Following @ArnoldJ 's post this morning about The Tutu Project: http://www.socialphy.com/posts/images-pics/11493/Ballerina.html (which was great by the way) I felt inspired to devote a whole post to ballet tutus as I love them. There's something beautifully romantic and ethereal about them, especially when worn by a graceful ballerina (they're not quite the same when a balding overweight man puts on one). I love the way they flounce around when you move and one of my favorite things about going to the ballet is watching the flurry of tutus flutter across the stage.

(On a side note, if you said ‘tutu’ in Hawaii, you’d be talking about your Grandmother; in New Zealand it’s a poisonous plant and Tutu de Feijão is a paste made of beans and manioc flour in Brazil!)

I've put together a collection of inspiring tutu photos for your viewing pleasure:

From the 1920s





to the modern day















And who can forget the stunning tutus worn by Natalie Portman in Black Swan:



And here is an interesting article about the art of tutu making. It's quite a complex process. Believe it or not, tutus are made almost exclusively by men because it's such hard, physical work. It’s also very repetitive and so there is a bit of a shortage of tutu makers in the world.

http://balletnews.co.uk/the-story-of-a-swan-lake-tutu-you-can-win-swan-lake-tickets-plus-an-afternoon-with-english-national-ballet%E2%80%99s-dancers/

Maybe tutu making is my new calling in life. Although I'm not sure I could deal with such physically taxing work.