Patty's Trendy Tango Flare

March 2012 has been "amateur couple" month at Made for Movement.  We have helped three lovely amateur ladies prepare for competition with their husbands, and we are happy to be able to feature each of them over the next week or so.

We were pleased to help Patty with a delicately beautiful ballgown in 2010.  This spring, she was ready to add a rhythm gown to her wardrobe, and we were thrilled to help!  She arrived for her design meeting with her charming husband and partner, Tom, and a pile of notes, sketches and images she wanted to share with me. 

One of the first things she was certain about was color.  She wanted a new hue, introduced just this year, called Tango Flare.  It's a vibrant neon orange, with a salmon undertone, and I feel sure it was inspired by Pantone's color of the year, Tangerine Tango.  You should be seeing alot of this color this year, in both clothing, and home decor. 

Patty also wanted a shirred, slashed bodice, with strong diagonal lines.  We looked at a multitude of images and amalgamated them all neatly into a lovely design.  She wanted bare shoulders, covered underarms, and a sassy, full and soft skirt.  She wanted to look age appropriate, tasteful, and sexy.

   
We used several layers of edge-stiffened organza in the underskirt, and the same dance crepe used in the bodice and sleeves for the top skirt.  Patty is not a tall woman, and we tried to create an illusion of height with the same color and texure over the length of the dress.  We also made sure that all of our accent points led the eye diagonally up and down the body, rather than across or around.

I really enjoyed designing the jewelry for this gown, and created a necklace, earrings and a beautiful cuff.

I especially love that this Latin look is so entirely different in character from Patty's beautiful Ballroom gown, and yet still features strong diagonals, and many of the same design elements in the new Rhythm dress!

I look forward to the opportunity to work with Patty again soon!  And congratulations to both Patty and Tom on their dancing at their Iowa Dancesport event.  Don't they make a wonderful couple?  I must say, each of my couples is a delight.  They are all supportive and respectful of each other and it shows!