'Dancing with the Stars' Dresses: Clothing makes perfect looking performances
November 10, 2009 - Dancing with the Stars is one of the hottest dance competitions on television. Stars from all walks of life take time to practice and perform on a weekly basis until, one-by-one; they are dropped to leave the winner of the ballroom competition. There is plenty of hard work, technique, and competition that is found in this show, yet another element that people see is the costumes.
These dresses are hand sewn pieces put together by the craftsman behind the scenes. A labor of love, competition dance dresses usually are made individually to fit the competitor and bring a look to the individual that highlights the performance.
Have you ever wondered how they make those amazing outfits? Well a dress that is worn on the Dancing with the Stars competition is worth several thousand dollars and takes at least a week to make. Here's the interesting process of the dressmaking for ball room dancing.
It starts with the idea of what each contestant will look like during the performance through the dress designers eyes. There are different costumes for different dancing routines. Two basic kinds of dresses are used: ballroom dresses and Latin dresses.
A dress designer will sit down and analyze the contestant's measurements and photograph, deciding how the contestant should look during the performance and what colors look appropriate. They take a look at the body type and general flow to see how they can make the performer glow while dancing. A dressmaker not only puts the type of dress on paper, they choose the fabric used, the crystal colors of the stone work and place any further features necessary to make the dress one-of-a-kind gorgeous.
Once a design is agreed to by the contestant (or in the Dancing with the Stars case, management), it is now time for the contestants measurements. Each contestant needs to be measured for their exact size to make the costume look correct. This allows each contestant to be focused on their footwork and technique while the costume is perfectly in its place. No wardrobe malfunctions here.
After the measurements, a body suit is next for the base of the dress. Except for the two piece outfits, the majority of the dresses will have a main body suit. This hugs the body while the rest of the outfit can flow or move as needed. Think of it like a Christmas tree - you need the trunk to hold all the ornaments on the branches.
The base of the bodysuit is now what the dressmakers use to put under the actual design of the dress. Highlighting areas of the costume, the dress will have fabric flowing to accommodate a certain look of the performance. Some costumes are tight where the fabric is sewn on the bodysuit with no gaps, while other dresses may have fabric flowing off the sides to create a look while the dancer is moving. This is decided when the dressmaker designs the dress and a pattern is followed.
Once the pieces of the dress have been sewn on the body suit, next comes the stoning. When you watch Dancing with the Stars, you will notice that on every turn there is a little flash that comes with the twirl. That flash is created by crystal pieces that are placed, by hand, on the dress. The designer of the dresses takes a look at the dress and places the crystal stones to highlight certain areas and make the dress focus on body. You will see that there is always heavy stoning around the bust of the dress as well as the side of the dress. This extenuates a swirl or turn for a contestant even further. Stoning a dress takes a full days work as the stones have to be put on the dress by hand and the bigger pieces (over 1/4 inch) need to be sewn as well.
After the stoning process, the dress is then fitted with the contestant to check the look and posture. It is important to remember that the stones can be heavy and pull the fabric differently, so the dress must be checked to make sure it is perfect. Any alternations are made at this time and the final dress should be ready for use.
Contestants in every dance competition, practice for least one session with their dresses on to have a feel for the movement of the fabric.
Now with such a pretty dress, like the ones you see on Dancing with the Stars, you may be wondering how to wash the dress. Since all the crystals are glued on, this isn't a machine type garment. Instead, specialty dry cleaners can clean it as well as spot cleaning.
Each dress in a dance competition like Dancing with the Stars is made with love and attention to make the performer feel like a million bucks when out on the dance floor.
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'Dancing with the Stars' Dresses: Clothing makes perfect looking performances
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