#LeotardHistory during 1953 07 July

Hello darlings! It's Emma here, your favourite Derbyshire tutu enthusiast, and I'm back with another captivating blog post, straight from the heart of the time-travelling, leotard-loving world of Pink-Tutu! This month, we're twirling our way back to July 1953, a truly delightful year for all things ballet and, naturally, the most fabulously versatile garment in the world, the leotard!

So buckle up, ladies, because you’re in for a real treat! Grab a glass of bubbly and get ready to embark on another fantastical time-travel adventure with yours truly. As always, I’m wearing my magical pink-sparkling leotard (the one that gives me the power to whizz through time!), topped with my favourite blush pink tutu. The sparkle's catching the stage lights here in 1953 – I always try to blend in a little bit – and I’m thrilled to be here in this glamorous decade, soaking up the fashion vibes!

This month’s blog post isn’t just about celebrating the wonder of leotards - it’s also about something super close to my heart – ballet, and all its gorgeous, glorious fashion! The fabulous 50s were a big deal for ballet and let me tell you, those leotard styles are definitely still on trend in this time period, just in case anyone has missed the memo! Oh, darling, when I’m time travelling, my main focus is always leotard history. But there’s nothing quite as exciting as learning a little more about a garment by seeing the stunning history in front of your very eyes!

Just yesterday, I witnessed one of the most beautiful ballets I’ve seen so far. There I was, in the middle of London's Royal Opera House. Oh, I do love London! You simply can't deny that feeling of being part of theatre history in this gorgeous venue. And, can you guess what?! I caught the eye of a certain world-famous dancer, Moira Shearer, in a fabulous ballet leotard of black, as delicate as a spider's web – my heart was in my throat, it truly was, but it made it onto stage in my pocket-sized scrapbook of sketches. (And when you’re time-travelling with me, my darlings, you get a backstage pass everywhere!) The costumes in this decade, are simply to die for - we are definitely in for a stylish trip! And yes, my love of pink is already planning a whole Pink Ballet show, featuring some pretty dazzling tutus, and the most darling pink leotards! I know - I'm going to give the dance world the most fabulous Pink Tutu revival - watch this space!

Now, back to our leotard journey… While we are here in 1953, I think it is absolutely essential for me to fill you all in about how fabulous a ballerina called Margot Fonteyn is! (Remember her? – she’s in many of my sketches!) A legend of the 20th century and my all-time inspiration for elegant, simple, fashion choices when it comes to ballet leotards. I hear whispers of a fashion designer called Christian Dior…and the woman certainly knows how to give an already beautiful ballerina an absolutely fabulous look! In the ballets that I saw here in 1953, everything was designed to showcase their graceful form - you don’t need any bells and whistles when a woman looks as amazing as that! (I know, you’re going to tell me I love bells and whistles! I'll get my bells and whistles later darling.) Anyway, Margot’s fabulous ballet costumes, mostly leotards, of course, had everything a little bit tighter, a little bit shorter and made up of that most decadent material - silk. A lovely example of how elegance and style really reign in the world of ballet. It truly made me want to pick up my sketch book! And my lovelies, you know me - my sketching supplies always come with me on every journey. I find, that sometimes I just have to make a record of how these things look. It's a sort of 'Pink-Tutu Leotard Historical record,' if you will! And my lovely loyal readers, I think I should include a small snippet from one of my time travel leotard diaries from 1953!

"It's day four, and I've just seen The Sleeping Beauty and The Firebird at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre – my jaw is still on the floor! In the most opulent costumes, made for those truly heavenly ballerinas – like Nadia Nerina (remember this name lovelies – I’ve got a sketch of her in a beautiful ballet leotard!) I’ve seen all these beautiful dresses, but I must say the leotards were simply the most fantastic garments. A new favourite for my wardrobe of course!”

Darling, just imagine a world filled with exquisite pink tutus and sparkly leotards. Just let your imagination take flight…the possibilities for leotards in fashion history are truly endless, which means more Pink Tutu fun, for us! As for how I’m funding this trip - I got caught up in some exciting street dancing around a lovely old church last night! This trip's been a whirlwind. Every time I put on my sparkling pink leotard and my best blush-toned tutu I make friends so easily. There’s nothing quite like a tutu to make your dreams come true.

If you loved my little trip to the wonderful 50’s era with me and you’re feeling inspired by leotards - I do have a beautiful new range coming out soon (my online shop is always busy, darling - it keeps the time-travelling going) and the new arrivals are just so wonderful - all shades of pinks and soft greens - I have something to flatter every dancer - but my time travelling tips are these: (and no I won’t tell you what they are darling! I think we have a great opportunity to see just how fantastic they can be! Let me know your favourite pink-tutu leotards down below! This blog’s for you darling!) So my lovely tutu loving friends - until next time! Stay stylish! 💖

This post is part of Emma's monthly blog, available at www.pink-tutu.com - be sure to sign up for her blog - she's launching an exciting Pink Tutu Ballet show very soon - more updates on this coming soon.