Ember's Icy Skyline

Ember is an accomplished woman, with a busy life as the Chief Advancement Officer with Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. Known for her work as a broadcast political analyst, she is also an attorney, former Minnesota state senator, former radio personality, and enjoys acting in local community theatre productions. 

After some years away from competitive ballroom dance, she visited my studio last fall to ask my professional opinion of several gently used gowns she was considering buying for use in a local "Dancing with the Celebrities" charitable event. I gave her my thoughts and we artfully adjusted her choice (a Made for Movement gown) to fit. She looked great in the gown. and dazzled the crowd at her event with her winning performance.  Here you see her with her Dancer's Studio teacher Chris Kempainen, (also wearing a Made for Movement ballroom suit) holding their trophies.

She must also have been having a good time, because she decided to return to competitive dance and asked me to design a custom rhythm gown for her for the Snow Ball, which I was glad to do. 

As her career would suggest, Ember is a conservative woman, at home in tailored suits and not really interested in ruffles or overly-feminine details on her clothing.  As a dancer, she has both good performance skills, and long, attractive lines to display.  Ember wanted a gown that would be reflective of her stately elegance, and also her joyfulness at her return to dancing.

We wanted her gown to have simple, sleek lines, and be all one color.  Ember chose fuchsia, (a very popular choice in the last year) and it certainly is a joyful color.  We wanted her rhythm look to flatter her body and be tasteful and appropriate to her age.  We chose a longer, soft skirt with nice movement, but not fussy frills or ruffles, and sleeves to connect her slim arms to her body and emphasize her long lines. 

Ember is dancing here with her dance professional and teacher, the wonderful Scott Anderson, who is also the organizer of the Twin Cites Open. Ever an aware guy on the floor, he noticed me with my camera, and moved closer, so my photos are a little better than usual here!  Ember has a lovely hourglass figure with a very small waist and we planned to reveal her waist while de-emphasizing her bust and hip with diagonal design lines, meticulously placed in fittings to flatter and define.

Although her skirt is long, we used a diagonal hemline to allow us to see her legs and knees in action.

When it came to embellishment, in keeping with Ember's dislike of the overdone and fussy, I let her look through a collection of prom dresses. She found one with details she liked, and I used those details as inspiration for the rhinestone application, as you can see here.

I applied the stoning to the top of the bodice, and my partner Michele did the hip line.  I thought (perhaps influenced maybe by working on this gown in January) that the detail looked like icicles on a roof.  Like the story of the blind men and the elephant, Michele thought it was a lovely representation of a winter night time city skyline.  I'm fond of the cuff detail as well.

Ember was a joy to work with, and we look forward to seeing her again, when she is ready for her next custom gown.

Hematite for Christine

Christine is a lovely and lyrical professional Ballroom dancer, and it was my pleasure to help her create her new competition look for Twin Cities Open.  I ask my clients to tell me how they want to present themselves on the floor in a few words, and then we use those words to check our decision making on all aspects of a gown design.  Christine has a new partner (Martin Pickering) and is doing beautifully with him.  She wanted her new look to be "fierce."  As in, a fierce competitor; strong, determined, giving 110%, and uncompromising.  So, we worked on creating an image of power and strength.  She chose Hematite satin chiffon and Swarovski embellishment in many different colors and sizes for her shirt, and the bodice is hematite stretch mesh, encrusted with Crystal AB stones, with an undecorated, softly expressive over drape, through which you can see the paved stones on the fitted bodice.

I think she looks fierce here, waiting to begin her Tango.  I'm really pleased with the jewelry I created for her.  The choker, earrings, bangles and cuff seem to support her look nicely.  She made a few bangles of her own as well, with me creating the bases, and Christine selecting and applying the stones.  She also did a great job with much of the pave on the bodice.  The hematite color is deep, rich and very "I mean business" on the floor, and I'm so glad I got to see her dance.  They did very well at Twin Cities Open, placing 2nd in the Rising Star Professional Smooth and 5th in the Open Professional Smooth.  My photography is not great in the low, theatrical lighting of the competition floor, and someday, I hope to have more and better images of this beautiful woman in her new gown.

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!