Some of the Bookham Belles WI Crafts and Laughs group visited DSI Croydon, who design and make costumes for dancers, including the Strictly Come dancing TV shows in the UK and abroad. We had a fascinating talk about the company, their products, the design and making process and tour around their workrooms. The attention to detail was impressive and all achieved in about 4 days from design to completion for the TV shows. We were divided on whether we would love or hate to hand glue a myriad of crystals onto the garments, but we all agreed the effects were stunning. We admired the sewing techniques and materials used on a variety of dance outfits, including men’s outfits and learnt some fitting and sewing tips. Some could have stayed much longer exploring the racks of fabrics, haberdashery, shoes and boxes of self-tan! We were invited to try on some of the colourful outfits and yes – one of us did a Strictly twirl in a special little outfit!
Belles member, Claire Thomas