Black Gowns (and other ways to shoot yourself in the foot)

Well, the other factor is that there are people who are (....thinking of the most delicate way to state this...) color and fashion challenged. Some people may see a dress that they love, but it doesn't necessarily love them back. I notice this a lot with older women trying to wear things they just can't pull off. And believe me, at 41, it kills me that there are things I could wear just 5 years ago that I can't really wear now (unless I want to slave away at the gym every single day, and I just can't...so I have to trade off). For instance, in my last comp, there was a woman in her late 40's who was in "okay" shape, but chose a dress that was REALLY low cut in the back and it just didn't flatter her. Also, a woman wore a short latin number that was a leopard print. That's a tough one even for someone younger and in good shape. So, personally, I think it's always best to try to get an honest opinion or two, even if you may not like the answers you get.
 
ok, so what about beginners? I'm told that if I dance in the next comp coming up (in 6 weeks!) I'm only allowed to wear a plain black dress... with no bling or anything, supposiedly because beginners aren't "worthy". But if all beginners are made to wear black, then it's the dancing and how you use the space that will get you noticed, so surely a better thing to learn? In other words we shouldn't rely on the dresses to get us noticed, but the routine instead. Of course I may be chatting nonsence, are we just talking about better dancers coz I'll be quiet then =)
 
I finally get to wear a black gown to a comp this weekend :!: :!: :!: can't wait. I've been waiting for this for quite a while. Finally found one I liked too. Very excited :D :D :D

(True, it has some white on the sleaves and the hem but as far as I am concerned, I get to wear a black gown)
 
LilSammie89 said:
ok, so what about beginners? I'm told that if I dance in the next comp coming up (in 6 weeks!) I'm only allowed to wear a plain black dress... with no bling or anything, supposiedly because beginners aren't "worthy". But if all beginners are made to wear black, then it's the dancing and how you use the space that will get you noticed, so surely a better thing to learn? In other words we shouldn't rely on the dresses to get us noticed, but the routine instead. Of course I may be chatting nonsence, are we just talking about better dancers coz I'll be quiet then =)
Click to expand...


Don't worry. This whole thread was started last year and was based upon one person's opinion. It is by no means any kind of rule that one should not wear a black ballgown in competition. Others have worn them successfully in the past and I'm sure others will do so in the future. Possibly KatherineH or yourself for instance!
 
Angelo said:
Others have worn them successfully in the past and I'm sure others will do so in the future. Possibly KatherineH or yourself for instance!
Click to expand...

I will try my best to wear the black dress well... (I will be changing into my orange one for the final or semis.. unless we don't make it, and then I can blame it on the dress :D )

Honestly though, I think black gowns can be really nice, and are worn pretty frequently. You can probably assume that most judges have eyes that are good enough to see the dancing, and not the gown. I think what you choose to wear is for yourself, and perhaps for the audience, not the judges. You match your look with how you want to express the dance. Although being well groomed and creating a right look might influence results a slightest bit...

Nothing can pull of an elegant look better than a black gown... IMHO.
 
<bump>
This old thread; have opinions changed? I know mine has not. I love black, on me; it's extremely flattering to my skin and hair. I love my black Smooth gown, which is heavily stoned with Crystal AB, so even though it's black, it's full of light.

But.

I cannot understand why Standard ladies wear black. Was watching the pro-am Standard at Empire this past weekend, and the one dancer I really wanted to watch wore a black gown, and was almost invisible against her partner; a face and two hands, and some hair, but nothing else. I was frustrated! Annoyed! I wanted to see how she does that magical stuff she does -- and couldn't see a thing.

Granted, she won everything anyway. I think. But. SO FRUSTRATING
 
It does seem like it would have to be pretty heavily stoned in order to not just blend in. Especially if the lady got a bit carried away with the fake tan...
 
j_alexandra said:
and the one dancer I really wanted to watch wore a black gown, and was almost invisible against her partner
Click to expand...

I really dislike that dress on her. Don't feel like it shows her off to advantage at all! But since I sometimes dance against her, I'm cool with that :p

I do have a (mostly) black dress - but it is completely backless, doesn't have sleeves, and has a coloured underskirt so I don't feel like I blend at all. I'm not sure I would have chosen it had a designed from scratch, but it served it's OMG-none-of-my-dresses-fit need well.

Generally, I think that to wear black in standard, you either need to be good enough to pull the attention and focus with your dancing, or have a very detailed dress with texture, stones or colour to help.
 
I have a black gown and for my situation it actual works really well since i blend more into the gentleman....so it's harder to notice that i'm bigger than him (LOL).

I love black gowns but I totally get it that they don't always stand out on the floor.
 
Have seen (and worn) plenty of black dresses. I find there are no real "blending issues" despite not having stones because the dress material has a sheen to it, whereas the man's suit is more matte, so it's pretty clear that there are two people dancing together. Well-designed black dresses can be very tasteful and elegant, and if it suits the wearer's complexion, nothing wrong with wearing it. Just because a lady wears black doesn't automatically mean she wears it for a slimming effect.

I think if a person dances well (applies to both the lady and the man) they will stand out on the floor no matter the colour of the dress.
 
FancyFeet said:
I really dislike that dress on her. Don't feel like it shows her off to advantage at all! But since I sometimes dance against her, I'm cool with that :p
Click to expand...

Ah. You know the dancer in question. Close up, she's certainly good and charismatic enough to pull eyes. But from a distance, and I mean, a few seats back? Invisible. And on the live feed? Totally lost.

That live feed taught me some lessons about what really does show well on the floor.
 
I ALWAYS scored better in black. Not sure why? But, I think it carries a sort of seriousness. I remember reading somewhere long ago that Maria Manusova always work black because she wanted her dancing to speak for itself. Not all that frilly stuff.

Even watching videos, competition heats, etc...my eyes gravitate towards the couple where the lady is wearing a darker colored gown.
 
hereKittyKitty said:
I ALWAYS scored better in black. Not sure why? But, I think it carries a sort of seriousness. I remember reading somewhere long ago that Maria Manusova always work black because she wanted her dancing to speak for itself. Not all that frilly stuff.

Even watching videos, competition heats, etc...my eyes gravitate towards the couple where the lady is wearing a darker colored gown.
Click to expand...

Did you do Standard or Latin? My point strictly speaks to Standard, where no matter how good you are, black on black is not as visible as color on black.

As a Latin dancer, Maria's magnificent technique will stand out completely separately from her partner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top