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Description
Image update Nothing to the design, I've just been going back and forth between a light and dark background, and decided the light background worked better for the design. I liked the dark better for the feeling created, but it was eating the red of the dress.

*ProjectRunway challenge this round was the monochromatic challenge--we had to design an outfit, any outfit, using shades of only one color; white and black used as accents. I decided to use pure red (hue: 0 in photoshop).

TL;DR DESCRIPTION
In analyzing what red symbolizes, I decided that a dance gown inspired by latin dance would be most appropriate. There was a challenge in the balance; something intense but not overwhelming, sensual and confident but not promiscuous, appropriate for wear both on the competition floor and the dance floor. Most important, it had to be designed to MOVE. This is a dancing outfit after all.

THE LONG VERSION
Analysis
I gave some thought to what red symbolizes, and I decided what I most wanted to focus on was passion, confidence, and energy. I knew there would be a lot of challenges, since red seems to have the most negative connotations of any of the colors, and I wanted to create something that exuded the positives but didn't cross the fine line into the negatives. I did a whole bunch of little doodle sketches with some silhouette lines using strokes that I thought were appropriate for representing energy.

As it ended up getting more refined, I made the Latin dance connection, an activity that I think is best described by the color red. This particular purpose to the outfit presented another challenge in that a lot of Latin dance gowns are rather tacky. So, in addition to avoiding the negative red connotations, I had to deal with that. (want a fun time? google image search "latin dance costume") >.< Let's try to make something that's normally considered "costume" not a costume, shall we? I'd like this to not only be appropriate for a competition floor (where you can get away with anything), but also for normal wear for a night of dance.

Design Goals

Most importantly, I wanted this to be a dance outfit. Not what’s modernly considered club dancing, but dances like salsa, merengue, and rumba. (The hubby adds that this would work quite well as a tango dress as well, which isn't in the Latin style specifically, but I'm not complaining).

Red to me is movement, intense passion, confidence and energy, all very much in many Latin dances. Red is sensual, undoubtedly present. On the other hand, red can be angry and scandalous. The line between sensual and carnal is a very thin one.

The dress

The Opaque Layers
The bright red swishy stripe is what I consider the defining point in the design of this dress. It was created with the idea of a pulse of movement and energy, and defines the curves of the rest of the dress. It is the brightest, most intense part of the dress as a result of this. I chose to shape the hem accordingly to also show its defining nature. It carries throughout multiple layers to show its effect over the entire outfit.

To help add to the sensual nature of the dress, I decided to gather the layers that cover the torso. The gathers accent the waist and the curves of the body. It also allows for a naturally sensual neckline (none of this bra=dress nonsense). The rose pattern helps to both balance and enhance the intensity of the bright red stripe. The back straps were split to add some extra dimension and complexity. It, in addition to the ruffled skirt, is also partly my homage to the Latin dance gowns I like. (There have to be a few things that express exactly what I'm doing)

The skirt
The movement of the hips in dance makes a highly moving skirt one of the best places to express movement. One of the aspects of (good) Latin dance dresses is that there's a lot of fabric that moves as the dancer does. I opted for layered ruffled circle skirts in this regards. Circle skirts have a tendency to rise as the dancer spins and is most dramatic in this regards. The layered effect adds to this and reflects more traditional Hispanic garb. I chose to use shear, revealing a little bit of the legs down below, and to play with changing visual opacities as the fabric moves around. The skirts are gradient dyed to add a little bit of dimension, balance the strong chroma of the red stripe in the top, and draw some attention to the hem, as the hem has the most movement. There's an opaque layer beneath to prevent things from showing that shouldn't.

The "tails
As I developed the design, the top seemed to have crossed that line to slutty for lack of a better word. Too much of the breast was exposed. However, as I adjusted the neckline, it seemed too much like I was just trying to hide something, preventing the natural sensuality of the dress. The idea for the shear underlayer came from that. It ties the top into the skirt, and adds some modesty to the dress without detracting from the sensuality. Since movement was important, I decided to attach it in the back above the outside of the dress, allowing it its own movement. I also like that this element now has a function that's not simply covering up.

Accessories
I chose accessories that added to the movement of the dress; multiple bracelets on the right arm, and the dangling red chains in the earrings and necklace. The rose is my most obvious homage to my inspiration, and I feel it ties the composition together and communicates what I'm going for. The shoes are strappy like the back of the dress (and use the same buckle as the tails). THE HEELS ARE NOT AS TALL AS DRAWN. I was stuck with the base, and trying to alter the heal to look like it wasn't touching the ground was just strange. So I drew them tall. Although you can't dance in that. So pretend they're actually only about 2-1/2" tall for me, k?

Fabrics
It's dance, we've got silks (also nice for the dying)! The shears I see as a silk chiffon. The opaque layers I can see as a lycra-blend silk charmeuse. Silk is nice in that charmeuses have a nice sheen without being "no flash photography" like polyester. XD

Description
Image update Nothing to the design, I've just been going back and forth between a light and dark background, and decided the light background worked better for the design. I liked the dark better for the feeling created, but it was eating the red of the dress.

*ProjectRunway challenge this round was the monochromatic challenge--we had to design an outfit, any outfit, using shades of only one color; white and black used as accents. I decided to use pure red (hue: 0 in photoshop).

TL;DR DESCRIPTION
In analyzing what red symbolizes, I decided that a dance gown inspired by latin dance would be most appropriate. There was a challenge in the balance; something intense but not overwhelming, sensual and confident but not promiscuous, appropriate for wear both on the competition floor and the dance floor. Most important, it had to be designed to MOVE. This is a dancing outfit after all.

THE LONG VERSION
Analysis
I gave some thought to what red symbolizes, and I decided what I most wanted to focus on was passion, confidence, and energy. I knew there would be a lot of challenges, since red seems to have the most negative connotations of any of the colors, and I wanted to create something that exuded the positives but didn't cross the fine line into the negatives. I did a whole bunch of little doodle sketches with some silhouette lines using strokes that I thought were appropriate for representing energy.

As it ended up getting more refined, I made the Latin dance connection, an activity that I think is best described by the color red. This particular purpose to the outfit presented another challenge in that a lot of Latin dance gowns are rather tacky. So, in addition to avoiding the negative red connotations, I had to deal with that. (want a fun time? google image search "latin dance costume") >.< Let's try to make something that's normally considered "costume" not a costume, shall we? I'd like this to not only be appropriate for a competition floor (where you can get away with anything), but also for normal wear for a night of dance.

Design Goals

Most importantly, I wanted this to be a dance outfit. Not what’s modernly considered club dancing, but dances like salsa, merengue, and rumba. (The hubby adds that this would work quite well as a tango dress as well, which isn't in the Latin style specifically, but I'm not complaining).

Red to me is movement, intense passion, confidence and energy, all very much in many Latin dances. Red is sensual, undoubtedly present. On the other hand, red can be angry and scandalous. The line between sensual and carnal is a very thin one.

The dress

The Opaque Layers
The bright red swishy stripe is what I consider the defining point in the design of this dress. It was created with the idea of a pulse of movement and energy, and defines the curves of the rest of the dress. It is the brightest, most intense part of the dress as a result of this. I chose to shape the hem accordingly to also show its defining nature. It carries throughout multiple layers to show its effect over the entire outfit.

To help add to the sensual nature of the dress, I decided to gather the layers that cover the torso. The gathers accent the waist and the curves of the body. It also allows for a naturally sensual neckline (none of this bra=dress nonsense). The rose pattern helps to both balance and enhance the intensity of the bright red stripe. The back straps were split to add some extra dimension and complexity. It, in addition to the ruffled skirt, is also partly my homage to the Latin dance gowns I like. (There have to be a few things that express exactly what I'm doing)

The skirt
The movement of the hips in dance makes a highly moving skirt one of the best places to express movement. One of the aspects of (good) Latin dance dresses is that there's a lot of fabric that moves as the dancer does. I opted for layered ruffled circle skirts in this regards. Circle skirts have a tendency to rise as the dancer spins and is most dramatic in this regards. The layered effect adds to this and reflects more traditional Hispanic garb. I chose to use shear, revealing a little bit of the legs down below, and to play with changing visual opacities as the fabric moves around. The skirts are gradient dyed to add a little bit of dimension, balance the strong chroma of the red stripe in the top, and draw some attention to the hem, as the hem has the most movement. There's an opaque layer beneath to prevent things from showing that shouldn't.

The "tails
As I developed the design, the top seemed to have crossed that line to slutty for lack of a better word. Too much of the breast was exposed. However, as I adjusted the neckline, it seemed too much like I was just trying to hide something, preventing the natural sensuality of the dress. The idea for the shear underlayer came from that. It ties the top into the skirt, and adds some modesty to the dress without detracting from the sensuality. Since movement was important, I decided to attach it in the back above the outside of the dress, allowing it its own movement. I also like that this element now has a function that's not simply covering up.

Accessories
I chose accessories that added to the movement of the dress; multiple bracelets on the right arm, and the dangling red chains in the earrings and necklace. The rose is my most obvious homage to my inspiration, and I feel it ties the composition together and communicates what I'm going for. The shoes are strappy like the back of the dress (and use the same buckle as the tails). THE HEELS ARE NOT AS TALL AS DRAWN. I was stuck with the base, and trying to alter the heal to look like it wasn't touching the ground was just strange. So I drew them tall. Although you can't dance in that. So pretend they're actually only about 2-1/2" tall for me, k?

Fabrics
It's dance, we've got silks (also nice for the dying)! The shears I see as a silk chiffon. The opaque layers I can see as a lycra-blend silk charmeuse. Silk is nice in that charmeuses have a nice sheen without being "no flash photography" like polyester. XD