Hello lovelies! Welcome back to Pink Tutu Travels!
This month I'm taking a trip back in time, all the way to 5th May 1884, wearing my sparkly, magical, time-traveling pink leotard. (Honestly, this one is my favourite for long journeys, it just makes everything feel more special).
As always, the aim is to spread the pink tutu love far and wide, and this trip promised to be a particularly exciting one! I was looking forward to discovering the state of leotard fashion back then. I couldnāt resist, you know me, I've got a thing for all things leotards, and what better way to learn about their history than to slip through the fabric of time and witness it firsthand?
After some serious glitter-infused rehearsals (you know, to fine-tune my time travel moves) I set off in a flurry of tulle and sparkles. I found myself right in the heart of London, right by the Thames, a glorious vision of pink in this rather serious grey cityscape! (Honestly, even London could do with a splash of pink).
Iām pretty sure my time travel arrival caused a small commotion, mostly from the gentleman wearing bowler hats. One particularly enthusiastic gent with a pencil moustache offered to take me for a pint. I kindly declined, mainly because I wouldn't want to disrupt the flow of history too much.
Of course, my immediate priority was to explore the world of leotard fashion. Iām quite the historian at heart. I wanted to discover the fashion scene on this particular day! Letās be honest, my heart skipped a beat when I realised Iād travelled into an era when ballet had a distinctly different meaning, before tutus had taken centre stage in every performance!
Instead, leotards were pretty much the realm ofā¦ drumrollā¦ the circus! That's right, back then leotards were the costumes of choice for strongmen, acrobats, and daredevil trapeze artists. The sight of men doing flips and tumbles in their colourful leotards was, dare I say it, surprisingly stylish! Just imagine, instead of your traditional ballerina costume, picture acrobats performing in red, yellow, and blue leotards ā the spectacle! It certainly added a vibrant touch to the shows and brought to mind an era of adventure and audacious bravery.
It reminded me how versatile leotards truly are. You wouldnāt have caught them on a street corner back then but today leotards can go from the circus to the stage to the yoga studio - their fashion influence just keeps evolving. And honestly, it makes my heart sing. I could easily imagine all those men getting into pink tutus, though perhaps that's a time travel vision best left to a different blog postā¦
After taking in the wonders of the circus, I decided to visit the Royal Opera House! That's when I discovered that, while they didnāt use the word āleotardā, dancers did indeed wear snug-fitting, āflesh colouredā clothing beneath their skirts. I took a closer look (donāt tell them!) ā the dresses and skirts were long and rather elaborate, making me feel a little lost in time.
This was long before ballet costumes had taken on the shape that I recognise as modern ballet fashion. Imagine a whole century of dancers gracing the stage before they dared to go out in short, twirl-friendly dresses. Makes you wonder about the stories those costumes could tell, if only they could speakā¦
From the circus to the opera, I felt my pink tutu becoming a beacon of light in this somewhat monochrome Victorian world. A few of the ladies who saw me walking down the street stopped to gaze at my outfit with curious looks, even giggling as I shimmied down the road (after all, you canāt resist the temptation to spin when youāve got this much tulle).
Perhaps my pink tutu was a breath of fresh air? A bold vision of something entirely different for this time. It was all rather inspiring to me! I love learning about fashion history - after all, the world of fashion always has its own amazing, inspiring stories. And so it proved with my visit to London in 1884!
While we all know the ballerina silhouette as it stands today is iconic for a reason, I find myself thinking of this day more and more - the daring outfits of circus performers, the elegant silhouettes beneath their petticoats and frills in the world of Victorian ballet... perhaps the more things change in the fashion world, the more they stay the same. I think this is my favourite thought in the whole of this trip! It reminds me that no matter what your style, and what fashion trends you choose to wear, at the end of the day weāre all part of a beautiful journey - from then to now, and hopefully the future too, when I will once again time travel to witness this timeless and ever-evolving fashion history for myself.
What I know for sure is, this year, we should all take inspiration from the daring fashion choices of the 19th century, in whatever style we feel ourselves embracing today, whether on the stage or in the street, from ballrooms to yoga studios and everything in between! We have so much freedom of self expression and personal style today, we really should take inspiration from our forefathers (and mothers) in all the daring styles we choose to wear and let's embrace each other's unique choices and find our own personal style flair in this colourful, exciting world of leotards. Let's live our dreams!
That's all from me for this month!
If you fancy keeping up with my pink tutu adventures, why not check out the latest ballet shows in Derbyshire? We are known as the county of ballet here - perhaps you'll get inspiration for your own look, just like I do on these exciting adventures through the fabric of time! Donāt forget, the next time travel adventure awaits on pink-tutu.com in just a month! I hope you join me for the next big adventure. It will be something quite spectacular...
Much love from
Emma (wearing her favourite pink tutu).
As Emma fades into thin air (the last I saw her, she was disappearing through a rather large vintage tapestry!) I feel inspired to see the world with fresh eyes, especially when it comes to fashion. The time travelling ballerina certainly reminds us that history offers plenty of style inspiration to keep us all looking and feeling our absolute best! Now, if youāll excuse me, I have a new tutu to order, and perhaps a rather bold red leotard for those summer dance eveningsā¦
I'd love to hear from you - what is your favourite fashion era? Share your thoughts in the comments section, or join me for the next trip by subscribing! And, remember, we can all wear pink tutus, it's about owning your style and making it your own!
