Black Dresses

[skwiggy]

I know this topic has been discussed before, but I couldn't find the thread.

What are everyone's thoughts on black dresses in competition? Are they not visible enough? Should they be reserved for smaller competitions and final rounds? Or does the dancing stand on its own merit to the point where the color dress won't matter? What if you are trying to "break in" to a new field? Then does having a brighter color matter more? Or is it just most important to wear a dress that makes you feel like a million bucks?

[Angelo]

............does the dancing stand on its own merit to the point where the color dress won't matter? ................... Or is it just most important to wear a dress that makes you feel like a million bucks?


These two sound right to me. Just ask anyone who has ever competed successfully in a black dress

[Queenvee]

I believe the consensus was that black dresses don't show up well on the floor.

From a personal perspective, I just bought a black Chrisanne dress at the Heritage that everyone raves about and compliments me on, but nonetheless, I feel drab. While many of my prior dresses have been black, they had vibrant color stoning, so they weren't solid black. I tell myself that many top pro's wear simple black dresses and that an elegant, sophisticated dress shows off the dancer and I know that's all true. But, I still like more color, so my next dress will not be all black. That's my two cents!

[skwiggy]

Does hair color matter?

[Tigerlilly]

As a spectator, I'm a bit turned off by solid black dresses in standard and smooth, especially if they don't have an open back. Blends too much with the man for my taste. I find my eye drawn to ladies with more vibrant gowns in most cases.

Black gowns in latin/rhythm don't really bother me - probably because there is usually less dress and hence less black to blend in with the man (assuming he's wearing black)...

[fascination]

my two cents...I love black and since pro is tiny and I am large, i wish I could wear it...but again, he is small and not so well known so I am not comfortable wearing something that contributes to our obscurity....and I have found that I have marked more poorly on the first dance of a set IMO b/c I wasn't seen yet...I prefer to wear a brighter color for that reason...having said that, I think if you dance enough it all evens out and the marks tend to come out about right...but if you are going in to do only a few things....I am not sure it is worth the chance...meh...as for hair...I don't think the particular color matters, but I think a STRONG solid color looks best

[skwiggy]

At this point, we usually dance one event, occasionally two.

Some have said that black dresses work better on platinum blondes. My hair is dark brown. Hmmm.

[mamboqueen]

My eye is always drawn to color - usually bright colors - and usually one that stands apart from the others (ie., if there are 3 standard dresses that are red on the floor, I get confused and usually look at someone else). But, I think it's all a matter of opinion and taste. I had a black smooth gown once and when I looked at the video, I felt I completely blended in to him.

[Kitty]

Some have said that black dresses work better on platinum blondes. My hair is dark brown. Hmmm.

I think I agree with that.. although that also depends on the dress.
For example my Taka black dress with flowers would not look good on a blonde... maybe because it has some color on it that would clash.. or maybe because it would stand out too much.

[tanya_the_dancer]

At this point, we usually dance one event, occasionally two.

Some have said that black dresses work better on platinum blondes. My hair is dark brown. Hmmm.

My hair is dark brown and black is definitely my color. If I were doing latin, I would go for a black dress. For standard, though, I think I would blend in too much with the man, since he is also wearing black.

[yanka]

I think it has a lot to do with the dress itself (design, stone pattern, etc), the size and lighting of the ballroom, and the luck of the draw (what others on the floor are wearing).

There are some stunning black dresses out there (like tunape's partner's for example) that attract attention and stand out.

A black dress is more likely to get lost in a small, dark ballroom (like Moseley's) than on a large, brightly-lit floor.

And, of course, if 2 couples are wearing red, 2 wearing pink, 1 wearing orange, and you wearing black, you'll stand out ;)

[Sandcastles]

interesting comments.... I was watch some world idsf comp and theywere pointing out one of the top 3 couples and discussing costumes... the couple that came out no. 2 I believe never wore anything but black costumes, it became her signature.

I like black because I "think" I look thinner. But my pro says only for showcases. On the comp floor he wants me to stand out apart from him, not blend.

[shallidance]

actually the red dress, as shown in your pic, is gorgeous. I like it a lot. :D

I know this topic has been discussed before, but I couldn't find the thread.

What are everyone's thoughts on black dresses in competition? Are they not visible enough? Should they be reserved for smaller competitions and final rounds? Or does the dancing stand on its own merit to the point where the color dress won't matter? What if you are trying to "break in" to a new field? Then does having a brighter color matter more? Or is it just most important to wear a dress that makes you feel like a million bucks?

[reb]

Black blends in too well with the man and from a distance I've found that I can lose the couple and/or some of the ladies' uniqueness (of course, my eyes aren't those of a 20-year-old - but neither are the judges eyes!).

IMO, in early rounds with crowded floors, black does not help less well-known ladies. While the quality of the dancing is what we want judged . . . but since you may only get x seconds viewing from a judge, why risk having your quality be lost or partially lost?

Although . . . DW has worn an extremely simple skirt/top combination for very small comps where her simplicity becomes almost stunningly beautiful. And then there was the black mostly-see-through made by Ava which was a head-turner for another reason!

[fascination]

At this point, we usually dance one event, occasionally two.

Some have said that black dresses work better on platinum blondes. My hair is dark brown. Hmmm.
I think platinum blonde is over-rated...and I hate it with black....I did love annas black gown for blackpool...with the white ruffle and her dark hair I thought she looked stunning

[BM]

Hmm, I am curious from those who've seen it (there is a picture in my photo album): I have a black ballroom dress, but the right side has an almost electric blue splash that extends to the hem of the dress with stones outlining it. Does that have "enough" colour to prevent me from melting into a partner? The dress that I am looking at is a beautiful - and noticable - colour, but I do love black accented with colour . . .

[and123]

That blue accent does make it stand out, so I think you're OK there. Maybe you can do something similar to your black latin dress?

[BM]

A new one's in the works. This one is all black so far (black skirt, black double-layer lace bodice), but will have a small mine's worth of Siam stones on it. I really love black Latin dresses, but I'm sadly realising that I probably have to go brighter to guarantee my getting noticed on the floor until I've somewhat established myself as a competitor. Argh. ::whines:: But I don't like the bright colours!!! :razz:

[mamboqueen]

A new one's in the works. This one is all black so far (black skirt, black double-layer lace bodice), but will have a small mine's worth of Siam stones on it. I really love black Latin dresses, but I'm sadly realising that I probably have to go brighter to guarantee my getting noticed on the floor until I've somewhat established myself as a competitor. Argh. ::whines:: But I don't like the bright colours!!! :razz:

Ehhh...I think there are a lot of factors (as Yanka alluded to). If there's a LOT of people on the floor, I think black is harder to pull off. If you're in a final, I think you'll have less of an issue. If you stone it to the hilt, that will also help. Also, if you're smaller in stature than the other couples, it's easy to get lost in black.

I have always loved black clothing, but since being exposed to the dance world, have come to really embrace colors.

[Joe]

At this point, we usually dance one event, occasionally two.

Some have said that black dresses work better on platinum blondes. My hair is dark brown. Hmmm.
That can always be changed. :D

[star_gazer]

I love black ballroom gowns and I have seen some that are so elegant and work well in the final rounds. However, a couple years ago I had a professional video taken of my kids at nationals. My daughter had borrowed a black gown that looked absolutely stunning on her. I didn’t see the comp but in the video you can barely find them. The brighter gowns really stood out. Watching the video again…I think they should have been called back but they were not.

[BM]

Argh. ::whines:: But I don't like the bright colours!!! :razz:

Check that - saw one heckuva spicy dress with sun yellow draped around a body suit stoned with Sun stones. Loooove Sun stones, but can't wear yellow! Am thinking perhaps of designing my own with sun stones and using a deep red fabric instead, with maybe some sun/gold yellow accents . . .

[and123]

Your black one would look fab if you can incorporate some of that electric blue like you have in your Standard/Smooth gown. The bright blue collar alone attracts attention, so do that and the cuffs, and maybe some tail dangles. The black latin dress is definitely not a lost cause yet. I *can* picture you in red though.

[danceronice]

Does hair color matter--you have no idea the stupid amount of trauma the issue of hair color has caused me. (No details. It was STUPID.) But I think it can make a difference. I like to wear red. Lots of it. The first time my old pro saw me in my red practice (now competition, with addition of much sparkly stuff) clothes, he asked if I'd even considered dyeing my hair black. I'd always been too chicken to try it, but I took the suggestion, and he was right. If I were wearing the all-black stuff I wore to Seacoast, it would look awful, but with the red, and my skin tone? The black hair looks awesome. Makes my eyes, which are dark, stand out more, too. (Okay, and hides where I'm going gray around the temples. Stupid genes from my mother's side...at this rate I'll be all silver before I'm forty.) Light blonde, on the other hand, would not stand out with the red, but would look dramatic with a black dress, IMO. Not that I'd ever go blonde--I'd look horrible.

Maybe I'm just used to ice dance, where you can have a new hair color to match every costume--well, at least Maria Annisinna and Barbara Fusar-Poli seemed to--but it just seems logical to maximize that color's impact, too.

In a well-lit room, I think a black dress can be very striking, especially if the gentleman is wearing just a white shirt without a jacket. When I figure out the photo album thingy, I should post one from Seacoast--that I'm in black and he's wearing white really shows off the lines. (Well, from the waist up. From the waist down, black skirt and black trousers kind of disappear against each other, no matter how brightly lit the room was.)

[Twilight_Elena]

Didn't we have a thread somewhere about colours that go with different hair colours? Hmmm...

T_E

[skwiggy]

Thanks so much for all of your input!

[ChelD]

I think the venue makes a difference too. If the ballroom has a black backdrop and black tablecloths lining the dance floor, black gowns don't show up as well. That being said, I had a black smooth gown that I loved. It had an open back and the top and sleeves were HEAVILY stoned so that it would show up in a crowd.

[SlowDancer]

I loooooooove black...my first smooth dress AND my first latin/rhythm dress were black...but both were semi-heavily stoned. I agree that black can tend to get lost, but a lot of the perception has to do with the venue, the wearer's coloring, etc.

My other favorites are red and white (separately, not together), but I'm rarely tan enough to pull off white.

[redhead]

I have black latin dress with hot pink accessories. When my teacher saw me practicing in it, he liked it a lot, but after the competition (straight final) he said I should not wear it again. It looks fine to me on the video, but he thought it contributed to our low placement (he knew the other couples too and couldn't figure out why we got lower marks). Too bad, I like the dress.

[DancerForLife]

For standard, while black can be very elegant, for me it tends to blend together with the man a bit too much - some like it, some don't; I'm not a particularly big fan.

For smooth, a black dress with a plunging neckline and a low back with lots of AB accessories can be very classy and sexy - would prefer another dark color though just to add some interest.

Latin / rhythm: find black to be too dark.

All in all, since many of the ballrooms we dance in are dark and/or the men wear dark colors, I prefer to have more contrast, so no black. For a showcase though I am definitely not against it :-).

[Katushka]

I like black dresses veru much. But I think that it's a big mistake to use too much details for black. The very important thing is colour, nothing else. It's the very elegant colour. In first rounds black is very good, becuse it helps to stand out of multicoloured crowd. But for final of big competitions with quality lightining light dresses are more spectacular.
Last week we with my friends discussed with theme and we selected black dresses, we like this year. You can see them in my gallery (http://km.volina.ru/forum/index.php?topic=51.msg615;topicseen#new) if you are interested

[and123]

Interesting that all of the women have dark hair (well, that screaming burgundy haircolor qualifies as dark too, I suppose).

[Kitty]

Interesting that all of the women have dark hair (well, that screaming burgundy haircolor qualifies as dark too, I suppose).

platinum blonde seems to me like more of an American thing lately.. Russian dancers seem to have come to senses...

mostly brunnettes in the top of the field in amateur standard right now..

[Katushka]

mostly brunnettes in the top of the field in amateur standard right now..

Now I think... Yes, it is true... May be only two girls havn't very dark hair...