SCTC 2019 Milonga Themes and Suggestions for Our Competitors
We know the question you have been asking yourself…
“What shall I wear?”
Let us offer a little inspiration…
Lovely people, let the Clothes-Shopping begin!
What to Wear for SCTC Festival (Milonga Themes)
What to Wear for SCTC Competition
Recommended Competition Outfits for Leaders:
- SUITS (elegant, classy, and upscale) – Suit and tie are the standard. Try to look good and maybe stand out a little bit. Some dancers will do this to the extreme with bolder colors, which can also work if it compliments your dancing style and personality. Others will stick to solid black which also stands out if everybody else is wearing a color. Vests are usually recommend as they add to the overall elegance/strength of your look but can also be restricting if not sized properly.
- COLOR (Single-color vs 2-tone vs patterns) – solid-color suits make it easier to match color schemes with your partner’s dress and also help flashier/busier dancers look more calm and refined. 2-tone suits or patterns can help you stand out, make simpler dancers look more interesting, and are easier to achieve proper fit (by mixing and matching different tops & bottoms). Secret tip: TEXTURE! Interesting textures (like velvet, corduroy, or shiny polyester) can help you stand out without looking obnoxious and still allow you to match color schemes with your partner. Be aware that some textures or suit materials can get VERY HOT or feel uncomfortable to the skin.
- RELAXED SUIT JACKET – find the proper size and length to give your body a proportional appearance. It’s important that your jacket allows you to move freely underneath without feeling restricted and also without appearing too wrinkled or “stressed” while you move. (Be careful with today’s trend of tighter-fitting jackets.) Special attention should be paid to the arms and shoulders. Some jackets restrict your arms or lift the shoulders when you embrace and make you look more stressed. The jacket should be long enough to make your upper body look strong, but also short enough to display the strength of your legs.(Some dancers like bigger jacket for a heavier torso appearance, others like shorter jacket to give emphasize their legs.) Double flaps will probably look and feel better than single flap.
- RELAXED PANTS – it is most recommended to wear tango pants since they are wider than usual pants and look better in general by not looking as stressed while you move. Wide pants also help your lines by hiding slight knee bends. Many dancers will get a custom tango suit made in Buenos Aires while others will buy tango pants and match them with a jacket from any department store. If you don’t have any tango pants, you can substitute using pleated pants from department stores ($35). Another alternative to getting a wide tango pant is to buy a pair of pants one size up and get it tailored down to your waist size.
- HIGHER/WIDER collar shirts – will look more masculine and can help hide bad posture. It’s important not to over-do this as a shirt collar that stands out too much could make you look arrogant and show-off.
- REGULAR-WIDTH TIE – the tie should be a traditional width, not a skinny tie or any other trendy shape, and should be worn with a tie-bar to help it stay in place while you move around. The color of the tie is often the same or similar scheme to your partner’s outfit and helps to “tie” in the appearance of a harmonious couple.
- POCKET SQUARES OPTIONAL – this is another opportunity to make you look even more dressed up and can also be used to match or compliment your partner’s outfit. Some couples will even have custom ties and pocket squares made to match the follower’s outfit. If you’re partner’s dress is too long, it’s clever to recycle the cut-off material into a matching pocket square.
- COMFORTABLE SHOES – you can wear a plain-looking shoe or stand out with special colors and designs. You can also do the professional look which is patent leather. The problem with patent leather is that it sticks to itself, so you’ll have to rub Vaseline on it regularly to prevent tripping over yourself. The only rule is that they must be tango shoes. Judges do not like to see competitors using shoes made for other dances or casual purposes; they see it as a sign of disrespect to tango tradition.
Recommended Competition Outfits for Followers:
- FLOWING vs FORM-FITTED – flowing dresses are great for giving a more feminine appearance, accentuating your movements or hiding imperfect technique, add volume to thinner body-types or thinner legs, softening and smoothing out choppy dancers. Form-fitted dresses are great for giving a more sexy, powerful punchy appearance, showcasing stronger legs, quieting embellishments, and accentuating your curves.
- DRESS LENGTH – this is a common area of interest. How high or how long should the dress be? Knee-high is a good minimum length. Too high and it looks like a casual clubbing dress. Too low and it covers your legs and/or your heels are likely to snag it in the middle of your dance. There’s also the SLIT. How how or how low shoulder the slit be? Slits are a great way to showcase your legs even on longer dresses, helping you achieve that delicate balance between elegant and sexy.
- HAIR – follower’s hair is typically either up for maximum elegance, or down in some form of a “controlled” pony-tail for flow and femininity. What’s important is that your hair doesn’t cover your face (or your leader’s face). The more angles from the judges can see your face and cheeks, the more likely they are too watch you. It’s also important that your hair doesn’t fly all over the place when you’re trying to do mollinetes.
- MAKE-UP – follower’s make-up for competition probably requires a little more than you think. Keep in mind that the judges need to see your expressions from far away. It’s better to over-do it a tad than to look too casual out there.
- JEWELRY & BLING – some nice diamonds, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and beading on your outfits are a nice touch and help draw the eyes. As with anything, it’s important not to over-do it. Accessories are an especially easy way to spice up simpler outfits.
- SHOES (design & color) – your shoes can be used to make your feet more emphatic are more quiet and subtle. Different shoe designs and color can make your feet look bigger, stronger, and heavier. Others can soften your feet to make them look lighter, more delicate, and floaty/feminine. You may also use your shoes to draw out the accent color in your outfits.
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