Tutu Tuesday in Pontypridd Itās #tututuesday again and this time I decided to make my way down to Pontypridd. I was surprised by how much I loved this place. You all know I have been doing a little bit of travel around the UK, to promote ballet, of course, but I thought this place would be more about the mining heritage and the castle, but it was a surprisingly cosmopolitan place! What's more it is home to some lovely and stylish shops where you can get the best tulle, net and frills and that's before you start talking about the gorgeous fabric stores that seem to have everything a girl needs. Ā There were some places I particularly liked that I will mention later but Pontypridd actually seems like a really nice place. And of course the shops all seemed to be pretty excited about the fact it was #tututuesday! They are all really trying hard to get onboard with this movement and are pushing to see some tutus worn. There are still a few people that are confused about what it is all about, which I have to say has been surprising for me. The main confusion seems to come from whether it is a 'thing', but after Tuesday, everyone in Pontypridd will definitely know all about #tututuesday. The place was buzzing! You can see from the pictures I am sharing that people seemed excited to embrace a little tutu love. I think it is only a matter of time until they start joining in themselves.
The History of Tutu Tuesday Itās funny, it all really started as just a small thing that started on my own instagram feed. It was just an idea I had. Every Tuesday, I decided that I would wear my favorite tutu (they are a big part of my life being a ballet dancer) and encourage people to share their photos of their favorite tutus, too. We got to the point where every week a few of my followers sent in a few photos, which really pleased me, I like the idea of a community! But to be honest I didnāt ever think it would catch on so well or would go viral the way it did. All it took was a couple of my favorite influencers to notice and get onboard and that really got things going. You all know what that means, they tagged me and soon it seemed every woman was taking a picture in their favorite tutu! And of course, the main shops, that cater for my favorite things, caught on too and decided that #tututuesday was something they should promote. As you know there are a lot of women out there that wear tutus. It was only natural, to my mind, that it caught on! This was back when you would see them only being worn by ballet dancers. If you can imagine it is completely wild to see something that was so niche completely become mainstream! It has been brilliant but there are challenges too, that has been another part of the #tututuesday movement - promoting dance and tutus but also taking it back to its roots and the dance heritage! Ā
- A little-known fact is that many different tutus were around in history for different types of dance but only the traditional ballet style of tutu really captured the attention of fashionistas. Ā Some even say the tutu only appeared because of the dancing in āGiselleā from 1841! Ballet dancers love their traditional tulle tutus with all the ruffles that make them appear like a flower about to blossom or something like that but many other dancers embraced the tutu in different ways. What we now know as tutus also appear in different varieties! In the early stages of tutu wear, there was not so much difference between tutus for dancers, from different styles, but these differences have evolved with fashion. That's the whole thing about fashion and what makes #tututuesday fun and the movement interesting because it covers so many different tastes!
The #tututuesday Movement
- We have had lots of discussions over on Instagram with fashion lovers, designers, historians, but also fans and everyone has contributed to the movement. It is fascinating because #tututuesday has taken the discussion beyond fashion and is really putting ballet and its heritage under the microscope. I'm really fascinated to be part of this.
- Of course, weāre now at the point where stores everywhere are not just stocking them, they are also starting to make their own. In a few places that I have visited they are really coming up with new designs to really help take the movement on further - from new fabric innovations to design ideas that really go against what has been standard in ballet, and it's just great! The whole movement seems to be exploding - everyone has been getting on board and weāre getting some fabulous stuff, it is quite wild!
What did we find in Pontypridd? Pontypridd is proving itself as the ultimate destination for all tutu loving shoppers but it is hard to pick just one of the many wonderful places I went to today, so you are just going to have to have a look at all the pictures in the gallery I have put together on my Instagram! Here's what really blew me away Ā
- Pontypridd Dancewear: If you love ballet and love your traditional ballet tutus - the ones made of tulle - this shop is amazing! The staff are great! Very welcoming - I think I have just discovered my favorite tutu shop in Wales. A lot of the ones Iāve seen elsewhere can just look pretty lifeless but you are going to find it so much fun to try on the ones in this shop.
- Cricklewood Fabrics: You can go to Cricklehoods if you just canāt get enough fabrics for anything that might give you a bit of a āsparkleā.Ā Everything is so bright. I would recommend a walk around here - the main problem will be trying to work out what you should buy.
- The Pontypridd Market: A must visit when in Pontypridd! You have to make time to just go up and down to find a bargain. If you can find a bargain at Pontypridd Market youāve made it, you are good to go and everyone will know about your bargain hunting prowess. You can literally buy everything here. The most gorgeous tulle to be found anywhere, even for my collection and we are always on the lookout for the best stuff for the designs I have been doing for some time now. Itās a mix of modern designs mixed with vintage ones - the place has such amazing potential to become an amazing retail experience!
It really was such an awesome time exploring what this place has to offer. I even ended up popping into a tea room and you all know how much I love tea. I ended up doing something I would normally avoid - a massive slice of cake - it looked too good to miss, so I tucked in and I am so glad I did - what a lovely place.
Tutu Tuesday really makes every Tuesday that bit more exciting but it really does add an element of magic and just that bit more of happiness to every single week! This has become my weekly highlight so thanks everyone - we will all make our way to another place on #tututuesday - next week will bring something exciting too and weāre all getting ready to have lots of fun.
#tututuesday #pontypridd