This Autumn/Winter dance season kicked off with the most prestigious event in the UK dancing calendar… The Internationals at the Albert Hall! This September and October has seen a vast amount of dancers and spectators travelling to the UK in preparation for the big event with weeks of practice, training and competitions in the lead up to the Internationals! It has been such an exciting time at CHRISANNE CLOVER with every department working so hard to make sure dancers and dress makers get what they need to create their dream gowns!
Professional dancers Monica, Olga, Sara, Nataliya and Natascha
With over 20 NEW dresses designed and made for our Sponsored Gold dancers alone, I was interested to find out more about this season’s dance fashion trends and what we will start to see on dancefloor in 2019. Talking to one of our top couture designers Kushy, and our couture sales manager Emma, they gave the perfect insight into the trends and fashions of the Internationals 2018…
Amateur dancers Anna, Izabela, Joanne, Lias, Mia
What styles and colours were trending at the Internationals?
K: We saw a lot of white and blue on the dancefloor this year. In fact the professional Ballroom finalists wore a beautiful mix of blue and white shades that empowered the dancefloor. Colours Cobalt and Electric Blue were very prominent colours and shading was a real fashion focus. Our sponsored gold dancers Izabela and Natascha looked stunning with their shaded couture.
Professional Finalists with Monica 4th place and Natascha 5th place
Feathers and 3d applique was also a massive trend! Not just on the skirt hem but on the arms, bust and shoulders! We also created our own crinoline flowers and features to make more of a statement, using conventional materials but in a more unique and eye catching way.
Nataliya, Monica, Sara and Paulina
E: Pleated floats was a striking trend and they looked stunning on the dance floor. The pleated floats looked gorgeous on Natascha’s Sassy Yellow and Evgeniya’s Tropic Lime Ballroom dresses.
Natascha left wearing BDD375NN and Evgeniya right wearing BDD335NN
How was the build up to the Internationals for you?
K: Stressful haha! But such an amazing buzz! We have a new Latin Sponsored Gold dancer join our sponsored family, Anna Maschyts – our first Latin Sponsor Gold! It was great to have a Latin focus and to make sure all of her Latin dresses were to par, and we were so happy with the finished results! With so many customer couture orders and all of our Sponsored girls dresses to make it was certainly a challenging time! But we did it and it was so amazing to be able to see the final results on the girls at the Internationals. They all looked so beautiful!
New Sponsored Gold Anna Maschyts in her debut couture from left to right LDD360NN (cap, LDD361NN (black, LDD362NN (red)
E: Yes very hectic lol! Having only recently taken over looking after the Sponsored girls it was a real pleasure getting the opportunity to meet them all in person and also seeing first hand, all the hard work that goes into making their dresses by our couture team before the big competition!
From left to right: Natascha & Domen (with Ronnie, Nataliya, Sara, Evgeniya & Craig, Liis & Eric, Monica
Was there any particular dress you designed that was your favourite on the dancefloor?
K: I especially loved Izabela’s Hot Magenta and Black shaded dress – the colour looked amazing on the dance floor and really stood out! The crystals on the dress shading from light shade to purple tones and black, really caught the light beautifully!
Izabela and Kyle dress BDD378NN
I also really liked Natascha’s two dresses – her sassy yellow couture had so much movement with the bead droppers dripping down the centre front, back and arms. The crystallization looked fantastic and with the embellishment designed purely down the centre front and centre back panels, it really helped accentuate her gorgeous figure.
Natascha’s shaded blue and white dress was a new cut for her. We haven’t done a 7 panel dress for her before and the end result was stunning! The cut, style and crystal design made for a striking new look for Natascha, which we cannot wait to delve into more with new designs in 2019.
Natascha and Domen dress BDD375NN (yellow, BDD374NN (white)
Apart from Crystal AB were there any other colour of crystals that really stood out?
K: This year we used a lot of self-colour crystallization, perfectly captured with Monica’s couture dresses. Sometimes the general consensus is that self-colour crystals can get lost on a couture, but with Monica’s Ballroom dresses, I think we have proved otherwise! It makes for a more elegant style of embellishing that enhances the colour of the dress beautifully..
E: For me the colour Heliotrope really stood out on the dancefloor, the colour really set precedence on Monica’s Blueberry and Izabela’s shaded Hot Magenta dresses.
Monica and Valerio Dress BDD383NN (blueberry, BDD382NN (red)
What looks and styles can we expect to see for Bournemouth in January?
K: We hope to see a lot of our new colours and prints on the dancefloor due to the massive popularity of the launch at the beginning of this season. Wine and Hot Red were a particular huge hit and Bluebell has been very popular in Japan. The choice of NEW prints on stretch fabrics will make for unique couture and show dresses. Self-colour crystallization and shading colours will also be a prominent dance trend.
NEW colours Wine, Hot Red and Bluebell
Has there been much feedback on the dresses made for the Internationals?
K: There was a lot of positive feedback on everyone’s dresses. Natascha’s sassy yellow had quite a few admirers, along with Sara’s purple and white couture. The way the 3d feathers were applied and the striking contrast of the purple and white really stood out, giving Sara’s look a more contemporary feel.
Our new Latin sponsor Anna got so many likes and admirers with her couture dresses! As it was the first time we have sponsored a Latin dancer in a while there were a lot of eyes on her dresses, but thankfully the feedback we have had is amazing!
E: Monica’s Blueberry Ballroom dress has been a firm favourite with my customers and Anna’s Latin dresses have seen a lot of customer enquiries!
from left to right LDD362NN (fluo red, LDD360NN (cappuccino, BDD384NN(white, BDD383NN (blueberry, BDD375NN (yellow)
How was your experience of the Internationals this year?
K: This year I think as a whole we all found it was one of the best years we have had and experienced! Everyone at CHRISANNE CLOVER were so proud to have our dresses showcased on the floor and it was such a great opportunity for everyone to see all of their hard work in action!
E: This was my first experience of the Internationals this year and it was so exciting! It was amazing being caught up in the atmosphere and see all the hard work pay off for all that were involved! We all had such a great time!
Kushy and the couture team at the Internationals :)
For more information about the couture dresses please contact Emma on [email protected] who will be more than happy to help you :)
View the International Couture collection HERE
Photo credit Rob Ronda Photography