DWTS-Season 10: Week 7 Costume Critique

Satin Stitches | May 05, 2010 | 0

Maks & Erin AFTER they take their clothes off!

I am sitting here in my hotel room, on the road again. Like many Dancing With the Stars fans, I did my best to arrange my schedule to not miss the show, this week.

I did miss the first 20 minutes of the Monday night show, but I am VERY thankful that ABC.com has all episodes, for when we miss, heaven forbid!-the live show! The details of the embellishment of the costumes is harder to discern, at least on my laptop, but it is better than nothing, right?

OK, so back from dinner, a little late, I tune in just in time to see Nicole and Derek dancing a very elegant Waltz. Then Pamela and Damian are looking very elegant, with Niecy and Louis following suit, with their Quick Step routine. All of the ladies were bejeweled and all decked out in chiffon. Niecy was encircled in feathers. The gentlemen were dapper in their tuxedos, including two sets of tailcoats. Oh, so very elegant. Is there anything better than men in tuxedos?

Evan continued the elegant gentlemens look in his traditional black tuxedo with white shirt for his Argentine Tango. His partner Anna, worn a sleek and slinky black costume with a pencil skirt with deep slit. It was fabulous from the back. But I have some issues with the front, with its too-large red rose at the apex of the skirt slit and the narrow black banding went a little askew on the front. It seemed a little sloppy to me. I would have decreased the size of the rose and rearranged the banding. But generally all the looks were elegant and sophisticated.

Cheryl & Chad in their nontraditional duds!

Dapper Evan and oddly banded Anna.

Niecy & Louis breaking the rules!

Totally impressed with all the costuming, I continued to watch the beautifully costumed Team Gaga dance the Cha Cha.That is, AFTER the ladies took off their black vinyl Trench coats! All the men wore the same black vest and basic black pants with some minmal adornment.

The ladies wore short Latin costumes all cut from the same silver metallic cloth, but with different silhouettes, yet similar enough so that they looked like a trio. The trimming was beautifully done and the entire look for Team Gaga was perfect!

So far, a feast for my eyes. But then I was a little disappointed when Team Madonna appeared in traditional white square dance petticoats with white embellished bustiers. Yes-very Madonna, but no, not classy or elegant. They ripped off their costumes to reveal black embellished underwear-looking leotards. Cute idea, and the reveal went well-they must have practiced enough to get it right!

The guys were wearing tunic-styled, collar-less jackets with leather-look lapels. I liked these jackets, even though they were not really Madonna-like. Very sleek and very sexy.

The accessories for the ladies were very 80s-styled. They showed how accessories can really add to the flavor of a look. This is something you can do, without a lot of cost. They had ruffled lace gloves, lots of bra-straps showing, and big lace bows in their hair. Adding leggings also screamed 80s!

All-in-all, a really nicely costumed show. Then I went to watch the first part of the show on ABC.com, which I had missed.

So, Maks decided to undress, specifically because Len warned him, last week to stop taking his clothes off! Ladies, do you know anyone who reverts to childish behavior when told what they should and should not do? I thought so!

Erin and Maks started out rather sedate, with Maks in an all-black tailcoat look, and Erin with a black skirt over a simple boat-necked bodice emblazoned with thousands, if not millions of rhinestones. AND THEN-

Off comes his jacket and it is reversible! They turn it around, without wasting too many beats of the music, he rips off his black pants and Erin rips off her skirt-or vice versa-it all happened so fast! Now they are both in an orangy color which Maks referred to as salmon. I appreciate the clarification, Maks, as it looked orange-pink on my screen.

Erins dress was styled nicely. Both Pamelas bodice and Erins bodice were totally covered with rhinestones. A comment here-keep in mind what your fabric and rhinestone color choices look like from a distance. Both bodices looked nude-naked. I could not tell if they had a base color other than skin-toned. I am NOT a fan of the nude look. If you look at the pictures or the videos, you see bodices that resemble the color of the wearers body. I am not a fan.

You can also create the look of emblazoned with rhinestones without using as many as the costumers used this week. The costume budget for this weeks show must have been off the charts! I think that most amateur dancers do not have an open budget, nor the time it takes to actually apply all those stones! Past episodes of DWTS have shown rhinestone encrusted costumes, but not as much as these two dresses, this week.

All the other costumes this week had plenty of rhinestones. Did you notice the vertical boning embellishment of Niecys dress, along with the 3-D bandings, to help give vertical slimming lines? The horizontal banding designs worked for the toothpick thin Anna, and with Nicoles petite frame. An interesting use of a horizontal feature for Niecy, with the placement of her shoulder-neckline feathers, instead of broadening her, they helped to camouflage the girth of her body. We did not know where the feathers ended and her bustline started. This is an example of bending of a general rule, and making it work. NO, you do NOT always need to follow costume rules!

So this week, Randall decided to give a couple of the guys some outrageous costumes. Did you notice all the rhinestones that were on Maksims bright, bright costume? Again, most amatuer dancers will not be able to afford a brightly colored tuxedo outfit, and will have to stick with basic black to be able to coordinate with many different ladies gowns. But the shows budget covered this outrageous colored outfit this week!

And then came Chad, in his sheer, white tunic-jacket with satin cuffs, lapels and front banding! His outfit was not outrageously expensive, but a rather untraditional outfit for the Viennese Waltz, where the dancers are usually attired in an elegant gown and tailcoat.

Cheryl was equally nontraditional in her sheer white gown. Her skirt seemed to be embroidered with 3-D lace appliques. Her cold-shoulder sleeves were beautiful. Her entire outfit was beautifully embellished, and not totally covered with rhinestones. I really liked the more unusual design for her trim. I would love to see this up close, to see if it was a mix of sequin appliques and rhinestones, or just what it was.

Both of these couples costumes were intriguing, and unusual. Only when you have a huge budget for costumes, can you consider these types of costumes. You need to already have a closet of basic and traditional costumes for your ballroom competitive dancing. Only then, can you supplement them with the fun and outrageous!

Next week I look forward to seeing two full dance routines from each of the remaining couples. And I look forward to watching in my own home!

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Jazz, Tap, Broadway, Ballroom, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Studio, Costume Design, Costumes, Dancing With the Stars!, Reality TV (all tags)