Oh my gosh, darlings, it's Tutu Tuesday! As you know, my favourite day of the week. Today's topic? We're going all the way back in time to find the origins of those beautiful, magical twirling wonders, the ballet tutu. It's quite a story, and, of course, I'm wearing my most pink and fabulous tutu, because let's face it, who doesn't love a good historical journey with a touch of twirling?
Now, I know what you're thinking: tutues - they've always been here, haven't they? Well, not exactly, darling! Those beautiful, billowing tulle skirts we see now weren't always the go-to choice for dancers. It all started with a very different style!
Back to the Beginnings: From the Renaissance to the Romantic Period
Right, rewind with me for a second, darlings, to those lovely, elaborate costumes in Renaissance Europe. Imagine lots of velvet, silk, satin, heavy fabric... not exactly the flowing silks we're familiar with in today's ballets. They weren't even called "tutues" then - the name would come later, don't you worry.
So, back in the early 1500s, women danced in skirts with all kinds of decorations - they had heavy frills and they didn't even reach their knees. Talk about awkward! These dresses were all about hiding the dancer's movements. They were quite constricting for all those twirls! But there was a movement happening... a ballet movement, so to speak.
Around the 1600s, in the era of French royalty, a more fluid style started to develop - the Robe à la Francaise. A new look emerged, a skirt that gave dancers some much needed freedom! Still, these skirts were not the light, twirly creations we have today.
The Robe à la Polonaise and a Fashionable Evolution
And then! We're in the 1700s now. In that glamorous French period the Robe à la Polonaise arrived, complete with a longer skirt that helped to conceal dancer's legs!
Now we're coming closer to what we would recognize as the tutu. Imagine elegant skirts gathered to create puffs over long petticoats! This style was revolutionary! It allowed for movement - imagine graceful curtsies and dainty steps. This really helped ballet as an art form!
The Arrival of the Tutu in the Early 19th Century
Let's take a magical trip on the train to Paris in the 1830s and step onto the opulent stage at the Paris Opera. Imagine twinkling chandeliers, glittering gowns and ... a dancer wearing a revolutionary creation! This is the moment the tutu, as we know it, emerges. This is what makes a tutu, a tutu!
The French Revolution didn't just change politics - it revolutionized fashion!
The Robe à la Polonaise had helped create freedom for dance, but the new fashion - with its embellishments, delicate layers of tulle and soft colours was completely transformative!
Think back to those early 19th century ballerinas! They're wearing those elegant white tulle tutus with layers of tulle on top of the white lining, and we start to get closer to the Romantic Era of Ballet and those iconic performances of Swan Lake and Giselle.
More than just beautiful and stylish - tutus helped to make Ballet an art form!
And that's where the true history of the tutu lies. This isn't just a story about a skirt, it's about how this costume played such an important role in revolutionising ballet and pushing it forward into the spotlight on the stage.
But how about that tutu name?
Finding that Perfect Name
Think about it: *tutu is a French word, meaning the whole shebang ! The first ballerinas would be wearing their tutus for hours - all day - as their entire performance outfit!
Of course, as with every trend, tutus were evolving, too. Think about all those dancers you see wearing tutus on the stage - the romantic, bell-shaped tutus, and the tutu à la basque, short with the bight layers that just go all the way around - the skirt à la basquine, you know - with those lovely circular skirts - what fun and freedom they give dancers!
Tutus Now
And then there was the 19th century ... and, of course, it would be a real shame to skip the incredible history and the modern story! We’ve all got those romantic and classic images of tutus.
But did you know tutus have such a fabulous history, going all the way back to those earlier skirts! They were such an innovative invention and, to this day, you can see that evolution as designers try to give a little twist to the iconic tutu and find ways to showcase the dance itself in a unique and wonderful way.
Time to Share a little Something Extra Special.
As usual, I'm off now to see what's in store - but first, I want to share this with you. The Royal Ballet is putting on a beautiful show today at the Royal Opera House, and they’re featuring the iconic romantic and classical ballet, Giselle! It’s on this very same date - a fantastic piece that really showcases tutus beautifully!
There's no way I could pass that up, my dears! Gotta have a trip on the train to London to see a real show. I can't imagine a day with more elegance, fashion, beauty and ballet. Oh my gosh - a true Tutu Tuesday!
And don't forget, darlings, you can find me at www.pink-tutu.com every Tuesday, so that you can have the most magical tutu experiences with me! And as always, you're beautiful - never ever forget that - and remember - you can always put on a pink tutu!
I love you so much and happy Tutu Tuesday darlings!
Emma
