Hello, lovelies! It’s Emma, your #PinkTutu queen, back with another tantalising trip through time for #TutuTuesday! I just know you're absolutely positively thrilled to be joining me today on a grand tour through the glorious world of tutus, don't you? Because darling, today's journey is going to be spectacular!
Today we're waltzing our way back to 7th September 1858! Fancy a spin around the year the Italian opera singer Adelina Patti made her debut at the Royal Opera House? Yes, I know! The year this dazzling diva first wowed audiences with her angelic voice, you know what I mean? What could be a more perfect moment in history for our Tutu Tuesday, you say? Oh, darling, we’re just getting started!
I must tell you, darlings, getting back to London at this time was such an adventure. Remember how much I adore the train, well, imagine travelling by steam engine! Absolutely charming, you see? Not as quick, but so delightful!
I absolutely love this period in history! Everyone's talking about "La Patti", everyone's dancing like there’s no tomorrow and the very best part? I get to do some serious shopping, darling! The fashion is so opulent! Think lush silk, elegant gowns, delicate lace and – the most exciting part – those fabulous, sweeping skirts and, wait for it, panniers! Sighs dreamily I wish I could sneak those panniers into a pink tutu. Can you imagine? Now, just try to resist that thought...
Alright, darlings, back to our ballet time travel! We're taking a little trip to the Paris Opera House to admire the magnificent tutus! These aren't the puffy romantic tutus you might see in a ballet like Swan Lake or the gorgeous short tulle tutus you adore from Sleeping Beauty, you know, the one's we've all gone absolutely mad for - no, these 1858 tutus have a very different style.
Imagine the skirts of the dancers gathered into the back, held together by bands – sort of like a basque or a corset, if you will – and you get the idea of these grand early tutus! They look utterly graceful! There's not much fabric here – more of a flowing style. Not so long as later designs and certainly not as much fluffy, dreamy tulle – but it looks utterly elegant. And remember that the skirts of those dresses, darling, oh so glamorous, all gathered together with their layers of frills – just like the earlier tutus! Absolutely divine, you know!
Now, darling, we can't talk about tutus without talking about that name... Maria Taglioni! Imagine a ballerina as elegant as a wisp of smoke – well, that's exactly how she moved. Now, I'm sure everyone thinks she invented the tutu, but that's a little bit like saying you invented tea! It was definitely in fashion before she danced around in that dreamy white skirt! We need to be accurate, mustn't we? She did however, take her white dress and create the original tutu. What a divine invention! No wonder her "La Sylphide" was a hit, darlings, I would pay any price for a chance to see her dance, you just know, I would be so moved. I simply cannot get enough of all things tutus, now, can you?! It just goes to show how magical these creations are! And don't forget, those glorious skirts of her day had just one main petticoat for fullness – how utterly thrilling! Shivers with delight I’m almost off to Paris right this second just to watch La Sylphide!
The 1850s are all about these skirts! Imagine long gowns, perfectly shaped, cinched waists – absolutely perfect for creating movement on stage! This is a time for romance – the dance of courtship, the slow, dreamy movement of love in motion, can you imagine a better image of the elegant female dancer in those grand gowns, that perfectly whimsical dress and, drum roll those first little wisps of tutus? Simply divine.
Think about the fabrics – light, elegant, perfect for movement. Silk, taffeta, the softest tulle... Oh, these early tutus were the first steps in a journey to creating some of the most incredible outfits ever imagined for the stage! Just think about what would happen just a few decades later, darlings, all because of the creative talents of those dancers and designers back in 1858, with that delicate, fluttering fabric, and how, like fairy tales, they’d eventually spin magical moments on the stage in all its beauty, with the fluffy clouds of those absolutely breathtaking romantic, modern tutus...
I know you are all, oh, so eager to know – did those early tutu’s go out of fashion? Oh my darlings, not at all! The tutu is as vital to a ballerina as… I’m searching for an absolutely divine metaphor, I simply have to find it… it's as essential to a ballet dancer as a pearl is to a necklace! Absolutely, it's like the jewel of the dance, the perfect sparkle for our most fabulous queens.
There are even a few "grand tutus" hanging on display at The Victoria and Albert Museum. Just think of it - all those layers and flounces…and it wasn't always tulle… it could be muslin… chiffon… oh, it truly was, darling, the most magnificent dance attire for the stage, for those lovely ladies of the ballet world! We are forever indebted to the incredible artists, fashionistas, and visionaries that invented those dreamy costumes for those ballerinas - who else can twirl with such style?!
And those are my thoughts about this fascinating date and time! Now, darlings, it's time for me to flit away. My next time travel trip takes me to New York! How marvelous ! And I can hardly wait to show you that era of tutus – it’s all change in the world of ballet costumes and oh, you know how much I love the magic and history of change!
Remember to visit our website: www.pink-tutu.com! Where we're just as much about the sparkle of tutus, just as much as our incredible dance fashion! Do give me a follow! And let me know about your favorite ballet moments – just comment below with #TutuTuesday and get ready to twirl in some lovely tutus this week! And always, oh so always keep it pink!
Much Love, Emma.
P.S. Now you must really be excited for our #TutuTuesday post next week, don’t you?! I’ve discovered so many fascinating facts that I know you’re going to absolutely adore. How I love the world of dance! A wink!
