HOW WAS TUTU BORN ? ?
The tutu is with no doubt the most poetic costume, the immediate view people have when talking about ballet. The tutu makes a magic circle aroubd the Ballerina.
Tutu appears long time after muslin underskirts worn by Paris Ballet Opera's dancers in 1832. It is a stage costume specifficaly made for romantics and classical choreographies. It does emphasizes the Ballerina's body.
Little girls dream about it, Ballerinas wer it, Witness love it, dressmakers dream it.
This all to show that a tutu is at the same time made of happiness, beauty, rigour, elegance and pleasure. A synonim to ... Dream
However Contemporary dance prefers using tights, the dancer's second skin. Tutu, much less used on stage, appears as streetwear. Not only dancers wear tutus. Young people do, in the street, as fashion garments.
It's been white for many years, then became trendy when getting coloured and fashion.
Tutu's history is closely dependent on the fabric making, in particular the appearance of nylon ; silk tulle used until then was way too fragile.
While ballet technic is confirming, dancer shorten their dresses.
Fabrics become more flexible, lighter and let fluid forms appear.
But, after several 'accidents', dues to too much dressing freedom for dancers (well, too short dress, if you see what I mean), Ballet masters decide pants must be worn under dresses.
BBut fashion comes from the street and impose the nearly naked. Not for long, because soon ballerinas are called to order and required to lengthen their legs to the ankles.
In 1832, Satin Ballet shoe appears.
This new style brought transparency and the white becomes the only adapted to Ballet.
From this time, woman fashion is made of muslim dresses, cut wasp, corolla dresses, stoles and gauze hack.
This fashion does not last in streets, but becomes the standard on stage and impose white et palor in the ballet world.
But, let's come back to the Tutu. It does appear at the end of 19th century.
At this time, a ballet dancer is still dressed with tulle undrskirts.
Those underskirts are now used for lessons and repetitions, tutus are used only for shows.
1840, Ballet costumes is made of a white muslin dress (or a black satin one), a corset, white silk bottoms and knees length pants.
The dancer buy and own their costume.
Their costume features a tail line frontly tied with a straw ribbon ; then bust is enclosed in an adjusted corset. Next, pant and bottoms.
It is now turn for the blouse and underskirt.
A girdle is the "touche finale" to this costume.
Stage costumes are kindly the same, but much smooth.
For Dancers, sizes and styles are NOT free :
- Dresses must be 50 to 60 cms high, made of 2 ranges of tarlatan measuring 5 to 6 meters length, sewn at the bottom of a 15 cms high girdle.
TThis gridle encloses the hips and keeps it smooth and elegant. The making of those costumes is entirely on the dancer's duty. This tradition keeps until the 1850's. This become more and more difficult, every evening dancers put in plaice their underskirt with pins. This does take much time. Through the years, line is replaced by Bra Holder and panties. Then pant and corset also disappear. With long time, tunic are prefered to underskirts. Those successive abandonment are mainly due to the freedom of the body, work technic, fashion and, also, economical measures and ease of use.
After World War II, raw materials are missing, costumes and shoes are with poor quality. Fabric is missing, fashion makes the tutus become shorter. From 1930 to 1958, shirt and tights are used for training and shows. Black Leotard and tights are worn for lessons, rarely flesh colour is used. Off Course, Many other colours will become standard in leotards, tights, warmers, ... from the 1960's
The Tutu, Stage Costume, evolves with the fashion. From The long tutu (until the ankle) to the half-long one (just below the knee), tutu becomes more and more short, to show the legs and emphasize the silhouette. New materials are also responsible of the tutu's evolution. Tarlatan disappear and is replaced with cotton, silk is only used for the underskirt. Cotton is much easier to wash than tarlatan. Because one must admin that keeping a clean tutu has been a challenge for many generations of ballerinas ; A tutu is so much expensive, it can not be replaced. Nylon, who appeared just before WWII, was very long to be used in balle costumes.
In the 1960's, short tutu are "Ã la mode". This fashion evolves with travels of the dancers, people they meet. Costumes Makers are rare personn, this job is very difficult. Tutu Making art disappear slowly . . .
ATutu is always made of 3 distincts parts : La trousse (the case) Le jupon (the underskirt) Le bustier (the bustier).
- La trousse, this part is attached to the underskirt on several tull slices.
- A strong tull is used for the under layers. The last layer (the over one) ; silk tull ; may be used natural or can be decorated, embroidered, spangled.
Those tutus are gone up on the hips. - The Bustier, made of satin, marry the body of the dancer thanks her system of grips and 'whales'.
It may be cut off and decorated in thousands different ways.
Bustier are sewn at the girdle of the case (bottom of the tutu. just beetween the leg).
Wear a tutu is not an easy stuff ; It must sometimes be laced or fastened. This does require help from a dresser.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TUTUS
There are many different tutus:
- tutu DEGAS (Long tutu)
- tutu plateau OPERA (Flat tutu)
- tutu long ROMANTIQUE (Long tutu)
- tutu court PETIT RAT (Training tutu)
- tutu court professionnel ETOILE (Short romantic tutu)
- tutu long professionnel ETOILE (Long romantic tutu)
EExtrem smoothness, Much width, Tull will make nearly any wearer an étoile. .
Since its very first days, the tutu has been the traditionnal costule of classical ballet, the symbol of the Ballerina.
At the beginning of 19th century, the mothers of Ballerinas made themselves their daughter's tutus. Now, it is made in specialized tutus.
There are 2 main families of tutus :
- Long Tutus (aka Romantic Tutus)
- Short Tutus(aka Academic Tutus)
They both are made from a bustier and a piece of fabric on which are sewn the underskirts and layers. For the Bust, the Costume maker makes a pattern from the sizes of the Dancer. This pattern will then be cut in the tull. This pattern is made of 5 differents parts (2 for the front part, 2 for the back part, 1 for the side part) Bustier is the cut in the chosen fabric. It is closed with a fastener in the middle of the back. 3 bones (1 in front, 2 on sides) hold the bustier. Then, the final touch is made to the cut off. The Bustier is tried with layers not sewn, then those 2 parts are sewn together.
The first step, for a long tutu, is the making and the trying of the strong holder. The strong Holder is a tull piece of about 10 cms height around the hips of the dancer. It is hold, strongly tightened, to the hips with fasteners.
Then, the sewner cuts layers. Top of layers is made of organsa or muslin. Once cut and wrinkled, each layer is assembled, 2cms apart from the previous. One begins with the narrower one (The most under one) and ends with the widest one (The most over one). Finished tutu is tried by the Ballerina, with its bustier.
The 2 main kinds of short Tutus used are the 'English Tutu' and the "tutu à cerclette".
The first step in the making process is the case, cut in a nylon tull in 3 slices.
Then, from 11 to 13 layers are cut.
Each layer has a different size.
Each layer is ranged beetween 4 to 6 cms in length, 5 to 41 cms in width.
Then, they are assembled from the smaller to the bigger.
Then, the sewer can do the bush setting (baguage in french).
This operation consist in linking all layers togethers.
The tutu "Ã cerclette" features a steel circle inside the tull.
Making of a simple tutu (without ornaments) takes about 20 hours.
The most part of semi-industrial tutu making is in the south of France, in dordogne.
Those tuts are made as series for cutting and making.
Wrinkling is always hand made.
The main part of the tutu production is based on long tutus (romantic), half long (Degas Tutus) and short tutus.
Until 1970, the tutu bodies are made of nylon. Then arrives the lycra.
Two kinds of fabrics are used :
- Polyamid Lycra
- Satin Lycra
Lycra gives elasticity and makes the fabric glue to the body of the Dancer.
Today, the making of a tutu is about 20 minutes for a long one, 15 minutes for a short one.
The hardest part of the making is the wrinkling, but great workers give a wonderfull work.
What's inside a tutu ?
LFabrics used since the 19th century are white or light beige.
They are light, see through, smooth, fluid and translucents.
- THE HAIR
There are 2 kinds of hairs.- Rough coat hairs, which is boiled.
- Used for stuffing.
- THE GAUZE
The name of the gauze comes from the City of "gaza", in middle east, where this pack is made. Gauze, imported since the end of medium-ages, is now made in france (mainly in Lyon and Paris). It is very loved in the 18th and 19th centuries.br> Gauze is openwork, transparent, made with cotton, flax, wool or silk wires. It is characterized by a weaving with spreaded wires. It is used in clothes, furnishing, health, industry, ... The use of gauze is much linked to the appearance of the tutu at the beginning of 19th century. It is used until WW II for tutu making. At this time, sole dancer buy gauze and make themselves their own tutus. Gauze is not used anymore in tutus.
- MUSLIN
Muslin comes from Mossoul, a city in Iraq. Came from indias, it appears in France at the 18th century, first made of silk then made of cotton. Despite the work from the government (no importations, self making, ...), we'll have to wait until 19th century to see a muslin industry in France. The "muslin" trend starts then a new industry era. Muslin is a smooth fabric, transparency and vaporous. It is made with smooth and overtwisted wires, gently tightened, made with cotton, flax, wool, viscose, synthetic or silk wires. It is great for stage costumes. Light and Solid, muslin is often used in Ballet Costumes and stands over long tutu's layers. - ORGANDI AND ORGANZA
Their root seems to come from Ourguentch(Ourgandi, trade city beetween arabics and chineses). Much used from 18th century, those fabrics are imported from indias. Then, they are made in france, in the same factories than the muslin. Organdi and Organza, are two similar packs, their name just depends on the wire used for the weaving. Very near Muslin, they differ in their rigid aspect. Organdi and Organza are much used in furnishing for curtains, clothing for trimmings of blouses, Wedding dreses. Organdi is not used anymore in ballet Costumes, too much fragile and breakable. Organza is still used today in romantic tutus. - THE TARLATAN
Tralatan is imported from Indias. Its french making stands in Tarare, near Lyon. It is a cotton pack, featirung a much wide weaving, much appreciated. Tarlatant is mainly used for making evening dresses, hair dresses and underwears. Also used for patterns, furnishing, health, ... Some say that tarlatan is the young women's preffered pach It is as nice as tull, more solid and cheaper After WW II, tutu's underskirts are made of tarlatan. It is a rigid fabric which makes the round basis. Hard to care, tutus are never washed, and are used until death. Now, Tarlatan is only used for making basis and hats. - TULLE
This fabric comes from the city of Tulle, in France. Tulle is a kind of lace Tulle Lace is made of very regular meshes. From 17th to 18th century, it is used to decorate clothes. In 1827, The only production is a flat tulle. Near 1830, jacquard weaving loom are in use for making tulle. Then, it is possible to make several varieties of tulle. Tulle is a openwork, thin, light and transparent fabric. Use of Tulle is greatly appreciated in furnishing, clothes, due to its "magic" appearance. There are several varieties of tulle:
- basic : hexagonal and round meshs
- tulle malines: hexagonal and lengthened meshs
- tulle Bruxelles: square meshs
- tulle Valenciennes, Alençon, Chantilly, Calais: meshs reproducing the drawings of laces
- tulle illusion: Very smooth tulle
- tulle grec: Big nets
- tulle point d'esprit: with feathers
- THE VEIL
It is a smooth and transparent fabric. Came from the indias, veil is made with overtwisted wires. The result is a very smooth fabric. Veil is used in religious clothes, furnishing or casual clothes. Some tutus are made of cotton veil ("Degas" tutus). - NYLON
Discovered in the USA in 1937, nylon is a synthetic textil. It is available in france since 1938.
