It's time once again to break out the feathers and the fringe, the sequins and the slits. Yes, Dancing With the Stars is back, and while we love seeing the stars do their best sambas and shimmies, it's the costumes that make our jaws drop every week.

Look back at costumes from past seasons.

We chatted with Dancing's costume designer Randall Christensen about his jam-packed design schedule, his favorite stars over the years, and what costumes we can expect to see (or not see in Lil' Kim's case) on the stars this season.

Meet the new cast of Dancing with the Stars

Natalie Broulette: What's your work week like on Dancing With the Stars?

Randall Christensen: Our week ends and begins on the very same night, which is Tuesday night, after the results show. The dancers and the celebrities get their dance assignment and their music on Tuesday, and everyone makes a mad dash to get up to wardrobe. I typically take a lot of direction. It's a collaborative effort with the choreographer, who is the professional dancer, and myself. I just consider them to be a miniature director for their scene in the show. The music dictates everything. We could have a samba -- it could be classic Brazilian or it could be a Bon Jovi rock song, you never know. So we really have to wait until the music is decided on Tuesday. Nothing gets put on paper until Tuesday night ... It's just absurd. We have about four days to shop it, cut it, sew it, bead it, and finish it.

NB: How do you keep each design fresh and different from all the others?

RC: [The dancers] have so many varied ideas that it really isn't as hard as it seems. The terrific thing is I come from the dance world. It is difficult, but I think I've been training for the last 20 plus years for this show. You have such a variety of personalities that it can't help but be different for each person. And all the dancers, it's just a fun dynamic. They've got such strong personalities.

NB: Who are some of your favorite celebrities out of the ones you've worked with?

RC: Brooke Burke was one of the best. She was so trusting. She was phenomenal. She has a great body, but she also just let us do what we do and let us work. Susan Lucci was another one because she's been in the business forever. Mel Brown was a fun wild card. She was willing to be as crazy as possible and also to be Cinderella. We've had some terrific celebrities that have just been open-minded. They have to be really vulnerable and just trust you because there's no time to go back and change things. Kristi Yamaguchi was a breeze because she's so used to rhinestones and spandex.

NB: I know you've done so many designs, but are there costumes that stick out in your mind over all the seasons?

RC: I think the first time we did a dominatrix style on Mel B. for the hard rock paso doble -- that was kind of pushing the limits. You know, the classic is Spanish castanets and polka dots and ruffles, but the song was screaming pleather and hardware. That was a fun one. Toni Braxton is another one in her Marie Antoinette look for their Viennese waltz. We had three days last season so that was a huge challenge.

See pictures of Lil' Kim

NB: Is it harder for you to design at the beginning of the season because there are so many contestants?

RC: With the sheer magnitude of contestants, there's like an orientation period where the celebrities are still in the dark as far as what the dances are, what the costumes should be. The more they practice, the more research they do with their partner, they start to absorb the fashion and they start developing their own ideas of what they should look like as a dancer on the floor.

See pictures of Denise Richards

NB: What can we expect to see this season?

RC: You know, we've got everything. Steve-O from Jackass who is dancing with Lacey [Schwimmer]. I can only imagine what's gonna come from those two. We got peacock feathers and all other kinds of things we've never used before. Lacey's a wild card. We've got a 4'10'' gymnast, Shawn [Johnson]. And then Lil' Kim. Lil' Kim's like a stick of dynamite, my goodness. The fittings for her have just been a big giggle-fest. She loves everything you put her in. You're gonna see sexy, barely-there costumes on her. Denise Richards just came in and is absolutely gonna be spectacular. She's another Brooke Burke, just the goddess on the dance floor. There are a lot of wild cards this season.

Meet season eight's contestants.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us