Hello, darling readers, and welcome back to Pink Tutu Travels! It's Emma here, your Derbyshire-born, pink tutu-clad time traveller, and I'm just brimming with excitement to share my latest adventures.
This month, we're swirling back in time to 1st January 1885, a year brimming with change, especially for the world of leotard fashion!
You see, I was just hopping around a Parisian cafĂ© - my sparkly pink leotard attracting quite the admiring glance from a young gentleman in a top hat (darling, you should have seen his eyes widen! My time travels are always so exciting) â when I had the most thrilling notion! Why not delve into the history of our beloved leotards, specifically those sported on the 1st of January, 1885? So, off I pirouetted, leaving my cafe au lait unfinished (it would have gone cold!), and straight into the wondrous world of 19th century leotard fashion.
Now, you might think a leotard in 1885? Darling, the concept was just emerging! The 1880s saw the beginnings of leotard styles as we know them. The key innovation came in the form of lightweight and elastic fabrics, like Lycra or Spandex, oh darling, wouldn't it be wonderful to pop into a store now and browse the fabrics! The era before saw rather impractical choices like stiff cottons and wools, making the leap to comfortable movement, just like ballet!
Leotards in the Early Stage: A Look Back
Back in 1885, leotards, as we know them, weren't the dominant force in fashion! But that's not to say there wasn't an appreciation for form and elegance in clothing. Women, for instance, were starting to ditch the cumbersome corset for simpler undergarments, something much like the beginnings of modern leotards, I dare say! I bet a pink tutu back then would have been the envy of the ladies, even if it would be worn underneath those very full skirts.
As a time traveler, I often reflect on how times change. Just imagine a 19th-century woman trying to slip into a sparkly pink tutu on a snowy morning for an impromptu ballet on the Champs-Elysees! The ladies, if they weren't in full-length gowns, would be dressed in practical and buttoned up clothing! Of course, the ballet world was making a shift towards the romantic era, but it wouldnât truly explode until the start of the next century.
I could picture it! One can just see the raised eyebrows and muttered comments! It wouldn't go down well at a gathering in my hometown of Derbyshire. A Derbyshire woman in a tutu! Oh dear! That was unthinkable, back then! Although, as much as I love the traditional dresses of the period â and thereâs no denying the stunning embroidered jackets and fitted gowns, there was a sense of longing for something less cumbersome, and I know Iâm not alone in this.
But we were also on the precipice of something extraordinary, a revolution in style, something exciting that brought about the development of modern ballet clothing, a glorious world of stretch fabric and sleek silhouettes, and guess who brought about this amazing change! Thatâs right â Jules LĂ©otard. The father of leotard style and the inspiration for my pink time-traveling suit. Imagine, darling! If he could have seen how his innovations, just a few decades before, transformed the world, what would he have thought? It would be worth a visit to chat with him in my sparkly pink time traveling leotard. A real opportunity to compare the leotard fashion back then and now!
The very year of our time travel adventure, 1885, Jules LĂ©otard would have been quite a familiar figure in Paris, where the idea of his innovation for stage outfits was born â those famous "leotards". His designs, with their close-fitting, elastic style, were groundbreaking. This would bring us full circle! My pink tutu would not exist, without Jules, our forefather of the leotard! And in return, we would offer a huge tribute to this brave designer who had dared to imagine something bold and different! I would have been in the crowds for his daring trapeze acts, it was just the most exhilarating sight in 1880s Paris! And my admiration for the manâs courage is still felt, through my own leotard, which enables me to travel to a bygone era. It's just as dazzling as the dazzling leotard that he himself designed. The history of fashion is always so wonderfully interlinked. Itâs not all glitter, glamour and shows you know. There's history there!
What to Wear on January 1st, 1885
While a full-on pink tutu was still an unthinkable fantasy back in the day, if I had been a Londoner, I could have sported a daring, yet conservative style. A silk dress in a deep and decadent wine hue, with a simple but flowing design â that was fashionable on January 1st!
As a dancer, the most important consideration back in 1885 was ease of movement. Just like my fabulous time traveling pink leotard, these designs aimed to bring about ease and freedom! I do feel a sense of deep gratitude towards those designers who went before us and paved the way for such sartorial beauty!
Let's discuss some must-have additions to any Victorian woman's wardrobe:
The Victorian Bloomer: This was a revelation for its time! It was more practical, with pants for a change, and perfect for the new forms of movement in womenâs leisure, just like how I move in my pink tutu and travel! I bet you my pink tutu could have given this era an amazing style kick, I think the ladies would be surprised to know how their clothes were setting the stage for future leotard style!
Lace and Ribbons: A Victorian lady simply could not have imagined life without the grace of lace! This dainty fabric made it to leotards! And let's not forget the power of a vibrant ribbon or two. Imagine adding a ribbon in a bold hue, such as deep green or sapphire blue! This is the world Iâm trying to bring back, just one dance at a time! Even today, we use satin ribbon in ballet to bring together a performance!
A Practical yet Feminine Corset: This one's a classic. It might not sound fun today, but think of it this way, a good corset is like the first structure of the leotard, keeping things in place for ease and grace of movement! It had the power to enhance, refine, and even create the silhouette of a dress - all the while staying as a constant companion to the ladies in their outfits. If you can make the world move gracefully and comfortably in their clothes, then you've achieved a wonderful feat.
I might even make a Victorian style leotard in my time travel blog posts later. We do learn so much, about what inspired leotard designs that have changed our lives for the better today! And remember those amazing styles? Imagine how much bolder, how much more beautiful, fashion would become later! We wouldnât have my magical leotard, the modern wonder that is my pink sparkling leotard!
I imagine my Victorian friends in those corseted outfits â a lovely way to look stylish while still enjoying some form of comfortable freedom, like my fabulous pink tutu! Imagine, one day, I'll travel further into the future, beyond the time of this blog, where leotards would rule fashion for women, just like how we wear jeans and trousers today, as casual wear. Just like how I strut down a busy shopping street with my pink tutu in the current times.
What I Saw at the Theater!
As Iâm on the subject of dance, darling, I had to make a trip to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane for a spot of âDorothy,â which premiered on the 1st January 1885. I was just bursting with excitement for a bit of opera. The fashion on show was nothing short of marvelous, especially when we get to the gowns worn on stage! That's where a little sprinkle of pink could make all the difference!
Shopping Spree
No trip to 1885 would be complete without a visit to the shopping district. I popped in for some "modern" and fancy dresses, some gloves, even a hat, although it's the leotards that call to my heart, my very pink heart! Imagine the ladies getting into these stylish hats with little pink feathers adorning them. I have no doubt that I could sell them on a pink tutu! But darling, I have to be mindful of fashion! The last thing I would want to do would be to interfere with the amazing styles of fashion back then, right?
It is this exploration of fashion, through the times, that brings about a greater appreciation for where we come from, where leotard designs came from! My journeys arenât all about showing off in my pink tutu, but about appreciating fashion throughout the times, even the leotards that started it all!
That's it for now, my darling readers! I'm already itching to plan my next time-traveling adventure. And if youâd like to read my previous blogs, they are all there to read, on pink-tutu.com! Itâs great to share this with you. But until next time, please do give me a like! I adore those comments! If you need to get in touch with me, you know how, right? Remember, a life without pink is not worth living, so why not wear a pink tutu!
