Monday, May 10, 2010

Tutu Madness

tutu is a skirt worn as a costume in a ballet performance, often with attached bodice. It might be single layer, hanging down, or multiple layers starched and jutting out.






There are several types of ballet tutu:
Romantic Tutu: three quarter length bell shaped skirt made of tulle. The hemline falls between the knee and the ankle. The romantic tutu is free flowing to emphasise lightness, to suit the ethereal quality of the romantic ballets such as Giselle or Les Sylphides. It is said to have been invented, or at least popularized, by Marie Taglioni.
Classical Tutu (bell): A very short, stiff skirt made with layers of netting with a slight bell shape and fitted bodice. It extends outwards from the hips and does not use a wired hoop. It is usually longer than a classical (pancake) tutu. These can be seen in the famous ballet paintings by Degas.
Classical Tutu (pancake): A very short, stiff skirt made with layers of netting that extends straight outwards (from the hips) in a flat pancake shape, and has a fitted bodice. The pancake style has more layers of net and usually uses a wire hoop and much hand tacking to keep the layers flat and stiff.
Balanchine/Karinska Tutu: also known as the "powder puff" is a very short skirt with no hoops, and fewer layers of netting than the pancake or classical styles. The skirt is loosely tacked to give a softer, fuller appearance. This style was designed originally for the ballet version of Georges Bizet's Symphony in C.
Platter Tutu: A tutu with a flat top that sticks straight out from the ballerina's waistline.

According to TutusChic, this is a nylon petticoat not a tutu, a lot of people confuse them with ballet tutus.

Tutus are usually made from the following materials:
tulle
nylon


Images from: WEHEARTIT

2 comments:

  1. Love your photos and your descriptions of the various ballet tutus is very accurate.
    The photo with #9 is actually a nylon petticoat--fyi, not a tutu. But many people get them confused.
    Great info and collage though! Thank you.
    www.tutuschic.com

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  2. Thank you for your comment! I wasn't sure about that one to be honest, but looked so pretty I had to upload it anyways!
    Thank you again for stopping by my blog ;)

    ReplyDelete