Tutu is the characteristic skirt worn by classical ballerinas, in two main forms — the long romantic and the short classical.
The tutu has existed in two principal forms across ballet's history. The Romantic tutu — a soft, bell-shaped skirt of layered tulle reaching to the calf or ankle — was created for Marie Taglioni's 'La Sylphide' in 1832 and defined the look of Romantic ballet ('Giselle', 1841). The Classical or 'pancake' tutu — short, stiff, and projecting horizontally from the hips — emerged in late 19th-century Russia under Marius Petipa, exposing the legs to display the increasingly virtuosic footwork of dancers like Pierina Legnani. The change in costume tracked a change in aesthetic: Romantic ballet was about ethereal women hovering between worlds; Classical Russian ballet was about technical brilliance and clear geometric line. Designers from Léon Bakst to Christian Lacroix have reinterpreted the tutu, but the silhouette has remained one of the most instantly recognisable in all the performing arts.