Dancer - Designing Styling

Symbolising ultimate escapism, the styling will be lightweight and un-restricting, allowing the dancers to move freely. An elegant white dress will adorn the dancers, flowing to complement their shapes and showing their carefree spirit. The ethereal, crisp white gowns allow the vibrant pigments of the powder paint to make their mark, reflecting the dancers embracing the colourful fantasy world of anti-discrimination. The models will have long, lean limbs for an elegant and professional look.

Above is an extract taken from my FMP proposal describing the styling brief I set myself when designing the dancer's fashion. I used the image below to portray the styling in my FMP proposal because I love how light and airy the skirt fabric is as it moves so gracefully with her movement. I like that the fabric is slightly transparent because you can see the beautiful silhouette of her body. I want her to wear a white dress to signify innocence and freedom, but also so the bright powder paint makes a strong statement. I want her to wear a dress; however I don't want the dress to hide too much of the dancer's body as it won't look as elegant without the dancer's silhouette showing through. 

(Orcutt, 2014.)

Alexander McQueen's couture gown designed for his Savage Beauty collection inspired the use of ruffles in my dancer's styling. The rest of the styling in my educational film has an avant-garde feel so I wanted the dancer's styling to be more unique than the image shown above. I think the ruffled fabric would capture the powder paint beautifully in between the layers to give an almost tie dye effect, leaving some parts white. I also love how the ruffles would move in the air as the dancer moves because it will create an elegant texture and extra movement. If I designed a dress similar to this I would be concerned that the fabric was too heavy to move freely and look elegant in the wind; I would also be concerned that it would restrict her movement if the fabric didn't stretch enough around her legs or if it felt too heavy. I would therefore have to make sure the fabric I chose was light weight and that the skirt was wide enough for her to have complete freedom when moving her legs. Another concern I have is that her whole body would be covered up and so the viewer wouldn't be able to see her beautiful dance moves. I will therefore choose a fabric that is slightly transparent or slightly shorter to reveal her body's silhouette.

(The Fashion Law, 2011.)

Marchesa's New York Spring/Summer 2017 ready-to-wear collection inspired me to incorporate smaller ruffles into the dress with a sheer fabric. I still want to keep my dress white as explained previously; however I love how textured and almost fluffy the dress looks with added colour as the powder paint will create a similar effect. I like how light weight the fabric looks because it doesn't look restricting and I think it would flow beautifully in the wind as the dancer moves. The soft ruffles look elegant and feminine which I think will be perfect for the ethereal, dream-like feel of the scene. I like the layering and simplicity of the top half of the dress; however I think I want something more textured to give a voluminous look.

(Vogue 2016.)

Marchesa further inspired me with their Spring/Summer 2015 ready-to-wear collection. The dress below exudes elegance and femininity with the neutral tones and soft sheer fabric. The skirt of the dress hangs beautifully, with a fish tail silhouette; however I think it would be restricting for the dancer and I think the concentration of fabric on the bottom would distort some of the dancer's shapes. The top half of the dress is what grabbed my attention; I love the layered sheer fabric and the ruffled texture across the shoulders. The sheer fabric would complement the lightweight fabric of the skirt (from the look above) to create an elegant, ethereal gown. I like the low neck line as I think it opens up the neck, giving her an elongated neck and body to create beautiful lines, and it stops the detailed ruffles to look too over powering and fussy. The ruffled shoulders will give her a feminine hourglass shape, enhancing her enchanting ballet moves. 

(Roseline, 2014.)

(Roseline, 2014).

I will ask my dancer what shoes she would be most comfortable dancing in, for example ballet shoes, point shoes or bare foot, as I want her to be able to dance freely with no restrictions. 

References:

ORCUTT, D., 2014. A Kindred Spirit [viewed 27th January 2017]. Available from: http://queenbee1924.tumblr.com/post/67258213421/via-gorgeous-ballet-divine-dance

THE FASHION LAW, 2011. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty [viewed 27th January 2017]. Available from: http://www.thefashionlaw.com/home/alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty

VOGUE, 2016. Marchesa New York Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-To-Wear Collection [viewed 27th January 2017]. Available from: http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows/spring-summer-2017-ready-to-wear/marchesa/collection/

ROSELINE, 2014. Runway: Marchesa Spring 2015 Ready-to-Wear [viewed 27th January 2017]. Available from: http://www.thisisglamorous.com/2014/09/runway-marchesa-spring-2015-ready-wear/