Hello darlings, and welcome back to another week of #TutuTuesday on your favourite ballet blog, www.pink-tutu.com. Today, we’re taking a trip back in time, travelling in my favourite pink-trimmed carriage (yes, you read that right - my very own train carriage, re-imagined in glorious pink!) to the year 1865!
Ooh la la, can you believe we’re all the way back in the mid-19th century? Such an exciting time! Imagine all the adventures! Well, even in those days, I’m sure the ladies and gents (and by gents, I mean gentlemen who were brave enough to be a tad flamboyant!) were rocking the latest ballet trends. Just think - how fabulous would you look twirling in a full, fluffy, gloriously pink tutu, amongst the crowd, at the premiere of a new opera or a theatrical performance?
Speaking of premieres, do you know what is a fantastic thing to have taken place on the 7th of March in 1865? Why, The Grand Duchess, by Jacques Offenbach, had its very first night at the Theatre Lyrique in Paris! It’s true - a new opera!
Imagine the buzz of excitement, the energy of a packed house, and those glittering gowns and elegant trousers. And, if I may say so, they likely didn’t even know the glorious invention of the tutu yet - oh, the shame! Thankfully, we have the Ballet Tutu History Blog to share its wonder!
Now, you might think, "Emma, you can't be serious! You want to travel back to the 1860s and wear a tutu?! What's with all the pink, it's so impractical!" But I say, if there's one thing we can learn from the past, it's that fashion, at its heart, is about freedom. The freedom to express yourself, to break the mould and create something truly, magically yours. It's about the confidence and joy a perfectly-placed pink ruffle brings to a simple frock. Why else would we even bother with these historical explorations if not to be inspired? So, you can tell your husbands (and wives!), your children and your cousins to ditch their trousers and throw on their favourite frocks and dance into the 21st Century, tutu in tow!
It's a bit like the ballet - so beautifully simple yet undeniably graceful. In my opinion, that's exactly what the tutu represents: an uninhibited spirit that embraces simplicity while allowing space for boundless, joyful expression. Imagine a ballerina twirling, a dress flowing around her. And the tutus! You’ve simply got to embrace them. Don't be shy - think outside the box, darlings. I bet you’re a lot more adventurous and free than you think, and the pinkest tutu can unleash your creativity, all while looking spectacular!
I bet you’re wondering how I can afford all this glamorous travelling and blogging? Well, to fund my time-hopping adventures and provide some pretty stylish wardrobe changes, I take my beloved pink tutu to the stage - quite the spectacle, I can tell you! But then again, a pink tutu really brings some extra flair to any theatre performance, doesn't it? Why be another ordinary performer when you can be an extraordinarilly, fantastically pink tutu wearing balletic dream come true?!
Back to our beloved ballet! As any respectable tutu enthusiast knows, 1865 marks a period of enormous change in the world of ballet. Think leotards and pointes, those gorgeous shoes with tiny heels designed to elevate you gracefully, the iconic pointe work! Imagine being able to literally rise above the rest! I mean, can you even imagine having all this amazing ballet fashion around you back in 1865? It’s no wonder that everyone around was twirling in delight, I dare say.
As my travels have taken me across Europe (and you bet I always get a table next to the train windows for the best scenic views - pink tutus do draw attention, you know!), I've become somewhat of a history buff. And you know what? History shows us that tutus, unlike trends, come and go! We saw a short-lived popularity in the mid-19th Century and then a whole new explosion of tutus, and ballet for that matter, in the 20th century, becoming almost mainstream! You have to love a piece of clothing so versatile and beloved to inspire so many amazing ballet movements and even inspire other types of performance too! The tutu, quite literally, is one of the few pieces of fashion I feel are timeless - imagine finding a piece of clothing worn by a ballerina and still looking fabulous centuries later? So many lovely colours and fabulous frills, all around.
So here's my advice, darlings - do a little exploration, visit some theatres and historical sights, try to peek at what a hundred and fifty years ago might have been considered trendy. Do your research on a tutu and be creative! Imagine what kind of a ballerina you'd be back in those times, where the ballet world was on the cusp of something new and glorious!
Until next #TutuTuesday, may your days be filled with the graceful spirit of ballet and, of course, be a little bit pink! And don't forget to share your fabulous tutu moments using the hashtag #pinktutu, because everyone deserves to wear a little pink.
Lots of love,
Emma xo
