TUTU: The History of a Perfect Design
When little girls dress up and prance around like ballerinas, what costume do they dream about? A tutu, of course. With its feather softness and flattering lines, the tutu has evolved into the most graceful and most treasured of all dance costumes. The tutu represents everything that is fundamental to ballet—elegance, versatility and status. For a ballerina, wearing a custom designed tutu means that you are among the very best.
Over the years, tutus have reflected and influenced dance technique and fashion trends. But tutus have incredible staying power. While styles may change with the times, the essential architecture of the tutu, which perfectly accentuates the ballerina, has remained constant. Today, costume designers distort and rework the tutu for contemporary ballets, all while maintaining its basic silhouette. And when a prima ballerina glides onstage wearing a beautiful tutu—no matter what the style—she epitomizes the ballet.
Romanticism and Whimsy: Early Tutus
On March 12, 1832, Marie Taglioni thrilled a Parisian audience in the lead role in “La Sylphide,” which had been choreographed for her by her father. In this role, Taglioni wore a white muslin dress designed by Eugene Lami, which was the precursor to the modern tutu. The word “tutu” is derived from French slang for the behind or buttocks and perhaps refers to the original shape of the tutu skirt, which was full in the back.
While Lami’s costume featured a skirt that fell more naturally from the waist and lacked extravagant layers of fabric, it lent a weightless, ethereal quality to the romantic dancer. With a long, bell-like skirt made of sheer gauze or muslin, the romantic tutu invited glimpses of the dancer’s legs and emphasized a ballerina’s sensuality. These early tutus also featured puffy sleeves and a corset top. In her book, The Lure of Perfection, Judith Chazin-Bennahum describes these dancers as “shadowy creatures in transparent skirts who seemed to evaporate before our eyes.”
From the very beginning, tutus were worn by soloists or lead ballerinas, while the corps was dressed in period-specific costumes. In the 1800s, tutus added to the dancer’s otherworldly aura. Later in the 1870s, Italian ballerinas shortened their skirts and added piles of fabric to enlarge their hips and accentuate their small waist. Choreographers had become more interested in showing what the feet and legs could do and adapted the costumes accordingly. The skirts, now several inches above the knee, displayed virtuosic technique, and necklines were lowered to emphasize sexuality.
Flattering the Female Form: Twentieth Century Developments
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes introduced unconventional ways of dressing both men and women. Lynn Garafola, professor of dance at Barnard College, describes Diaghilev’s use of Greek-style tunics and flapper dresses. At the same time, Isadora Duncan and others removed their corsets and popularized “draping gowns that revealed the female form.”
However, by the end of the 1920s, the tutu regained its popularity on ballet stages. Especially in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, with George Balanchine at the helm, tutus shortened even further and the skirts often stood out straight from the hips in a plate-like shape. Even then, Balanchine was on the cutting-edge of tutu design. In his 1927 work “La Chatte,” the ballerina wore a futuristic tutu with a stiff skirt and translucent overlay, reflecting trends in fashion and art.
In the 1930s, Balanchine began one of his most successful partnerships with Russian costume designer Barbara Karinska. Together, this pair refined tutu design, always keeping in mind Balanchine’s emphasis on the long line of the foot and leg. Karinska first constructed costumes for Balanchine in the 1932 season of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Later, when Ballet Society was founded in New York City, Karinska made popular the “American” tutu, which had a boned bodice and very short, bouffant skirt. Karinska’s refined taste and extraordinary craftsmanship contributed to what Garafola describes as a “truly collaborative relationship.” The fruits of this collaboration can be seen in the frilly, playful designs for Balanchine’s “Western Symphony” (1954) or in the opulent, glittering tutus in Balanchine’s “Jewels” (1967).
While Balanchine and Karinska made popular a style of tutu that highlights the dancer’s movement, other national traditions have led to discernable tutu styles. In Russia, the tutus of the Kirov and Bolshoi ballets are very large in circumference, with a flat skirt that is built around a wire hoop. Also popular in Russian tutus are “open bodices and plunging necklines to perpetuate the ballerina’s erotic image,” says Garafola. In England, tutus are generally longer and more bell-shaped with elaborate embellishments on the bodice. The Paris Opera Ballet in France has some of the most beautifully cut tutus in the world, “reflecting the couture tradition and refinement carried over from French fashion,” says Garafola. Despite national trends and their evolution over time, tutus have maintained their essential characteristics and are certainly the most recognizable of dance costumes.
Contemporary Tutus: Classical Shapes Meet Post-Modern Design
Recently, costume designers have been exploring modern iterations of the tutu, distorting the traditional shape and experimenting with new fabrics. In the 1970s, with the introduction of stretch fabrics like nylon and Lycra, the ballet world saw a shift in the design of the tutu bodice. Garafola remarks that, “the tutu was no longer shaping the body, but the body was shaping the tutu.” While stretch fabrics are lighter and more comfortable for the dancer, they forgo some of the architectural elements and are less durable. This often presents a conflict when ballet companies re-create costumes for older ballets—the company has to choose between an authentic shape and a less expensive, more comfortable version.
In the past decade, contemporary ballets have used high-tech fabrics and pared-down designs to create tutus that keep up with current fashion and meet choreographic demands. At Boston Ballet, draper Ken Busdin has constructed hundreds of tutus, including those that break the traditional mold. In resident choreographer Jorma Elo’s “In on Blue” (2008), the super-physical movement includes intense partnering and throwing. Thus, the tutu had to crush and spring back. Rather than a traditional hoop, Busdin used six layers of heavy nylon crinoline for the skirt. The bodice was made out of metallic brocade with a modern, criss-cross design.
Betsy Blackmore, costume construction manager at North Carolina Dance Theatre, has worked with several designers to create fashion-forward tutus. Recently, Blackmore collaborated with costume designer Christine Darch on an asymmetrical, tangerine-colored tutu for Dwight Rhoden’s ballet “Momentary Forevers.” Darch wanted to use a new fabric called Fuzzform, which shrinks and stiffens with heat, to make a sculpted skirt. The final product was a teardrop-shaped tutu that drops to a point on one hip paired with a sheer, stretchy bodice.
A Delicate Job: Tutu Construction and Maintenance
While tutu design requires a dose of creativity and extensive understanding of ballet technique, the construction of tutus is an equally challenging endeavor. Busdin, who has been making tutus at Boston Ballet for over eight years, remarks that, “when making tutus, you have to learn by doing and figure out what works.” Busdin relies on handmade patterns and “recipes” that draw on years of trial and error.
Every ballet company constructs tutus with minor variations on the classic style. Most often, skirts are made of nine to 13 layers of tulle, using a heavier grade in the middle and softer mesh close to the legs. Many companies sew metal hoops into their shorter skirts to make them stand out, and some use petrochemical fibers for stiffer layers. A traditional tutu bodice is made out of brocade, silk dupione or twill and embellished with trimming and jewels. Occasionally, designers build stretch fabric into the side panels of the bodice. Busdin comments that, “contemporary ballets use new colors seen in fashion or architecture and new weaves in stretch fabrics that allow two different colors at the same time.”
Most tutus are custom-made for one or two dancers, and ballet companies must strike a balance between a perfect fit and adaptability. Blackmore explains that, “tutus are alterable so that they can be re-used for different dancers. This adds to the construction time, but is ultimately worthwhile.” Generally, tutus are hand embellished and therefore labor intensive. Since tutus are very expensive, ballet companies must be able to adjust them to fit new dancers and those performing in new roles. Equally important is a tutu’s longevity, since they cannot be replaced often. Blackmore hand washes tutus after a few performances, thereby prolonging their lifespan. If they are well taken care of, tutus should last at least 10 years.
Over the centuries, the tutu has dramatically influenced how ballerinas move, their technique and ballet’s emphasis on the legs. While they may look demure by today’s standards, the romantic tutus with their sheer muslin skirts illustrated a risqué innovation. Ever since, the tutu has held a unique place among dance costumes and revealed the audience’s desire to, as Chazin-Bennahum describes, “escape from the strictures of everyday life.” Now designers are rethinking tutu styles, but have clearly realized that no other costume is more perfect for ballet.