Happy New Year! Being that this blog post will start off our new year, we thought it a perfect time to go back and take a look at the top five ballroom costume trends of 2019 to help get some perspective for 2020. Some of these trends are awesome and we really hope they stick around, but some of them have just got to go!
What we found most interesting as we cycled through these trends was seeing the difference between the two federations! There is a definite difference in fashion when you look at the ballroom costume trends of 2019 in the WDSF and the WDC. Of course, for a bit of something unique, some dress designers combined these trends and dressed dancers of both federations in some of these looks. And some of the results were fantastic!
5. Peplum Skirts
If you don’t know what a peplum is, think of a flippy mini skirt over a longer skirt. Peplum skirts were really popular back in the 2015/2016 time period, and late last year they made a strong comeback. But this time, they’re back with a twist. We’ve seen single, double, even triple peplums! And in keeping with the main ballroom costume trends of 2019, these peplums are created with a wide range of fabrics. They can also be seen with pleats, rhinestones on the crinoline, even feathers! Our favorite look when it comes to peplums is with nice bells on the skirts created from wide crinoline, and a fringe layer of ostrich feathers peeking out from underneath.
A fair warning for peplums, though! They look best on ectomorph bodies. If you are a mesomorph or an endomorph, we would suggest shying away from the peplum look. It can be difficult to pull off and the last thing you want someone thinking when they look at you is, “That dress would be so much nicer without those weird wings.”
Not sure what all those “morph” thingies are? Check out our article on the different body types right here! We even have a downloadable worksheet to help identify your body type, which will in turn help give direction toward what style of dress would look best on you!
4. Interesting Sleeves
Of the ballroom costumes trends of 2019, interesting sleeves seems to be the only one that truly endured from the previous year. The most iconic of the interesting sleeves trend must be the lantern sleeve. This type of sleeve is called such based on its lantern-like shape. The sleeve is narrower at the shoulder and reaches its ultimate width at the wrist, where a wide cuff pulls the fabric back in again.
This type of sleeve takes the place of floats and can be very useful for ectomorph body types who may feel self-conscious about how skinny their arms are. The style is also very attractive on endomorph bodies, who generally like to downplay the “roundness” of their arms by widening the fabric dramatically at the wrists. Which body shouldn’t where this type of sleeve? Mesomorphs! Athletic body types that tend to build muscle in the shoulders would not benefit from this type of sleeve, as the shoulder ripples just when the sleeve tightens around the shoulder socket, creating a funny wave in the arm when the arms are up in frame.
Another interesting sleeve trend we’ve seen are big poofy feathers on the wrists. Again, these feathers take the place of floats and lend a look of old-world elegance. From ball-like poofs around the wrists alone, to soft drapes of ostrich reaching down to the knees, to the dramatic spikes of rooster coques hiding the hands, the use of feathers on the sleeve is as varied as the feathers themselves.
Feathers on the sleeve are a great choice for mesomorphs, as the concentration of feathers at the end of the arms can create a smoother look over those muscular arms. Endomorphs should stay away from feathers entirely, while ectomorphs should keep to draping ostrich feathers in order to soften their sharp angles.
3. Ombre
Ombre fabrics have been around for a while now, but an ombre effect created by rhinestones exploded on the ballroom scene this year. It takes a fair amount of skill to create the ombre effect with rhinestones. Yet, more and more costume designers are diving into this skillset and surfacing with some beautiful results.
The most interesting ombre effects are created with rhinestones often juxtaposed with fabric textures and negative space. And the old rule of never placing dark fabrics at the bottom of the skirt has been thrown out of the window. Ombre fabrics are also placed on the body in interesting layers. Some ombre effects are cut up by geometric shapes, keeping the eye guessing as it roves over the body.
Ombre effects look good on everybody! That means go for it and have fun!
2. Pleating
An oldie but a goodie! Although pleated fabrics enjoyed a heyday back in the 1990s, they quietly faded into the background. In recent years pleats silently made a comeback, and new technology in pleating allowed fabric suppliers to pleat everything from metallic lame to gentle chiffon. This led to an explosion of the use of pleats. That’s why pleating is our number 2 pic for the most trendy ballroom costume trends of 2019.
Pleats are everywhere. On skirts, on peplums, on pants, on sleeves, you name it! And because fabric suppliers can now pleat any fabric you wish, the options for styles are endless. The best part is that pleats tend to look good on anyone. One of our favorite looks is a overskirt of soft pleats on a preteen dress. Given that preteens are restricted to a single color (among other things), pleats are an easy way to up the elegance on an otherwise simple dress.
1. Feathers
Feathers have made a comeback in a really big way! In reality, feathers have been slowing creeping back into popularity for a while now, but 2019 saw an explosion of this trend! Now, personally, we are fans of feathers. Ostrich feathers, rooster coque feathers, stripped coque feathers, chanterelle, you name it! And the use of feathers have actually gotten quite interesting!
Ok, sure, there are plenty of dresses with a heavy boa on the bottom of the skirt, a lá 1992. But our eyes are drawn more to the fancy uses of feathers. First of all, feathers on sleeves! Instead of floats, designers have started hanging the feathers off the sleeves. On some dresses, the feathers on the sleeves are massive and overpowering. On others, a bracelet of rooster coque feathers create a dynamic and sharp look to an otherwise feminine gown. And on yet others, soft ostrich feathers drape off the wrists and create a look like clouds billowing behind the lady as she dances. Just the use of feathers on sleeves is enough to populate this blog with the different ballroom costume trends of 2019!
And among the other ballroom costume trends of 2019 are the placement of feathers on the skirt! From skirts fully feathered from hip to boning, to feathers that just peek out from beneath the skirt above it, designers have certainly gotten creative. Therefore, this makes feathers our favorite and number one pick for our ballroom costume trends of 2019!
Bonus! Pantsuits!
Can you believe that pantsuits are in? For Latin, Rhythm, Ballroom, or Smooth, pantsuits have made a surprising sweep of the ballroom costume trends of 2019! Pantsuits in Rhythm and Latin have appeared from time to time on the competition floor. They look particularly amazing on girls with a pear-shape body. But early in 2019, World Latin Finalist Marina Sergeeva showed up on the competition floor in a series of pantsuits. Not long after, current WDSF World Standard Champion Ieva Zukauskaite surprised us all with an ingenious design for a Standard pantsuit. And suddenly the world went crazy.
We saw pantsuits in Smooth, too. One of our favorite designers, Grand Amour, designed a series of pantsuits for American Smooth competitors. And since Kora never wore a pantsuit in Standard before, she hurriedly jumped on the bandwagon! After all, gotta do it before the fad wears itself out.
But we think this fad is going to only get stronger as we continue into 2020. So if you’re looking for a purely unique dress for your next Standard competition, go for a pantsuit! The design possibilities are endless.
Want to see Kora’s take on the Standard pantsuit? Check it out down below!
Did you enjoy our breakdown of the 5 best ballroom costume trends of 2019?
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What was your favorite ballroom costume trend of 2019? Which one do you wish would never return? Let us know in the comments below!
