Hello my darling darlings, and welcome to #TutuTuesday! It's me, your pink-tutu-clad, time-travelling friend, Emma, and I'm back to chat all things twirling and tutus! Today is January 18th, 2022, and guess what? It's already been a fabulous day! I had the most wonderful breakfast at a little cafe near the Seine, followed by an absolute feast for the eyes at a fabulous ballet performance featuring none other than the Paris Opera Ballet. Talk about a day made for tutu dreams!
This week's journey through time brings us to a date in recent history that just makes my heart skip a beat – a date packed with beautiful ballets, incredible fashion, and of course, some truly wonderful tutus! To celebrate, I've decided to make this post number 9917 on my beloved www.pink-tutu.com a real gem.
Fashion Through the DecadesHold on tight, because we're going on a tutu time-travel tour! Now, before we jump into the fabulous fashion of 2022, let's take a quick peek into the evolution of the tutu. It wasn't always the billowing, breathtaking, pink confection we know and love! Oh no, my darling darlings, the tutu had humble beginnings…
Back in the day, way before ballerinas even wore pointe shoes, there was the Rococo. Imagine dancers in lavish gowns, swishing around with grace, with more layers than a cake. Think delicate tulle and flowing silks – quite beautiful, but definitely not what we'd call a modern-day tutu.
Fast forward to the late 1800s, when the iconic dancer Marie Taglioni made waves on stage, changing the history of ballet forever. Imagine her twirling in her romantic tutu, a soft cloud of white tulle, just floating across the stage! Now that is how a tutu should be! This romantic tutu design set the trend for the next several decades. It was about lightness, ethereal beauty, and allowing the dancers to float and fly across the stage, like graceful little birds. Pure magic.
Now, things started getting really interesting when the 20th century arrived! The tutu morphed into the classical tutu, also called a "pack" tutu, because it was so tightly-packed! Think shorter skirts, sometimes a little frilly, with many layers of tulle sewn together to make it very rigid and structured. It was all about strong shapes, beautiful lines, and powerful movement – think leaping, soaring, and lots of dynamic movements.
1940s, 1950s, and the 1960s brought us some seriously stunning tutus – all different, each more extravagant and inspiring than the next. Think bright colours, a touch of sparkle, and even a hint of modern design. The "bell" tutu, with its flared bottom, was all the rage, while the "bell-bottom" tutu looked like a pair of bloomers, offering freedom of movement that was totally unheard of! The designers got truly creative – adding panels, embellishments, and sometimes even feathers to their creations.
The 1970s and 80s brought the revolution of the "Modern Tutu" which incorporated the contemporary styles of ballet. It offered incredible range in fabric, style and design with modern, contemporary and experimental designers all creating amazing tutus for their new innovative works! The '70s saw a wave of experimental designs using lighter tulle and sometimes featuring non-traditional shapes. Imagine free-flowing tutus that would spin and sway to the beat, expressing emotion in ways we hadn't seen before.
What Happened on January 18th, 2022?Speaking of emotion, and to tie in all the exciting new tutu designs, January 18th, 2022, was a truly captivating date for ballet lovers! It was a day for expressing joy, inspiration and creativity in the world of dance! And while this may not have been a huge "historical" moment in the grand scheme of things, for a true ballerina like myself, every day feels special. After all, a life dedicated to dance is full of beauty, excitement and creativity, wouldn't you agree?
Back to the Pink Tutu World!That’s it for today, darlings. But don’t forget to join me every Tuesday for a new installment of #TutuTuesday, where we journey through history, admire the latest tutu trends and discover all the magical beauty of ballet, one graceful pirouette at a time.
Until then, remember – the world needs more pink tutus. Go out there, embrace your inner ballerina, and twirl with joy! 💖🩰
With love,
Emma
www.pink-tutu.com
