As Seen on Strictly: Week 10

Last week’s Strictly Come Dancing saw Faye Tozer top the leaderboard with her gorgeous waltz and sterling performance in the lindy hopathon. But it wasn’t just her dancing that impressed the viewers – the classy elegance of her dress also won lots of praise on social media.

“Faye’s dress was one of my favourites,” agrees costume designer Vicky Gill. “Burgundy mesh over a Rose Pink base was a treat, and Burgundy also created a lovely understated border to the Fuchsia stoning detail. Splits were inserted into the panels around the skirt to enable her to move freely.”

Did the dress change much when it was decided the pair would dance a waltz instead of an American smooth? “No,” says Vicky. “All was well to cross between the two dance styles – we did slim down the upper part of the garment and, as I predicted, more sparkle was added,” she laughs.

In a contrasting colour, Karen Clifton’s dramatic tango frock also received lots of compliments. The Emerald Green mesh base with heavy stoning in dramatic flames suited Karen perfectly, and the black bias trim on the hem gave it the strong silhouette needed for the tango.

“Emerald, Blue Zircon and Emerald AB crystals ran through the dress centre front and centre back,” says Vicky. “But I tried to limit the amount of crystal detail at the sides so that we could keep an hourglass shape throughout the dress. A green satin belt helped to cement this shape.”

Finally, Ashley Roberts’ dress was a classic carnival-style frock. “But rather sophisticated in colour for a samba,” notes Vicky.

The amazing bustle, which perfectly accentuated Ashley’s hip action, was created from a 2m-strip of crin covered in Tan mesh to match with the body of the dress, with lines of feather fringe covering the base.

The  same feathering continued around to the front of the dress, which also boasted an hourglass shape and came to life with Gold crystals that looked amazing on the front of the dress, as well as Golden Shadow, Peach, Crystal, Crystal AB and Gold Pearls. A sparkling sensation!