As Seen on Strictly: Blackpool!  

This year’s Strictly Blackpool spectacular opened with a glorious carnival celebration featuring showgirl costumes, bright, brash colours and Gloria Estefan, no less! Just right for making a splash on that huge Tower Ballroom floor. “I loved the end result for the opener,” says costume designer Vicky Gill. “Tangerine and Rose Pink fringe were an unusual combination for our celeb ladies but they worked a treat on camera in both movement and colour.” All the female performers, both professionals and celebrities alike, had the same halterneck base with the addition of either feather or fringe. For the pros, DSI London’s Tangerine mesh over a Rose Pink base of Lycra helped to soften the carnival orange paving the way for the vibrancy of the feather and fringe detail of the dresses. Tangerine and Cerise feathers were used for the headdresses and the tail feathers, while the stoning embellishment was limited to detailing on the headdresses and the front V-section of the frocks. Aurum, Hyacinth, Topaz AB and Rose crystals were mixed together to give light and shade.   Sadly, last week saw a sad farewell to Kate Silverton, who truly embraced the Strictly spirit on her journey through the show. In particular, Kate has won lots of attention on social media for the amazing frocks she’s worn, including last week’s wedding dress.

The dreamy creation for her American smooth was a 16-panel gown with a flared hem, but not too much skirt, which may have caused problems with the legal lifts. DSI London’s Carnation Pink was used throughout, with a net top skirt consisting of two layers of Carnation net. “There was ruched mesh detail around the bust line,” says Vicky, “and Twinkle in the hem balanced Kate’s silhouette. “Rose and Light Rose mixed size crystals were used over the bust line.” A very different dress, which also won lots of praise, was Karen Clifton’s samba costume, which showed off her fabulous figure.

The base of the dress was made of White Mesh and Lycra with Crystal, White Opal and Transmission embellishment. “Mesh circles with crin inserted into the hem positioned on the hip gave the necessary kick for the job in hand,” says Vicky. “Simple but very effective.” Another stunner last week’s was Dianne’s glorious Barbados quickstep frock. “This was the first feather dress of the series,” notes Vicky. “I refrained from inserting underskirts in fear that it would be too much on set – the feathers were already doing all the talking. “Three inches of crin in the Stretch Satin base kept the shape before adding the Barbados boa on the hem. Fading up with fine pieces of feather to the hip line was a lengthy but worthwhile detail, as were Aurum, Light Peach, Crystal AB and Aqua crystals adorning the bodice in Art Deco shapes.” Finally, Oti’s musical theatre number was definitely deserving of an honourable mention. No embellishment was required in this striking outfit – it was all about the fit, colour and texture throughout the garment, giving it that perfect period feel! As always, we want to hear your thoughts on the Strictly costumes, so drop us a line through DSI London’s social media channels!