Charlie and Jana in Black and Red

Don't they make an adorable Pro-Am team?  Jana is Charlie's teacher, and they compete all over the United States together.  Charlie really likes to have a great and unique look on the floor, and this is the fourth set of costumes I have created for him and Jana.  Jana is an artist in her own right and likes to be very involved in their design process.  This time, she brought me sketches of what they wanted and Michele and I did our best with her designs.

Jana's gown reminds me of a "French Maid" look.  I kept thinking it needed ruffled panties, or a feather duster as a prop.  And I can't quite stop wishing Jana had red shoes.

It's a simple and clean gown, in black with red details, a very classic Latin and rhythm color scheme. Since dancers spend the majority of their time on the competition floor facing each other, I am very fond of 3-D details, and this dress delivers!

The skirt is very flirty and the detailing at the back with the sash, crisp little bow, and split to reveal the ruffled 1950's crinoline style petticoat is so cute in action.

I also feel like I had the perfect piece of jewelry to offer Jana. 

 Somehow the flowers and styling feel very French to me!

An up-close look...

               Most of the jewelry I purchase for re-sale requires adjustment and sizing,
                               and I am glad to offer that service for my clients.

Charlie's suit provides a nice frame for Jana's "picture."  Charlie is always chilly in the ballroom, which is generally kept cool for the comfort of dancers working hard on the floor.  I've been thinking that I would love to design a smoking jacket styled dance costume for him, maybe velvet, with a quilted satin shawl collar.  It would be warm and cozy, and I think, flattering as well on Charlie's slim frame. 

Our last set of costumes featured Charlie in a wrap-style coat, which I loved on him.  Here's a peek!

Love the addition of the snowflake pin on Charlie's lapel

(from the Snowball Competition last January!)

and Jana's puff bangle bracelet.

Charlie has mentioned thinking about a set of French blue costumes for his and Jana's next look, and I look forward to working with them again!

Bonnie's "Illusion of Suspended Elevation"

I always ask my clients to bring me a word or short phrase that describes what their gown will be.  Bonnie brought me a unique phrase, compliments of her coach Paul Botes.  Paul tells Bonnie and her partner/fiance, (tall and dark Ed) that they must be floaty, lightweight, and ethereal, creating an "illusion of suspended elevation."  Thanks Paul!  That was a really fun phrase to work with!

We had to immediately dash several ideas.  Like, deep, dark sapphire blue, which was Ed's hope, but sadly will probably never be an obviously lightweight choice.  Bonnie had polled both of her coaches about what her gown might include and teacher Scott Anderson suggested she "Go Gold!" Given Bonnie's beautiful light blonde hair, we decided on a soft platinum gold, (the third gown in my golden autumn trifecta) and went hunting for fabric that was light and metallic at the same time.  Bonnie found this beautiful gold-embossed organza locally, and I approved!  I offered the metallic gold slinky for the bodice.  I was pleased that Bonnie chose asymmetrical style lines for her gown, and happy to balance and support them with the diagonal hemline of the overskirt and  the creamy french vanilla mesh of the left sleeve.  Asymmetrical gowns are visually in motion before the dancing begins, and usually a plus for the wearer.

Bonnie showed me the hemline of a beautifully detailed British gown with bits of feather and fabric floating along the topskirt hemline and I created some organza leaf shapes and vanilla spiral fringe to make our own floaty statement at Bonnie's hem, applied to a pale gold charmeuse underskirt.

This beautiful detail repeats on the opposite side of the gown on the draped mesh sleeve top, nicely in balance and the perfect justification for each other's presence.

Bonnie did her own rhinestone application, after we applied the large sew-on jewels to the edges of the bodice and skirt for her, and did a great job, while keeping the cost of her gown reasonable.   She did all the Crystal AB fill-in at the borders, as well as the guilding of the metallic gold slinky bodice and sleeve with Swarovski Light Topaz AB.

Bonnie's gown needed to serve for both  American Style Smooth and for International Standard.  Standard style dancing is done in hold so the costumes often include wings or floats for the ladie's gown.  We created detachable floats (very "floaty" floats, given the lightness of the organza!) for the gown that will be used for Standard and removed for Smooth style dancing.

A super treat for me is to be able to show you Bonnie in her new gown, (in its International Standard Configuration) dancing with Ed!   You can see their Quickstep at Minnesota Madness by clicking on the link below. They begin their heat at the far corner of the room.  Enjoy!   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItwWoyU52Mc&feature=youtu.be

Chantilly Lace and Cindi's Pretty Face

I have been at Twin Cities Open for much of the last three days, checking out my recent work, and the fantastic dancers who animate it. I am so pleased to have my costumes worn by so much talent!

The last costume I created for TCO left my studio before I could take any photos, (on the day before the event!) so I followed Cindi around as she waited to dance and took few a detail shots as well as a few action shots.

Cindi has rich, dark hair and creamy skin, and nearly each time she visited my studio, was wearing black and white, so it seemed a great choice for her new Latin gown. She wanted a sexy and sophisticated look, with tastefully covered style lines but an exciting impact. Black gowns are notoriously challenging in terms of being seen on the floor (since almost every gentleman dancer is wearing black too!) but I think this combination of black with white was very visible and showy.

I am pleased with the framing and accent of face, hands and back that the pearl-encrusted lace provides.  The bit of fringed bead embroidery at the top of her spine makes a nice focal action point as well.  Pearls have an inherent note of sophistication that help us achieve our goal here as well.  And the jewelry helps to keep the attention on her pretty face and cheerful performance.
My action shots are just dreadful, and I apologize for the worse than usual quality, but they do indicate the movement of the gown, so I will share one, if you will pardon my photography!  I'm especially pleased with the eye-catching white skirt and sleeve lining, and gently stiffened hemline.  Her lace is encrusted with Swarovski Jet and that flashes and sparkles beautifully in action, as you can see here.

I look forward to spending time on the TCO professional photographer's site next week to locate some better shots of my most recent gowns, but did want to share Cindi's new Latin gown today. Thanks for taking a peek!  I look forward to sharing Christine's FIERCE look with you next, and hopefully a look at my many guys, all of whom looked great in their black!

It's Been a VERY Busy Month!

I have been too busy making dance wear to post!  But today, the fog lifts a little and I have a moment to mention a little of what we have been doing.  Hopefully in two weeks, I'll have photos from The Twin Cities Open competition to post as well, but just to get up to date... 

First, today Jane picked up her new ballgown, to go along with her Purple Volcano Rhythm gown of a month ago.  It's a simple and clean design with plenty of sparkle, in a color that looks a little like Caribbean ocean water to me.  The jewelry designer in me would call it Blue Zircon, which is the color of the rhinestones on the body.  She looks happy, doesn't she!  As we speak, she is having a dress rehearsal on her lesson with teacher Charlie Hardcastle, and I anxiously await a "thumbs up!"  It has a floaty organza skirt stiffened at the hemline with matching crinoline braid, and I think it will dance like a cloud!  Here are a couple more quick shots, and yet another version of one of my favorite necklace designs, adjusted to neatly fit the space provided.

Immediately before that project, the beautiful Christine Hallberg picked up her new Hematite ballroom gown, (I'm calling it "Fierce!") which I am dying to share with you, but I do not yet have a single photo. Hopefully, I'll have some photos from TCO.  Christine is finishing her own rhinestone embellishment.

Additionally several Gently Used gowns from our rack went to new owners.  Sue purchased Flame Latin, and I shipped it to her Florida address today!

Then another of my favorite gowns found a new home.  Joyce and her husband visited my studio to try on a very inexpensive little rhythm gown, and after many try-ons, upgraded dramatically, leaving the studio with a splendid piece that serves both for the rhythm dances and for the ballroom dances.  It's a personal favorite of mine, and I was told Joyce looked great in the gown, "As though it had been made for her!" at her Dancer's Studio showcase two weekends ago.  I am hoping she might dance at TCO as well, so I can have pictures.  Here is her new Gently Used "Navaho Rose" gown in it's rhythm mode:

It was such a great piece of fabric and so fun to design and enbellish!   And this is what it looks like, when converted into a ballroom gown:

Joyce really looked fantastic in it, and both she and her husband seemed to agree it was a good purchase.  I was so happy for her!

Then "Jade Swirl" was purchased by Gwen, who I thought looked lovely in it, again for TCO.  She also had us re-model an off-the-rack dress for use in her Rhythm dancing, which I think turned out very nicely.  Gwen is doing her own rhinestone application as well, so I am hoping for photos again from the competition to post here.  Here's her new ballgown:

We are also finishing two more gowns for Twin Cities Open, (just eight days away!!!) and have dressed four gentlemen, Tom, Kent, Alan, and Troy, as well as adding wings to a new Gently Used gown for Patty, and another for Suzanne, and adding sleeves to a Rhythm gown for Jacqueline. 

Boy, do I ever have a load of photos to take! 

So you can see why I have been neglecting my blog, and the blogs of my friends as well, and I apologize!  June is usually my craziest month, and when you add my son's High School Graduation and college parent orientation into the mix, plus many graduation parties to attend, and one to plan...   It's been a VERY busy month!

American Beauty (aka "Cruella")

My personal taste in dancewear comes bursting out when I design a gown to be placed on my rack for sale, instead of the custom design for a specific dancer that is the vast majority of my work.  I love texture and print, so I am often motivated by a piece of fabric.  When I found this dot print, I fell in love.  I was really pleased that the fabric was not specifically "polka dot," as that has a kind of sweetness that I don't find appealing.  I immediately wondered if it might be possible to emulate the dot pattern with Swarovski Jet crystals, in varying sizes. 

The gown sketch featured a skirt that dropped from the low hip, but high enough to disguise a wider thigh, and included additional fullness in the shape from the knee down. This is a year of multiple layers of skirt, so I also found some crisp, sheer organza and cut an underskirt that had a pretty mass of flounce, again, from below the knee.  

A simple white, off-the-shoulder leotard with a v-back and long flounced sleeves to emulate the shape of the skirt was cut.  Once assembled, a Jet Swarovski application sample was done and then turned over to Michele, who created a jig to help with randomizing the crystal  pattern.

As a side note, it is amazingly difficult to create randomness.  I just watched an old episode of "Num3ers,"  which is a TV show based on the usefullness of a mathematical genius in solving crimes.  In this episode, the genius asks a group of people to distribute themselves randomly around a room.  They do so.  And then he points out that they are all equidistant from each other, and (of course) proceeds to solve the crime. The same thing tends to happen with random rhinestoning.  It's very hard to accomplish, unless you intentionally plan to put some closer together and some further apart.  But, enough random rambling.

When Michele returned it to me, I asked a client to put on the gown, and immediately saw the sleeve made for too much volume overall and cut it off.  Amazing how differently things look on a person, as opposed to my dress form!  The black and white print had an mildly gray impression, so I knew it would need a bold contrasting color addition.  Being symmetrical, it was so stable as to make one wonder if it COULD move, so I also decided that my contrasting additions would need to provide a sense of potential action for the gown.

A bold red emerged as the best color option, adding a nice drama to the piece. I wanted the gown to be both dramatic and a little playful (in deference to the dots) so I experimented with bows, ruffles and flowers, and the elegance of roses was a favorite, with substance and shine being desirable characteristics.  Samples were made and tested in several different fabircs.  I loved a red silk sample, but when I washed my samples, the silk had the least color stability and ran into the white lycra, so a poly crepe back satin won out. A couple days were spent crafting red roses and buds.   Then I arranged my mountain of roses to create some action in the gown.

We have not hemmed the gown, waiting for an owner to establish the final length, but I have ordered 25 yards of red satin hem binding, so all that delicate organza flounce will eventually be red swirls of  accent at the foot, beneath the dots.  We've made a couple of simple pieces of jewelry, a satin choker and cuff, and a pair of earrings, but have other options in mind as well. Final choices will really depend entirely on the new owner, and the impression they want to create on the floor. We're calling the gown "American Beauty" for the multitude of red roses, but I can't resist giving it a sub-title, "Cruella."  It has a Cruella De Ville quality that makes me smile.  Perhaps I should have added a touch or ermine?

We seem to be in a "White House Black Market" mode over the last few weeks. We are also working on a new Latin gown with a similar color scheme, which I hope to reveal at the Minnesota Star Ball on May 15th.  Will you be there?  Please stop by and try on our new black and white beauties!

Anne Rocks a Spanish Look!

Ok, so this is not a photo of Anne.  As I write this, she is debuting her newest Made for Movement gown at the American Classic showcase tonight.  And she came through for me with a photo from the event as requested!

When we began work on this gown, her ideas were "rock and roll" and "Spanish influence." Because she dances in formation with Karen, who owns a black gown, she wanted her dress to work with Karen's as well.  We chose the pink addition to the black because it is very important to be visible on the floor and all the men are already wearing black, so black gowns must either be super sparkly, or have a color accent.  That hot pink and black combo seems very "rocker" to me as well.  The sparkle is achieved with black sequin cloth and will be supported by jet Swarovski crystals on the lace, which Anne will do for herself, (with my guidance, but she's had lots of experience on several previous gowns and does a great job!)  keeping the cost of her look more resonable.The lace gave us a subtle Spanish feeling and Karen's black gown is primarily lace, so it's an additional tie-in for formation dancing.  Do you see her ideas reflected here?

I enjoy working with all of my clients, but Anne is a special favorite. She is very trusting and collaborative and enters into our process with gentle ideas about what she wants, while allowing me lots of space in which to work as well. I think that is part of the success we have together.   We met twice to design this gown, the first time got us close and the second meeting changed placement of components around to better serve the fabric use,  The bow and lace godet developed as we worked together through fittings.  Her relaxed trust and self confidence really allow us to stay fluid and try ideas as we go.

I am thinking she needs a pink rose for her hair!

For me, the best thing about this gown is the trendy skirt hem. I am seeing lots of beautiful, curly edge details this year in ballgown hems, and I am really pleased with this one. I kept spinning the dress form and being HUGELY pleased with the movement at the bottom. The pink organza underskirt is 4 times more full than the black satin chiffon over skirt, and the look is amazingly eye-catching. Fortunately, I think Anne uses her feet well as a dancer, so when the focus is on them, as it will be in this gown, the results will be flattering.

I'm also really pleased with Anne's necklace.  This is the first demi-choker I've done for her, and it really works beautifully on her neck, and adds a touch of elegance to the look.

According to my records, this is the 8th custom gown I have created for Anne, and I am going to decorate this post with a few shots of some of our earlier projects.

That's Tom, Anne's partner and husband, and I also made (or to be more accurate, my partner Michele made) the suit he has on.  The genesis of this gown was a shirt Anne owned and liked.  And this one (below) was a personal favorite!

And here is one last gown, a more recent collaboration, with some details I really love!

This beautiful blue gown should be for sale soon, so if you are interested, give me a call and I'll see if I can have it ready for you to try on!