‘Tutu Reimagined’ has inspired me to add pink and a box pleat skirt to my wardrobe.

Yesterday I saw a lovely exhibition ‘Tutu Reimagined’ at the QUT Art Museum. The Australian Ballet’s 2003 project invited selected designers and architects to create their vision of a tutu. Feathers, beading, resin beads, and ballet slippers were incorporated into gorgeous designs. I am so pleased I saw it with another girlfriend.

As a little girl I never took ballet lessons which is probably a good thing as I quickly grew into a long-legged gangly girl far too tall for any male dancer. I would have looked like a tarantula on steroids. However I envied the small girls who flounced around in their pink leotards and frilly tutus. My sports attire of shorts, t-shirt and life jacket wasn’t nearly so glamorous.

What is it about a full skirt which brings out the little girl in grown women?We flirt and twirl, and laugh when the wind flicks it up allowing a glimpse of long gorgeous legs. It complements the waistline and for those lucky enough to have a curvy bosom it is a reflection of the female shape. Sometimes I worry that with my boyish figure I look like a stick insect in a skirt but I don’t care. I know I become more coquettish when wearing a full skirt.  However, sadly there quickly arrives an age when other than on stage a girl should not wear a short fluffy skirt. But fashion hasn’t neglected my girlish ego. The elegant box pleated skirt is back in vogue and I am already practising my pirouette.

For a lady who generally wears black, navy and cream I might even introduce a little pink to the wardrobe but I am not sure about the petticoat or crinoline. Check out the scene “La Crinoline’ on the porcelain de Choisy le Roi plate at Maddie and Marie.