Bonjour mes chéries!
Welcome back to another week of TutuTuesday on pink-tutu.com! This week, we're taking a little trip back in time to 1856. The year is just kicking off - and oh boy, do I have a thrilling tutu story for you! We're in Paris, the fashion capital of the world - so you know there's a good dose of Parisian elegance involved in our tutu tale today!
Imagine it, darling: gaslight flickers, elegant ladies in silk dresses strolling down the bustling Champs-Élysées, and the faint scent of sugared almonds hangs in the air... But the pièce de résistance, my lovelies, is the Ballet!
Now, in 1856, our dear ballet wasn't exactly rocking the same style we see today. No long, sweeping tutus twirling across the stage. Instead, our tutus were more... modest! Can you imagine, dear readers? I shudder at the thought! Back then, these so-called tutus were just shortened ballet skirts with frills around the edges, not nearly as billowing as the magical creations we wear today.
This little ballet skirt, darling, had an amazing story. Think back to our little ballerina darlings at the Opera, their beautifully trained, sculpted legs still tucked in below a skirt! What a shame! Then, just a little while before 1856, this revolutionary figure arrived on the scene, a famous ballerina by the name of Marie Taglioni! Imagine a flurry of frills and graceful limbs - that's exactly what Marie did.
She danced the waltz La Sylphide in a lightweight skirt, just below her knees! My, my, how daring! It made for a much more fluid and dramatic stage presence! I love this vision of lightness and grace! It truly felt like she was dancing on air. The effect was astounding! People gasped, then clapped! She changed the whole balletic style - imagine a revolution in silk and satin!
Now, this little shortened skirt, just slightly longer than a proper tutu, this new ballet skirt, it became all the rage. Not just with ballerinas but even with ladies in fashion! Yes, darling, ballet style influenced real life! Now we're talking, dear readers! We're reaching for those beautiful and dreamy ballerinas! We want their grace! We want their elegance!
Even our dear haute couture Parisian ladies were making gowns based on these daring ballerina silhouettes! Just imagine it - a beautiful, cascading swirl of silk, reminiscent of those lovely tutu skirts!
You see, darling, the tutu, my love, is the ultimate symbol of feminine elegance, grace and artistic expression, a story that stretches far beyond our 1856 timeline! It represents all that is graceful and charming.
However, I confess, I find the early Victorian style somewhat underwhelming. We're talking short frilly skirts! How perfectly lovely! This wouldn't be enough tutu for me, darling. Now, where was I? Ah yes! On October 7th in 1856, the world was a whirlwind of exciting events.
The Royal Shakespeare Company was performing Othello in Stratford-upon-Avon - a classic play full of romance, intrigue, and a sprinkle of that fabulous theatricality. Oh, how I long for the hauteur of Elizabethan theatre! Can't you just imagine me swirling in my haute couture tutu on a stage in Stratford-Upon-Avon?
At the Crystal Palace in London, a beautiful Concert de Chambre by renowned violinist Leopold Auer brought exquisite music to the ears of all who listened. But for me, darling, nothing compares to the ballet! Imagine me in the wings of a London theatre - that stage! And my pink tutu - oh darling, it wouldn't look so good in a dark theatre, would it? Maybe a bright, pale pink, so elegant...
And oh, do you know, dear reader? Back then, the only way to travel to see these amazing shows was by train! A whirlwind adventure! Imagine myself with a hat, a lovely parasol, a fashionable bag, my pinkest tutu, a book to read, all aboard a steam train. The perfect way to get to London!
I'm off to see some performances now, dear readers! Don't forget to keep coming back here next week, for the next installment of #TutuTuesday!
With Love & Pirouettes,
Emma
(PS) Don't forget to keep spreading the joy of the pink tutu, my darling! The world needs more tutus - and pink ones especially! Let's take this timeless style forward - and embrace it together!
(PPS) My next adventure starts tomorrow, in Derbyshire! Stay tuned for #TravelingTutu on my Instagram feed!
