Emerging Trend – All Red Dresses

Dress from Doire Designs

Oireachtas season is upon us and the pictures and parades are starting to roll in. I’m going to do a detailed update later, but for now, here’s something that’s popped up a few times – all red dresses. I’ve talked a lot about the all white dresses that have taken over the Irish dance world, but in the past month, more and more all red dresses have emerged. And I absolutely love it.

I’m a sucker for red. My first two dance dresses were red and I very reluctantly gave it up for my third. One of the great things about it is that you can adjust the type of red for your skin tone. It can work on just about everyone. I’ve even seen redheads pull it off!

Reasons to go all red:

1. Red is a powerful color. This website goes through the many different things that red embodies but here are a few relevant ones – importance, good luck and passion. Just seeing the color can raise your respiration and metabolism! It’s a color that will get you in the mood to attack on stage!

2. There are many shades to work with. Though many dresses are more of a fire hydrant red, you can play with different tones to suit your tastes. This website shows how people with different skin tones can work the color. Granted, it’s for matching red lipsticks – but you get the idea.

3. You’ll stand out in a growing sea of all-white and white base dresses. It’s a color that draws the eye anyways, even more so when it’s the whole dress!

4. It’s not just for the girls. Red is a strong color that would look great on a guy’s vest as well!

5. Because Ciara Sexton looked amazing in all red in Lord of the Dance (and at the premier – so jealous of that dress!) – and really, if I can be anything like her, I’m in. Also, the bad girls in red always get the more fun choreography!

Examples of all-red dresses:

1. This dancer toned down the drama of an all red dress with a simple bodice design and a small white tulle underskirt. Understated impact.

2. This dancer again used a minimal design, but played up other elements like puffy sleeves and a fun skirt. Adding the extra bits keeps an all-red dress (or any solid color dress, really) from looking monotonous.

3. This all- red Doire dress has a bit of a Japanese feel to it by using black as the embroidery instead of white. The stoning and fabric sparkles make sure it’s still bright on stage even though the colors are darker. And it has a collar – what more do you want?

Not ready to dive into a solid red dress? Here are some of my favorite dresses that use red as a key element, but not the entire dress:

1. Classy and elegant with a white soft skirt. You can’t go wrong with a design like this. It’s also a great look for a school costume.

2. The strong feeling of red makes it perfect for a dramatic asymmetric design.

3. Red tends to get paired with black and white for a bold combination, but you can also try adding a touch of pink for a soft look to balance the red or yellow or orange for a firey look.

4. Play with the contrast of a powerful red and black bodice with a girly soft skirt. Love the contrast – perfect for an Irish dancer!

5. This last Doire dress shows the other side of the all-red trend. It’s almost all red and the color overlays the skirt, but it’s not quite there. It’s a good way to incorporate the trend without going all-in.

What do you think? Will you try this trend out for your next dress or vest?

Stay Fashionable, Feisers!