I promise I won’t do a fashion review every week about ‘Strictly’ but I just had to comment on this weekend. As well as some dodgy moves on the dancefloor, there were also some disastrous decolletage moments when it came to the frocks!
Host, Claudia Winkleman, in her two-tone orange and black dress looked like she’d forgotten to take her gym vest off before putting her evening dress on! The square, high neckline with peep shoulders also made her look even more angular. Compare it to the gorgeous, high-necked and classy look of contestant Naga Munchetty, which complemented her cropped hair so amazingly and you can see what I mean! Tess Daly’s white, slashed neckline dress was better but again, seemed to square off her shoulders and make her look broader.
Getting the neckline right is crucial when it comes to evening dresses and off-the shoulder gowns are not an easy look unless you have the poise and frame of ‘Strictly’ judge Darcy Bussell. Gorgeous in her navy gown (told you navy was the new black in my earlier blog!) she had done all the right things. Her hair gracefully swept up extended her swan-like neck even more and softened the lines of her shoulders. Wearing hair down with an off-the shoulder look can block you in so do bear in mind your hairstyle if you’re going to expose your neck, shoulders or cleavage.
And for those of us who prefer to be less up-front than Anastasia (!) but want an elegant neckline, clever dresses with discreet nude netting like Gina Bacconi 90012 pictured above can give all the glamour of the off-the shoulder effect without you feeling naked or worst still, spending the whole night trying to keep the straps sitting on your shoulders right. This dress even solves the problem of jewellery with beautiful beadwork created in a necklace-effect to give you a perfectly dressed decolletage.