'Strictly Come Dancing' is as much about the outrageous dresses as the dance moves, and Irish designer Olwen Bourke is responsible for many of the outfits. She talks to Deirdre McQuillan.
John Galliano is said to be a fan of her work, and celebrities such as Zoe Ball, Rachel Hunter, Emma Bunton and Lesley Garrett have all been seen in her dresses. The young Irish designer Olwen Bourke is definitely a fashion star on the rise. A senior member of the costume design team for the TV phenomenon Strictly Come Dancing, Bourke is responsible for the fabulous frocks that swirl and twirl their way around the dance floor every Saturday evening. Now in its fourth series, the BBC entertainment show regularly attracts audiences of more than 10 million and is credited with the revival of interest in ballroom dancing all over the world.
Bourke works for Chrisanne, a leading dancewear company based in Mitchum, in Surrey. She is the only one with a fashion background and the only non-dancer in a team that draws up designs for the programme's celebrities and professional dancers - some 80 costumes for each series. Dance clothes are specialised, complicated affairs that have not only to look good on television but also stand up to demanding workouts, whether for waltzes, sambas or paso dobles. Everything is made on site by a team of 20 seamstresses. It's a high pace of production.
"The way things look under the lights is very important," she says. "It's all about getting the best effect, the wow factor. You are looking from miles away, and as a designer you need to know what features and silhouettes stand out on a dance floor." Each dress is supported by dancing leotards in the same colour. Fabrics are mostly stretch jerseys or nets embellished with thousands of Swarovski crystals, sequins, pearls or feathers, each of which must be glued on individually. The dresses are worn once, then sold. Many can cost up to €3,700.
Professional dancers are easy to dress, because they know what works on the floor, but dealing with novices can be a challenge. Celebrities are given a few weeks to master different styles and each week are judged on their performance. "It takes a lot of psychology. They are generally very body- conscious, and the costumes are very revealing and extravagant and over the top, and many are afraid to be seen in anything that is not their style," says Bourke.
Rachel Hunter was rather unfriendly to work with, Bourke admits, whereas she has nothing but praise for others, such as former Spice Girl Emma Bunton and TV presenter Zoe Ball.
"Silhouettes on the dance floor are really different, and you have to cut necklines lower. It's more extreme dressing. Anything that moves, like frills or feathers, is good. If you can't dance, sometimes your costume can dance for you. If you are a stunning dancer, all you need is a leotard. The principal is basically lots of flesh and less of dress. What people can do with their bodies is amazing."
The award-winning Bourke left the National College of Art & Design in 2002, armed with a first-class honours fashion degree, and came to London to seek a job in a couture house. It was the same year that the BBC revived the former Come Dancing show with the new format of Strictly Come Dancing, involving celebrity participants. Following an advertisement for a costume designer, Bourke sent off some sketches to Chrisanne and was shortlisted with six others for a day-long interview in Mitchum, "the most unglamorous place in the world", in June 2004. Three days later she landed the job.
Apart from the show, Bourke designs some 80 frocks a year for the champion professional dancer Joanne Bolton, a particular favourite. "I love dressing her, because she's very open to ideas and is fashion-led. She likes to look different, whereas many amazing dancers look old-fashioned. You want each dress you design to be the one that everybody looks at on the floor, the one that stands out."
Her reputation has grown to the point where she is increasingly in demand for commissions, including one from a woman who wanted a red-carpet dress for Elton John's "Diamonds and Tiaras" ball and another who needed a very special dress for her wedding in Las Vegas. She relishes the daily challenge of these commissions and the glamorous creations that continue to keep her on her toes, like her dancers, every week.