!
Back in 1832, we met our first proper "tutu" as we know it. Maria Taglioni's La Sylphide, a ballet where she danced as a supernatural, ethereal creature. They made it all the rage at the Paris Opera, but what made this revolutionary, in fashion terms, is that Taglioni created an iconic look with a new shape for the female silhouette: long, ethereal, billowing, light and with a fitted bodice. The tutu skirt wasn't one, tight piece. This revolutionized tutu-wearing, by having shorter, multiple layers, making the "real" skirt sit above the knees. For a while they called it the Taglioni. A tutu-ed history lesson indeed!
That first tutu design would really catch on. In fact, there were variations on this idea right up until the end of the Victorian period. They would add all kinds of flounces and ornamentation as fashion demands of the time dictated! You have to say, it made for some very eye-catching performance wear. Think big, frilly, fluffy gowns made of tulle and lots of silk, so definitely not a day outfit unless you’re very, very fancy, and in that case I'd definitely be tempted by a proper tutu, no question.
The Victorian tutus also served as an ode to women’s physical strength and grace. You’d see these beautifully dressed ballerinas, but also see them as capable, strong, artistic figures, which was rare for that time. The silhouette of this early 19th Century ballerina, however, did involve some real sacrifices on their part, as the tutus were really, really heavy! You see, this design came with heavy underskirts, and a corset on top of it, just to get those dramatic shapes in fashion. That said, ballet performance became a great art form, one of great artistry and power during this time. They could hold their pose, stand en pointe, leap high in the air, they were certainly super strong ladies! This period brought real improvements for ballerinas, too: They did, thankfully, move away from those thick heavy underlayers, using tulle, instead, for a lighter but just as impressive look. And can you imagine the joy and relief when they ditched the long boned, lace-up corsets of the period in favor of bodice tops, which gave ballerinas much more freedom and control over their body? We did find this quite amazing in our time travels. It must have been such a delight. They also replaced leather shoes with the traditional ballet shoes you all know and love today, which really elevated the artistry and grace they could express through dance.
The ballet costume continued to develop during the latter half of the Victorian era, eventually shifting to the classic designs you see today. Now the design focused on the lines of the legs and the dancers’ poses with the dancer’s leg and feet highlighted in the design.
However, with the 19th century moving into the 20th, it became an interesting time, one that saw an even further push in the artistic expression, as well as fashion sense for ballerinas! But more on that another time, as this little pink tutu traveller is ready for a little time travel tea break.
Stay tuned next Tuesday for more ballet tutu tales from history! Oh, and don't forget to tell your friends about this blog, the more the merrier! I do hope you all wear a pink tutu at least once in your lives!
#TutuTuesday #Ballet #History #Fashion #Pink #EmmaPinkTutu
Until then, keep twirling!
Emma www.pink-tutu.com
