A swan’s skirt made of 10 square metres of tulle

An essential element in classical ballet and in Swan Lake: the tutu turns a corps de ballet into a harmonious group of elegant swans. But just how ‘classical’ is the tutu itself? And how are these iconic protruding skirts made? Oliver Haller, head of Dutch National Ballet’s costume department, talks about the nineteenth century and huge mountains of tulle.

“If the tutu didn’t exist, I might not be working here! Apart from the fact that it’s attached to a beautiful bodice, I’m also really fascinated by the tulle garment itself”, begins Haller passionately. “The tutu isn’t just any old ‘skirt’ – it’s taken the tutu at least a hundred years to reach its ultimate form, and there’s a great deal involved in the process of making them.” Although the tutu is seen as an absolute classic, it’s actually a much more recent invention than you might expect. “The tutu has only existed in its current form since around World War II. But before that, it already started its evolution at the beginning of the nineteenth century.”

NEW LACE, NEW OPPORTUNITIES

This evolution came about through an unintentional discovery. “In those days, people were crazy about lace. So a Mr Heathcoat from England wanted to develop a cheaper variety, but a flaw in his loom meant that he accidentally produced a new fabric. As he thought it was actually a very interesting material, he decided to manufacture more of it. And it became a real rage, which then crossed over to France as well. There, in the little town of Tulle, lots of lace makers decided to start using their machines for the production of this new fabric, which is how the material got its name.”

The invention of tulle opened up new possibilities for ballet costumes. Skirts made of the fabric were worn for the first time in 1831, in the production Robert le diable. “It was actually an opera, but the third act is viewed by some as the first ballet blanc: a scene where the principal ballerina and the corps de ballet of women are completely draped in white. This look became popular and the white tulle skirts were copied in many other ballets. However, these skirts were still very long, reaching right down to the ankles, as in those days no glimpse was allowed of the ballerinas’ legs, let alone their knees.” It was only when the role of the ballerina become more important and the dance steps demanded more leg room that the tutus were shortened – until eventually they reached the average length we see today.

SPECIALISM

The short tutus, as we still know them today, are technically very different from the original romantic tutu. “The basis is actually a pair of pants, onto which we sew more than ten square metres of tulle in total. They’re all straight strips, in gradually decreasing sizes. On our Swan Lake tutus, for example, the top strip is 40 centimetres wide and 6.5 metres long, the next is 38 centimetres wide and 5.5 metres long and the bottom layer is just 4 centimetres wide and 3.5 metres long. These strips are attached in turn around the girth of the hips, so that the straight pieces automatically form a circle.”