black gowns

I thought I'd never buy a black gown, but...
there is this amazing totally elegant ballgown I'm about to buy... black.

it is like my dream ballgown, really, but I am still not sure it is a good idea.

Is a black ballgown a definite no or "depends"?

what about the couple and what about the style that makes black ok or not ok for the couple?
I am short. The gown is off the shoulder (so pretty!) and open back (but tasteful, not to much back). and bottom of skirt is very moving...

any advice?

If it makes you feel fabulous then go for it. To me, that's the number one criteria for a dress for anyone who does this for a hobby (even as a serious hobby).

Now, as for black, it can be problematic. If the room is on the dark side it can fade into the background. If you are doing Standard you can fade into your partner if he's wearing a tailsuit. However, if the dress is sufficiently stoned and decorated, then this becomes much less of an issue.

But really, unless you're a Pre-Champ level dancer gunning for Championship level or a Championship level dancer gunning to advance extra rounds or an Open-level Pro/Am dancer or an actual Pro, I don't think you need to get to worried about it if the dress looks wonderful on you and you love it. So much of dancing is mental, dancing in a dress that makes you feel like Audrey Hepburn (my first black dress did) is probably more of an asset than the color is a deficit.

By the way, I did put a lot of fuchsia stones around the neckline of my black dress so that there was some eye-catching color on it. It was a good way of having my cake and eating it too.

If it looks fantastic on then go for it

The idea to put on stones of a different color is great, except... what if that would ruin the look of the dress... ? Is there a way to take stones off safely? without ruining the dress?

currently, the dress doesn't have any stones on it, the upper part is made of some black material with black lace over it and the lace has black beads on it. Very tasteful, rich look, not particularly sparkly.

Another question is what problems does a black gown create and what advantages does it have? does it hide or show the topline? does it shorten the lines? does it hide movement (well, I assume the last one is correct).
As a short couple, our movement should be our strong point since it is easier for us to move than to create long lines... probably, that would be the right strategy...
And what advantages does a black gown have? Shouldn't it be good for at least something?

I've never found a way to remove stones from a dress without leaving glue marks behind. This is because the glue soaks into the fabric fibers.

As far as black goes, the disadvantages are that it doesn't show up as well as a color if the room or the dance floor isn't well lit, and if you're dancing Standard and your partner is wearing a tailsuit then you'll fade into him. If you're wearing black because you think it's slimming, when you're in the proper offset position for Standard you will look as wide as you are plus as wide as half of your partner (the part that is offset from you). That is another reason why black dresses should be heavily stoned. You could put a lot of black stones on it, they will reflect light and won't change the look of the dress like using a contrasting color stone would.

If you're thin, I wouldn't worry about it. Likewise, if you're not dancing Standard, I wouldn't worry about it. If you're dancing in a small event where all the judges will be able to see you anyway, I wouldn't worry about it.

Truth be told, I don't know what the advantages to wearing black on the dance floor are. It's just another color. It's nicer than some other colors (neon bright traffic cone orange comes to mind), and doesn't show dirt or self tanning stains like white does.

If you use gemtac you can get the stones off completely. You have to soak the dress in warm water with a little vinegar and then peel the stone and glue off at the same time. Though for mesh fabrics fugetaboutit.

Tasche, I soaked a Gem-tac glued dress for three days and was able to pull of all the stones without damaging the actual stones but there were still glue marks left on the dress. How do you get the glue marks off? More soaking?

Hmm. Random thought. Where's Chris? I would have expected his two (or three :wink: ) cents worth in this thread. He has definite opinions on black, and some good food for thought to back up those opinions. 8)

He's been gone for a few days and it seems kind of weird. I'm guessing the collegiate season is in full swing in Boston now, and so he's busy.

The only time I thought a black gown helped the look of a couple was on one couple that had unattractive leg lines. The leg lines were hidden by the blending of the black gown into the man's tailsuit.

It might be okay for smooth, or if your partner wears a white tailsuit.

and if you do decide to put black stones on it, definitely go with jet AB stones as opposed to just plain jet - they look much better on the floor. And if you think they still change the look to much, AT LEAST make sure that you're using jet stones with a silver backing, or they just won't shine well.

As for the glue question, I've never been able to get glue marks out of fabric. If you try adding stones of a contrasting color (which I personally think would be fantastic - I once saw a black gown with stunning deep emerald green stoning on it that was just as elegant as can be) and then decide you don't like it, you can always add black stones with black backing where the glue marks are - they won't show up at all from a distance, and will have a similar effect to beading up close.

I've never been brave enough to wear black for standard, but I've been playing with that idea for quite a while. If I find one I fall in love with, I will have nothing stopping me from buying the gown.... (My new Chrisanne will keep me from crazy purchases for quite a while thought... ) It would need to have quite a bit of stones though...

If you really like it, I see no reason why you shouldn't get it...

I wonder if maybe stoning is the key, when you're talking black gowns.

pygmalion said:

I wonder if maybe stoning is the key, when you're talking black gowns.

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maybe. I'm buying this one from a champ level competitor and it doesn't have a single stone on it, only beads on lace. And she didn't think color was a problem, in fact it was her favourite gown... of course, she was an amazing dancer...

I like delamusica's idea of tiny black stones on lace...

Warren J. Dew said:

It might be okay for smooth, or if your partner wears a white tailsuit.

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or grey tailsuit
or brown vest and brown pants.
Is that acceptable though? Because girl in black + man in grey is actually a look that I like a lot, I competed in bronze and silver like that. But even starting in silver, I'm not sure that's an ok thing to do. Do any higher level couples do that?