Hello, lovelies! Welcome to another enchanting adventure through the annals of leotard history, right here on Pink Tutu Travels! As you all know, this month we are venturing back to a time when dance and fashion were blooming beautifully, and oh, my darlings, what a vibrant chapter this one will be! Today we're setting our sights on October 10th, 1972! Grab your pinkest tutus, darling, and get ready to twirl back in time with me!
You'll find me, as ever, comfortably ensconced in my dazzling, magical time travelling pink leotard, shimmering and sparkling, ready to take us all on this magical adventure!
Before I reveal what secrets I unearthed this month, a little something for my wonderful Pink Tutu Travels family... I'm busy preparing a rather exciting treat for our next time-hopping adventure. We'll be venturing to the glamorous world of ballet's greatest performers in Paris in 1925 - I simply can't wait to share that history with you!
Now, back to the magical world of October 10th, 1972... Just think: the first Moon landing was just over three years ago. Disco was starting to sizzle, with artists like Donna Summer and The Jackson Five setting the scene. And oh, how beautifully, the world of dance was flourishing with breathtaking performances, captivating ballet productions and daring contemporary choreographies!
Imagine the excitement, darling! Picture the rush of seeing Martha Graham's groundbreaking dance troupe in "Seraphic Dialogue" in London, with its breathtaking blend of expressionism and the traditional, a dance-lover's dream! Perhaps we can find our way to see the premiere of "The Rite of Spring" by Maurice Béjart? He combined ballet with a breathtaking athletic style! What a privilege that must have been!
But it's not just about those incredible shows, you know. It's about the leotards, the tutus, the dance wear that was in vogue in this fascinating decade. And I just knew there was some exquisite inspiration in 1972 waiting for us to discover.
We travelled to the world's biggest dance stores, London's famous Liberty of London and Harrods, and the dancewear specialist shops. It was the golden era of colour and exciting new shapes and textures in dance wear. And yes, those bright pinks, fuchsias, electric oranges, and shimmering emerald greens were truly out there, in all their glory. Think of stretchy fabrics like Lycra and the exciting advent of velvet. I even spied the beginning of the ‘halter-neck’ craze with those deliciously sensual leotards! And yes, my darlings, we couldn't leave those iconic and elegant tulle tutus – in shades of pale peach and ivory - out of this time travel journey either, those were just gorgeous!
And I've discovered a few of the latest and greatest creations in leotard design. Let's peek at some of those wonderful gems, darling:
* A classic, oh-so-chic, full length, white stretch Lycra leotard, perfect for a graceful ballet dancer, oh-so flattering! It's a timeless look.
* A glorious rainbow explosion of colour in dancewear! Yes, think orange, yellow, pink and blue! Those leotards have truly vibrant splash of sunshine-filled cheer - and oh, those fun and frilly dance shorts that complete the ensemble, such delight!
* Speaking of delight - oh, those dazzling glitter-trimmed tutus – absolutely breathtaking in a delicate ballet pink and lavender. Simply mesmerising.
* How can we miss out on the amazing colour-block style ballet leotard? The bold lines of pink and black and bright, sunny yellows will never go out of style. The geometric lines and those fantastic cuts? A dream to twirl in, you see.
Oh, but the excitement didn't end there. While exploring the London streets on October 10th 1972, I spied the incredible "London Ballet," a brand of leotards. Just imagine - I tried on their vibrant stretch velvet creations, the velvet shimmered as if touched by moonlight. It was almost like the leotards had an invisible, elegant shine and sparkle to them. They made me feel just like a real prima ballerina! London Ballet was celebrated in this wonderful, inspiring decade and was all over the London theatre stages.
I had to share with you this magical and exhilarating treasure trove I discovered at the end of our time travels: in one shop, tucked away, I came upon the most enchanting book, called, " Ballet Costumes of the World: From Ballet Russe to The New York City Ballet." My lovelies, this treasure trove of designs and photographs showed a wonderful history of ballet costume development - and I just had to buy it! I mean, how could I not?
On my journey back to my own era I started to put some ideas together and I can already see my next ballet-inspired ensemble forming! I might need to incorporate some colourful velvet panels on my next magical tutu creation and don’t even get me started on my ideas about a colour block creation, maybe a pink and gold leotard for a showstopper piece – just wait till you see that creation!
Right, time to close up this post my loves - there's so much more for us to discover in those enchanting years! Don't forget, darlings - visit www.pink-tutu.com and see if I’ve popped a video of my ballet performances online! Don't miss the new posts! And don’t forget, let your love of ballet sparkle – wear your tutu loud and proud!
See you next month, and as always, stay bright and fabulous.
Emma x
