Charting the Evolution of the Tulle Skirt

Date March 21, 2017

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Last year I signed my son up for a “kinderdance” class thinking it would be the perfect place to stretch his little limbs. But when we got there all I saw was a sea of tiny dancers, small little girls dressed in ballerina slippers and short pink tutus, while their parents beamed through a two-way glass to watch. I had no idea that ballerina tutus were such a rite of passage. To me, tutus were the stuff of Carrie Bradshaw à la Sex and the City wandering down the streets of New York before getting splashed by a bus.

But fashion has long embraced this delicate mesh material. And these days, whether it’s Londoner Molly Goddard with her way-out-their tulle (RiRi is a fan) or a makeup-free Alicia Keys on the red carpet, designers are giving this ballerina favourite a decidedly modern and independent feel.