As seen on Strictly: Week 2

The first week of elimination on Strictly Come Dancing saw an extra-special effort from the wardrobe department to keep everyone’s spirits up. We were all very sad to see the exuberant Chizzy Akudolu exit the show, though she dazzled in glorious purple as she left.

Another of Vicky Gill’s creations that was warmly praised on the night was the spectacular silver beaded creation worn by Charlotte Hawkins. It received lots of attention on social media from everyone from much-loved former Strictly pro Robin Windsor to Charlotte herself who said on Twitter: “It was an incredible dress! I want to keep it.”

From the horse’s mouth, we have a few of the secret ingredients that went into making this bedazzled beauty from creative genius Vicky Gill herself, who says: “We applied a lot of energy to the embellishment on Charlotte’s dress knowing it would be a tough week going into elimination week. It was one of the more heavily decorated pieces of the day. Silver bugle beads were used over the bust area, with sequin strips and metallic fringe. Plus, Crystal and Crystal AB stones were used on the dress in all shapes and sizes.

“A corset shape was created with lines of crystal stoning through the centre to create shape as sometimes, when there are lots of crystals, you can lose shape and definition. The movement in the skirt was created with a combination of sequin and metallic fringe. The base of the dress was a gold sequin base to give warmth.”

Vicky adds: “Charlotte is very much a pro dancer’s size; her look wasn’t too far away from something they would wear.”  Something to keep in mind for the pro dancers among you…