Hello, my lovelies! Emma here, back from another whirlwind trip through time. It's always so exciting, this whole travelling in my shimmering pink leotard thing, isn't it? Just hopping in, taking a leap, and popping up in a different era. This month I've found myself back in the eighties! It was fab, honestly, so much fun to be a ballerina on the streets in that fabulous decade. I loved it! But where do I even begin?! It was just an extraordinary journey in more ways than one, let me tell you...
So, this month's time travel landing spot took me to 5th May 1986. The air was filled with that unmistakably 80s buzz: a kind of jazzy synth pop hum. The hairstyles, oh my! So much volume and hairspray, all big and glorious, which matched the fashion perfectly. It was like stepping into a giant, glittery disco ball. Honestly, the clothes were pretty incredible.
The 80s are, of course, known for their vibrant colour palette, a real kaleidoscope of joy, with neon pinks and acid yellows standing out in bold fashion. Leotards, well they were everywhere, and they certainly lived up to their bold eighties vibe! Everything was a bit brighter and bolder then, more adventurous in every way.
But for me, this era is especially dear, as it was the rise of leotards in pop culture and a peak era for ballet, as well! Ballet was reaching mainstream with the help of "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," a controversial movie where ballerina Martha Graham featured prominently in the dancing scenes and was a critical success, it made the public rethink how the image of a ballerina could be presented, in a very mature and stylish manner. And remember Madonna in her "Vogue" music video, that had a very distinct balletic flavour to it? Well that did a great deal to get all those people into dance! This was just before she went wild and really hit it off, before "Like A Prayer".
In terms of ballet leotards, 1986 saw designs that were streamlined with striking, bold colours. Black was definitely a dominant shade, making for beautiful, elegant silhouettes. And it was great for mixing with these fluorescent neon shades, just a bit more punchy than the pale shades used previously.
This was also a peak time for tutu styles. Think big, voluminous, romantic, and flowing; the epitome of romanticism. So much tulle and a real focus on softness and grace. This was the perfect moment to embrace that princess ballerina spirit, and I certainly did! You could feel this powerful feminine vibe coming from everywhere. I love this whole ethereal ethereal and yet fierce ballerina energy of the 80s, and it's still quite fashionable today in certain ballet schools and productions, even more so since "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" brought about this powerful ballerina spirit, it was really inspiring, just like the movie! You should see what I found at the antique shop today! A pristine "Dance World" magazine with a huge spread of tutus on its cover! Honestly, the fashion just had a different sort of elegance, like, it felt almost like you could reach out and touch it.
I’d spent quite a few days simply wandering the streets, soaking up the vibe and trying to take in the incredible energy, just so much freedom in the air and people didn't even look twice if I just stood there and did a couple of turns or posed with a perfect attitude. The eighties people just seemed to go with the flow.
Anyway, on my fifth day in 1986, I found myself in the grand, beautiful city of New York City! My favourite spot on Earth! There I went to the iconic Radio City Music Hall and I saw a spectacular show, "The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular"! It's so funny to think how it was a traditional holiday show back in 1986! These dancers wore dazzling silver leotards in perfect harmony with sparkly tutus, which were very small but were so chic, really emphasized those amazing, slender long legs and the precision moves they were doing were amazing! You have to experience the Rockettes to truly understand. I also fell in love with a gorgeous magenta leotard that was in one of the department store windows. And let's be honest, I just had to get it, didn’t I? And I was so happy when I saw a stall on Broadway filled with tutus - that's where I grabbed a vibrant fuschia number to match my new leotard. Oh, my gosh, I loved this combination so much.
Back then there wasn't as much in the way of Instagram for fashion inspiration, but in 1986 it was more like “The Ballet Annual” – a beautiful, coffee table sized book full of stunning pictures, a bit like an elegant Ballet-magazine in its entirety! In it, I found some pretty incredible outfits and fashion tips to get my creative leotard juices flowing for when I'm back in my own era! And yes, I did, of course, get myself a copy from a dusty second-hand bookshop in Greenwich Village! I'll tell you all about my treasures when I next have a spare minute in the blog! I promise I’ll show you how I wore the fuschia tutu in my show later today in Derbyshire – oh, my word there were so many great tutus around in the 80s! I'm absolutely dying to get my hands on one and, and it felt so perfect to be doing a little show on a street corner in Derbyshire to earn some more travel funds. The world of ballet is definitely something special! It feels a bit like I was right back there, dancing among those fabulous, fashion-forward eighties women. The era felt really very glamorous – all the glittery hair and outfits with big shoulder pads just made me feel incredible, I think I had to pull out my leotard's full sparkly and bright features to really match it.
I'm still catching my breath after my time travel back to the 80s, there was just so much going on! This 80s-infused look is now an amazing style inspiration for today’s trends and is so vibrant and joyful for the summer season ahead. Just like that time travelling, magenta leotard I snagged - it's already had a fantastic trip out for some spring performances - it was just an explosion of pink and it had the people watching really excited! Oh, how I love those looks! Just to see a look of amazement and joy! That's what it's all about!
So if you ever need some inspiration or feel like embracing your inner eighties fashion goddess, don't forget the tutus and that pink! Oh, and if you're feeling really adventurous, why not add a pop of neon pink to your everyday look? Remember, embrace your own individuality and let your personal style shine.
Let me know if you decide to try out a 80s ballerina look yourself - send me your pics! And, as always, I love to read all your comments and any of your own time-travelling ballerina tales, so keep them coming! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a pink sparkly leotard and some vintage tutus calling me, to see what time travels they have in store for us next! ✨💖💖
