Costumes 2014

I can understand the camuflage look and its a pity that wardrobe cannot work a little more closely with Caroline.Do you think HL she would feel better in a jumpsuit or trousers similar to F.lavia and Camolla have worn in the past?

she very well might be better in palazzo pants......hard to say. She was in that strange shorts number for the launch and the initial credits. I think she may watch that and think I look fat...........Sunetra, not that different body type has done well out of the costume department.

Some quick thoughts:

Zoe always wears her hair that way.....trademark look. Not a good plan to do Tess the same way.....The Twins.

Didn't understand the costume plan for Frankie and Kevin. Thought her bodice looked very messy.

Jake and Janette looked stunning......not much time in hold......The Love God that is Leonard The Lion Goodman would have smashed and did smash Artem for that sort of Smooth.

Judy again gets the stunning classic dress.

The Pixie Trent costume concept looked far too stiff to me making the gorgeous back arch pretty much impossible.

Sunetra appropriate, flattering not too much.

Caroline's flag on the diagonal sounds like a good design idea but actually served to make her chunky

Liked the black velvet on Simon, allowed the shine of his skin to catch light without competition from the costume.

O.la and Steve.......well so what, fine with nothing special.......for an American Smooth at Blackpool?

Mark and Karen perhaps the most successful concept and execution, very specific with lost of well thought out detail.......used Artem's music for his and Holly's Charleston which was a break with tradition.....

Janette's look was so striking. Probably my favourite of the night.

Suntra was lost in her black dress I thought.

I didn't like the re vamp Ginger Spice outfit neither did I like the shoulder pads on Trent! The dress style and colour I felt didn't stand out for me re Frankie's. Judy of course had a lovely dress but for me Ivetas dress the stunner of the night.
Loved Simon's suit style.

I pretty much concur with you HL and with Sax, on the costumes this weekend.

I really didn't like the skirt of Frankie's costume - I get the concept but it would have looked so much better with just a yellow skirt and going with the black/sliver/yellow theme against Kevin's checked costume. As it was it just all looked too much and was odd.

I agree that once again Judy had a lovely dress - they really have dressed her well throughout. I didn't mind Caroline's dress at all - at least it didn't have drapery or macrame on it this week! I think the colours suited her too.

Loved Simon and K ristina's AT costumes - best of the night for me and I also liked Janette's dress - quite unusual but Tango like again!!! I thought that never has Pixie looked so much like Daenerys Targaryan than in the costume that she wore this week - don't know whether it was paso like but I loved it nevertheless.

Felt that the men scrubbed up quite well tonight and I liked Steve's pinstripes.

Thought that O la, Karen, and Sunetra had quite traditional costumes for their dances.

Zoe, T ess and D arcey all looked good on both shows - much more classic designs this year.

For me, the dress of the night was Sunetra's coffee and walnut whip creation. I loved how they matched Brendan's shirt & tie too, and his longer line jacket. They both looked so elegant.
I liked Caroline's black and white panelled gown.
I thought T ess looked elegant in her simple white dress & loved Claudia's black sparkly jumpsuit (although I thought she looked pale and could have done with a bit more blusher)
I know D arcy has said she's been experimenting with different shorter hair styles this year, but I'm not keen on her latest efforts over the past few weeks. She looks like an extra for Midsummer Murders or Downton Abbey.

I thought C.laudia and Darcey looked drawn needed more colour. Darcey's hair looked as if she had been out the night before and just pinned her hair back into place or she had been pulled through the hedge backwards at Downton Abbey by Carson!
Loved loved Sunetra's dress colour and style and Brendans jacket very smoking!
Caroline loved the black and white for me thou Mark and Karen best matching couple I adore that shade of blue.
Hated,hated the cheerleader/American footballer look no no no.

For me this was one of the best weeks for costumes.

I absolutely loved Caroline's black and white dress - (gimme gimme) one of the stand out dresses of the season for me - at last she is letting them dress her properly! However, I equally loved the blue dress that Karen wore, a lovely colour and style and I really like to see the elbow glove look for Tango and I like it when incorporated into Viennese Waltz costumes too. I wasn't sure about Mark's lapels but I suppose they needed a flash of colour there somewhere to match Karen's dress.

Loved Sunetra's chocolate dress - style and colour - and Pixie's costume was really stylish.

O la and Steve drew the short straws last night with the american football/cheerleader look.

I love your comments about D arcey's hair Sax - 'being pulled through a bush backwards by Carson'

I also see what you mean about C laudia needing a bit more blusher but I did like their dresses last night and I have to say I think there has been a big improvement in the dress styles for both T ess and C laudia this year - I have liked most of them in fact.

Yes, m-angel, I think Caroline finally looks nice in a Strictly dress. Now why did it take them so long to convince Caroline that the dress will look good on her? I remembered HL told me earlier in this thread that she has body issues, but surely she can SEE on the mirror she look so much better if she allows the costumes department dress her? I mean look at Sunetra, she's stunning every week!

Yep, concur with all of you, good week for wardrobe, lots of lovely dresses - Sunetra, Caroline and Karen's standing out.

cellar-door wrote:Yes, m-angel, I think Caroline finally looks nice in a Strictly dress. Now why did it take them so long to convince Caroline that the dress will look good on her? I remembered HL told me earlier in this thread that she has body issues, but surely she can SEE on the mirror she look so much better if she allows the costumes department dress her? I mean look at Sunetra, she's stunning every week!

That's the problem with body dysmorphia CD. What they see when they look in the mirror is often a distortion of reality. They see something different, usually negative and unfortunately believe onlookers share their misgivings.

Lots of pretty clothes....as is frequently the case Sunetra's was the gorgeous one, a slightly different take on a Rhumba dress.

Kristina, very good at getting what she wants.....perfect white lady-like splendour.

Jake and janette.....well the costumes were okay, the white was a good choice.

Actually thought Frankie looked a bit of a mess....with the Beach Boys..... why not early 60s.....

Pixie and Trent.....cutsey poo lives (note from last week, why the dead clunky black shoes? Why not silver shoes with diamonds?

Caroline seems to be enjoying everything more....the costume worked

Mark and Karen....clean connection to their theme.

One last note from last week.....Steve and O.la.....Usually American football strip is full of bright strong colour.....White? There was an article a few years ago that teams tend to win in red and lose in white......again whose idea was it that they were in white?

Sax, the opening Bollywood costumes, were totally right. They only look garish under cold UK skies. Diana Vreeland, famous editor of Vogue "Shocking pink is the navy blue of India"

That could be why I thought they looked garish! Your right in the bright sunshine agaunst a blue sky or a blazing sunset and they would look SO different! Shame the cold lights of BBC spoilt my viewing.

Sunetra might not get the best scores but she's had all the best dresses. I especially loved the bodice of her outfit last night

I didn't like what Frankie was wearing at all and thought those hair extensions were horrible. Much prefer her chic pixie cut.

Agreed Sid. Sunetra has consistently had lovely dresses and I thought that Saturday's dress was gorgeous. Not the typical rumba dress, but with a nod in that direction and the colours and style suited Sunetra very well, and looked good on TV.

Frankie has such lovely hair, why do they mess it up with extensions? I can see that it went with the character when they did the Wicked! theme, but I can't see any reason for putting her in what looked almost like a fright wig last night.

I liked Caroline's costume a lot, as well. Pixie's I'm afraid.......well, I was very afraid!

I thought it was a good week for costumes - I liked all of them with the exception of Pixie and Trent who drew the short straws. The style of Pixie's dress was ok but if it had been bright blue it would have matched a colour used in a lot of the dutch regional costumes, similarly Trent's 'sash' would have been improved had it been in the colours of the Dutch national flag - bright blue, red and white and no ridiculous lederhosen!!!!!!

My favourite costume of the night was Kristina's waltz dress - I so love that perennial SCD buttermilk dress - out it comes again!!!!
Liked all the other dresses - Sunetra, Frankie (although thought the hair extensions were pointless), Caroline - great costume and Karen's showgirl outfit. Janette's white dress was lovely - the only good thing about that routine!

Sid wrote:Sunetra might not get the best scores but she's had all the best dresses. I especially loved the bodice of her outfit last night
I didn't like what Frankie was wearing at all and thought those hair extensions were horrible. Much prefer her chic pixie cut.

Spot on Sid. Loved Sunetra's dress, particularly the bodice.

Not sure what to make about Frankie's outfit. How she managed to jive at speed in those heels I don't know. Beach boy music, surf boards, seaside background, Kevin wearing his board shorts and Frankie's wearing a red fringe outfit?

Pixie & Trent looked liked extra's advertising a beer keller.

I liked most of the costumes this weekend and I thought the men matched their partners well. Karen and Kristina had classic pro girl gorgeous ballroom dresses IMO - Pixie's costume suited her and the routine, as did Janettes.

Only two comments I would make - Carolines' hair, which has been said elsewhere, would have looked far better had it been worn up. I have also seen some negative comments about the costume but I thought the simplicity of it was right and it made you focus on the dance not the person - P asha looked positively smouldering - I have never seen him look so masculine. Lastly - am I the only one who thought Frankie's costume was almost a replica of what she wore the previous week? Same style but different colour?

Can't do fashion, but I'm still hoping they give Jake just one decent costume before it's all over with. Apart from Italian gangster/Boardwalk Empire demob suits, that Japanese admiral rumba outfit from Madame Butterfly and a couple of Benidorm's cheapest beach shirts,  that sleeveless waistcoat they stuffed him into this week made him look like he'd just jumped out of Alladin's lamp.

Mauve I thought I recalled Vicky on ITT often advise they do use the same bodice/skirt and make a new dress out of an old one? I do think this year we have had fantastic dresses but not so hot male costumes.

I liked the colour and style of Caroline's AT dress but found the silver zip up her back very distracting. I kept thinking she'd had spinal surgery.

I wasn't sure what character Jake's costume represented. A strong man? Didn't look like a ring master, clown or trapeze artist. Janette looked like one of those girls who shin up ropes then twirl from the ceiling but Jake didn't remind me of one thing or another.

Kristina's red dress was stunning

I thought T ess & Munchkin Claude looked classy. I can't remember Claude showing her shoulders off before?

I like Darcey's outfits but find her hairdoos very Miss Marple-ish since she had her hair cut shorter. Retro's one thing, but whoever's working on her hair is adding years to her with some of the styles that she's showcasing.

Yes I didn't like the visible zip on Caroline's dress either, but other than that a decent outfit for her. Now if they could just give her decent hair, once

Hello peeps

I know we are well into the 2015 season, and this thread is entitled 'costumes 2014', but I love to witter on about the lovely (and not-so lovely) frocks and outfits. I have been doing so in other threads (mainly a Little Bit of Honesty) but it is probably more appropriate to discuss them here.

My topic de jour is why it seems that every season there is one dancer who seems to always draw the short straw in outfits. Last year it was Flack's Sacks, this year is Kellie's ill-fitting 80's throwbacks...

It could be that the said contestant has upset the nice lady in Wardrobe, but I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the people concerned are requesting rubbish costumes for themselves . Or their partner is, in order to fit in with some tangential theme.

If I was in charge (please, please!) then I would rule out any dire attire in the grounds of bad taste and going against the ethos of strictly - which is glitz, glamour, glitter (ball) and all things gorgeous. Whilst it is true that some figures are easier to dress than others, wardrobe usually manage to make the most of every shape and size - they are incredibly clever and gifted. Kellie is very slim, athletic and toned - she is one of the easier ones to make look elegant and gorgeous. But she hardly ever does.... Last night it was a Croydon face-lift hair-do, orange 80s eyeshadow and an outfit which, though it fitted (hurrah!), was not best salsa outfit they've ever produced.

So kellie, just shut up when you go to wardrobe to discuss ideas and let Vicky and her pals get on with it (and you butt out too Kevin...).
.

Hi Diamonds
Good you bumped up the thread

I agree, I can't really understand where they are coming from on Kellie's costumes - they've been the same all season - below standard in comparison to the other girls. Even when she has done ballroom, they always seem to give her the thigh length flared/puffball skirt ( Like the old 'Come Dancing' dresses). I know she is quite small and you have to be careful not to be swamped with the dresses but they have managed to make short girls look good in previous years but K ellie always looks the same or as my old Mum says 'Same dish - different gravy' - as you say Diamonds, she is fit and toned and shouldn't be difficult to dress and I would like to see her looking more elegant and in a different style of dress with a different silhouette - why not? Other people wear different shapes all the time. I think it would help get out of the 'samey' groove that this couple have got into.

My favourite dresses last night were worn by K atie and Helen. The drape thing that they did on A nita was something they did a couple of times on Caroline and others last year - not a good look IMO.