Hello my darling darlings! Welcome back to Pink-Tutu.com! This month I'm whisking you away to…well, everywhere! That's right, we're on a time-travelling adventure through leotard fashion, and this time, my trusty sparkly pink leotard took me straight to July 2011! It's just a little bit magical, isn't it? I must admit, I'm a bit of a time-travel addict, especially when it comes to fashion - I always wonder how the gorgeous leotard looks we have now came about. It’s like a fashion puzzle!
So grab a cuppa (or perhaps some champagne - it is a special occasion!), snuggle up, and get ready for a whimsical voyage through leotard fashion history!
This time, my magical leotard carried me straight to the heart of July 2011, right into the midst of London Fashion Week. What an exciting time for leotard fashion! I felt myself right in the middle of all the action, with the energy of creativity swirling all around me. It truly felt like I’d been transported into a whimsical ballet - but with couture fabrics and fabulous new designs!
My darling darlings, you know how much I love me a pink tutu - and oh, how the designers had got it! 2011 was the year of bold colours and exciting shapes, all echoing that fabulous fun you see at the ballet! It was as if designers had just gotten wind of our little ballet secret and injected it straight into high fashion! This was definitely the moment the leotard officially broke free from its 'performance-only' shackles, taking the high fashion scene by storm! I was seeing leotards mixed with skirts, trousers, even jackets. It felt like a revolution! I absolutely adored the trend, which I think really elevated the elegance and artistry of the leotard. The style wasn’t shy – it was playful and vibrant and unapologetically fashionable!
The 2011 Leotard Fashion Buzz
Let me paint you a picture, my sweethearts. Imagine walking down the catwalk, not in a traditional dress but in a perfectly fitted, body-skimming leotard. A little piece of ballet history right there. We're talking colours and prints: think of vibrant red and bold turquoise alongside playful stripes and striking animal prints. It was all about making a statement, and you certainly weren’t going unnoticed when wearing a leotard then. It was just simply stunning! This, for me, is how fashion takes its next leap, taking inspiration from unexpected sources. We've seen how fashion often dips its toes in the world of dance, and 2011 was a beautiful example.
Now, while I was in London, I felt the fashion vibe - I was just a tiny cog in a huge and beautiful machine. There were exciting new talents all around.
This was definitely a moment to remember: the time fashion found its dancer. The time leotards stepped up, into the spotlight and onto the stage of fashion history. The perfect example was the Valentino Autumn/Winter 2011 Haute Couture Collection. Imagine a vision of pure romance with delicate sheer fabrics and intricately beaded leotards paired with luxurious feather boas and intricate headpieces. This was high fashion at its finest! The ballet, darling, just had a little bit of Valentino sprinkled on top! I’ll just add that the collection was widely loved by fashion critics, who described it as ethereal, dreamy, and oh-so-fabulous! This was Valentino’s love song to elegance - it was pure and simple and just simply beautiful, and the leotards in it were everything I'd dreamed of! I almost wished I had my magical tutu with me to have a little twirl down the catwalk with them.
And while on this fashion adventure, my darling dears, I couldn't resist popping over to the legendary Burberry Prorsum Autumn/Winter 2011-2012 collection show, for just a sneak peek. Burberry, of course, never fails to wow with its signature luxury look - and their collection did not disappoint! The leotard here had a much more relaxed, almost street-style, vibe. You might not call them leotards in the fashion world but we know what we’re looking at, darlings - the leotard was just the foundation for chic outerwear - sleek and sporty. A touch of London street style - I really adored the collection for its beautiful merging of athletic and sleek fashion. It was chic but approachable. My little ballerina heart was singing! It felt as though Burberry were showing us, it was ok to embrace a sporty and stylish attitude, mixing those beautiful leotard looks with some stylish and glamorous outerwear, and this collection gave that modern twist we love to see - it was classic, sleek and stylish - exactly what we need in every dancer’s wardrobe!
Of course, every fashionable adventure wouldn’t be complete without a splendid visit to Paris for their high-fashion showcase! I, for one, simply adore the unique blend of classic and modern in Paris's high fashion, a mix of elegant charm and revolutionary style. And darling darlings, let me tell you - Paris Fashion Week did not disappoint in 2011!
What captivated me, above everything else, was the use of bold leotard silhouettes, that really stood out on the Paris catwalks, creating an unmistakable impact, something almost architectural. It really reflected the changing direction of fashion - not shying away from strong looks.
Remember the Mugler show in October 2011, when leotard was absolutely centre stage - that collection felt almost rebellious, it was full of energy and that striking look of the woman who has no fear of owning a bold silhouette!
What I especially loved was the way designers took a classic style - a simple leotard, and they took it to a new place - by exaggerating the cut of the necklines - plunging necklines and wide scooped armholes, the designs were all about those dramatic details - with their bold look they were completely striking, and not something anyone could ignore!
Leotard Love Across The World
Of course, the magic of 2011 was not only confined to the runways of London, Milan and Paris - I, for one, loved how fashion was spreading its leotard love across the whole globe, into different styles and places - and everywhere, leotards were becoming the heart of fashion! You couldn't have missed the impact of the leotard fashion scene in Japan, and how streetwear designers took the fashion scene by storm - they embraced the versatile leotard, showing how comfortable, but still super fashionable they can be! With leotard becoming an icon for fashion, it was really the perfect year to see the dance world - our world, - embraced by street style. It was fantastic for all the ballet dancers out there - to see our love of the leotard making its way onto the streets - in different ways, with all sorts of stylish interpretation - just amazing!
In Korea, leotard design had an absolute explosion! This was definitely the year where fashion designers and streetwear designers started seeing how stylishly, you could combine a leotard, with the most exciting, innovative streetwear, creating this really exciting, eye-catching style, really showing that leotards weren't just for ballet - it was so much more! We’re talking fashion that was comfortable yet really cool - and oh, it made me just want to grab a leotard and dance right there in the heart of the city - I was absolutely obsessed with what I saw in Seoul, and it definitely proved that there is something about leotards that makes us all want to dance!
Back to My Ballet Studio
Well, darling darlings, that was July 2011 for me. It was full of magic, whirlwind and some very exciting leotard trends! And now, I'm back here, in my studio in Derbyshire, writing all this to you. I can almost still feel the electricity in the air from all that time traveling, I can’t wait to get out my pink tutu and do my next show – that is my mission in life: get everyone in the world to wear a pink tutu! There’s no place I rather be than in the heart of fashion and ballet. Until next time!
