The evolution of Ballroom Dancing Fashion
by Lauren Kavanagh
Ballroom dresses have always been governed by tradition, and as a result their evolvement over the years has been slow, remaining relatively conservative. As we know, the man has always worn a tail suit, which is also entrenched with centuries of tradition.
Historically, gowns have always been long and voluminous, although there was a time up until the early 80’s where the powder puff style (not much longer than the knee) was the height of Modern Ballroom fashion. Then in the late 80’s to early 90’s we saw the dresses slowly become longer, and longer. Feather boas, frills, boning, and crinoline were often used (and still are) to help create the fullness of the gown, resulting in a beautiful silhouette to show off a great dance partnership.
As dress fashions evolved, trends became more and more frequent each year when Australian’s returned from Europe at the end of the British Championships, and each new dress would strictly adhere to the trend at the time. Particularly if for example, the trend was a floor length gown, it would be unheard of for a competitor to compete in a dress that was not on trend.So although the overall shape of the ballroom dress hasn’t changed dramatically over time, we have seen more variations of colour, fabric, additional eye catchers (feathers, diamontes), as well as various floats, and length (to a certain degree).
Probably the most common question I’m asked after returning from a major championship is, “Are the Ballroom Dresses going shorter again?”. The answer is yes and no – I think from now on there will always be a few ladies wearing mid-calf length dresses, however the majority are still in the traditional ballroom gown style.
Latin dresses on the other hand have a much shorter history than Modern Ballroom dresses, and the trends haven’t changed all that much over the years. At one point in time, we did see a strong trend for “matching dresses” whereby the ladies Latin dress was a short replica of their ballroom gown. This trend was quite common particularly for couples competing in 10 Dance, as it created uniformity, and in some ways represented a strong, committed partnership. They predominately had an identical bodice to their ballroom gown, with a slightly different skirt, however some ladies opted to have their Latin dress completely identical to their ballroom gown – which was quite a beautiful sight.
Currently, much like the Ballroom competitors, Latin girls have the freedom to design their dresses however they wish. There is an endless amount of options out there – sometimes all it takes is a little creativity and voila! You’ve got a champion’s Latin dress.
So these days when it comes to choosing a Ballroom or Latin dress, the choice is yours. If you’re a traditionalist like me, then stick to what you know, and what you love. Ultimately now, it is all about what you as a competitor feel comfortable in, and also feel beautiful in. If you adore your dress (whichever design you choose), you are guaranteed to perform better, and also enjoy yourself that much more.
