Hello, darlings! Welcome back to Pink-Tutu! September is here and I am so excited! Weāre moving away from the warmer summer months (well, letās face it, English weather is rarely truly warm!) and into the time of crisp autumn days. As you know, itās also time for a new blog post! As a proper ballerina with a real penchant for the fabulous, what could be more exciting than jumping in my magical, sparkling, pink time-travelling leotard and visiting another era? I think weāve all been thereā¦ dreaming of the past, wondering what life was like before social media and constant emailsā¦ Oh, darling! Who am I kidding! Itās all so glamorous!
This month we're twirling back to 1885! Weāre stepping right into the heart of Victorian timesā¦ September 9th, to be preciseā¦ So grab your tea and a spot on the sofa, letās go on a journey!
Back in time
Now, I have to admit, my dearest darlings, my latest trip threw a slight curveball! Whilst the 1880ās have their own unique charm (have you seen those amazing hats? - a total show-stopper! Thereās definitely a vintage vibe coming back nowā¦)ā¦ 1885ā¦ that was before my lovely, bouncy, glorious pink tutu became widely popular. I have a sneaky suspicion that most ladies would have looked at me like I was from Mars if Iād sashayed onto the scene in one. My fellow time-travelling dancers tell me they have had the same experience. Youāve got to wear clothes in line with your era, darlingā¦ it's all about respecting the fashion timeline! So my usual āgo toā dancewear simply wouldn't do! I had to make a few fashion tweaks for this particular journey, just to be safe, because everyone loves a dancer who seamlessly fits the scene - even if it's in their time travelling leotard... I know some say we shouldn't break from our style, but let's just sayā¦ I didnāt want to have a ātime travelling wardrobe malfunctionā did I? I did do what I could, to subtly make the whole time-travelling ballet look a bit more āvintage'. Think a few layers, my darlings, to bring in a Victorian aestheticā¦ with just a subtle pink-hued lace here and there and a whisper of pink in the skirt ā a nod to my inner fashion queen! Letās just say my performance schedule wasnāt filled with ballet!
But as you all know, this pink-tutu-loving ballerina is always looking for inspiration! Whatās hot? Whatās not? Leotards have had a truly remarkable history, and finding out what was the current leotard trend in 1885 was top of my to-do listā¦ This was definitely an era of tights and, wellā¦ thatās pretty much it!
The fashion of 1885 is what Iād describe as āa bit demure, my dearsā. Not a lot of showing off the body like we have in modern leotards! If I had arrived in my pink tutu (letās face itā¦ in any pink tutu, in this eraā¦ I probably wouldāve got sent home, which I was trying my absolute hardest to avoid! The locals are pretty much ācovered upā in layers of dresses, corsetsā¦ even the children, with dresses that flowed to their ankles, even in the summer! I was even seeing tights underneath those flowing dresses and of course, ladiesā bloomers under those! We are talking the Victorian era, remember!
Ladies, these were some of the more popular colors of 1885 ā
- Pink ā yesā¦ my pink tutu still reigns, darling!
- White
- Blue
- Brown
- Burgundy
- Yellow
The ladies, ohā¦ the lovely ladiesā¦ did have one advantageā¦ lace! They truly loved it! The Victorians embraced their ādelicateā beauty with ruffles and trimmings, with laces gracing the neckline and edges. But alas, these lace details would hardly survive a performance, my darlings, which is why we love those sleek lines of modern leotards! Even for those street performance outfits I put together!
Iām finding this particular year quite inspiring though... We are talking long sleeves (my favourites - great to help those ballet arms stand out! ) with elegant necklines that often included the Victorian frill details we mentioned earlier. The frills were usually tucked into their sleeves or around the neckline in beautiful, feminine patterns. It gave them that lovely silhouette ā giving a really sophisticated, high-fashion finish. If we could somehow mix that with modern-day fabrics - darling - weād be having some fashion fun! If you ask me, a ballerina who travels in time (and who loves tutus!) can never say no to new design ideas... Itās all about thinking outside the box when you have a penchant for Pink Tutu, I know thatā¦ and thinking out of the time machine too, because honestly, ladies, when you can travel through time, the sky is the limit!
Oh, did I mention they were using cotton fabrics in abundance! They were definitely the āgo-toā for all those long and flowing layers. Not something that will stand up to all my ballet moves, but great for the daily look, darling. If I had spent a whole day in a cotton dressā¦ well, my tights might need an extra wash, my dearsā¦ even in that Victorian era when fabrics are super-naturalā¦ it's going to take more than a corset to contain this ballerina!
Victorian Dancing
It was during the Victorian era, ladies, that āfolk dancing' took the floor! No surprise there! What could be better than a great little waltz on the cobbles with a partnerā¦ a nice bit of foot-tapping in the middle of a park. They'd get dressed in their best and go dancing and I have to sayā¦ for a country with such amazing hats and frills, I expected some impressive costumes! Howeverā¦ we definitely had the opportunity to look at the dance moves and routines. Even when it's just two or three ladies getting in touch with the beat of the floor, with long skirts swirling and spinning. I'll be putting in some moves when I get home... it's all part of being a time travelling ballerina!
But, even though I missed my usual leotard, this trip was absolutely worth itā¦ Because, itās all about taking that step, darling, to appreciate the evolution of styleā¦ Itās so important, we really shouldn't take modern fashion for granted! The evolution of style is something we shouldn't forget. What has gone before, is an integral part of what comes next, you see? Even if my leotards would have been a little out of place! And with an eye to the future, we are constantly thinking what will the next fashion era bring. Now it's the year of street dancing and urban art. I've heard the world is moving away from those stilettos ā theyāre out. I bet youāre just dying to see my street dancing looks with my super cute sparkly pink-tutu outfit, right, darling?
What was my biggest take away from September 9th 1885?
- If youāve got a pink tutuā¦ embrace it! (Wellā¦ unless you are visiting 1885) - If there are any dancers out there who don't like the color pink - they are wrong. Just plain wrong. You should know that when you look into your ballet bag for that tutu, you have so much style! Letās not just look at dance outfits. The Victorian fashion really gave us that understanding of how clothing can be transformativeā¦
- Remember ladies, this whole fashion game - we can see how much change there is in a century, so what is our modern equivalent? A pink tutu will be out-dated by the time we reach 2085 - thatās just how fashion is. Donāt be afraid to mix it up. Mix up the styles and find your own āpink tutu' within a historical fashion frame!
That's all for now! Next month's travel adventure is in the works. I'm not giving away the secret destination just yetā¦
Stay beautiful and never let your imagination take a break!
With love,
Emma
P.S. Iāll be on stage next Saturdayā¦ my usual venueā¦ in Derbyshireā¦ so come down for some street performance action with the āQueen of the pink tutu' herselfā¦
Iāll be giving some moves inspired by the 1880sā¦ so we will be mixing those long Victorian sleeves with a sprinkle of those street ballet moves I do every week.
Until then - letās be inspired to keep rocking our pink!
