“And when my two obsessions—tango and fashion design—collide, I close my eyes and see an explosion of beauty. The trick is to transform that vision into something as tangible as a dress. I live in the dream and all I see are lines, curves, textures, movement, room for improvement, and more curves. Curves are enticing, sensual, and hopelessly pleasing to the human eye. What is it about curves hat we love so much? Countless works of arts are dedicated to curves, but more precisely to the hour glass female form. So why should the dresses we wear be anything but works of art accentuating the most feminine features? Here we get to the essence of ‘The Tango Dress’. For a dress to be a Tango-dress it has to satisfy a number of requirements.”
– Excerpt from Atelier Vertex blog “The TANGO dress”.
Atelier Vertex is a collection of tango clothing designed by Rina Gendelman. As a talented tango dancer, DJ and organizer of the Bay Area’s famous Tango All-Nighter, Rina knows Tango. Besides knowing Tango, she is also one of those gals who is inherently fashionable. I don’t know if its her Russian background or just her artistic sensibility, but Rina always dresses with a great sense of style and fashion. (She is also an excellent seamstress.) Thus it only makes sense that she would combine her talents to create a collection of beautiful tango clothing.
According to Rina there are three requirements for the perfect tango dress:
1. It has to be sexy (but sexy with mystery).
“The best ones always keep them guessing. Mystery is sexy. Hip-hugging, butt-flattering, open-back, femininity-oozing . ”
2. It needs to allow you to move freely while it stays put.
One of the worst things is getting your shoe caught on your outfit, or constantly tugging on a skirt or blouse strap. Rina makes sure all of her Tango outfits are tango-proofed and tested.
3. It needs to be unique.
No one wants to go out in a fancy new dress and discover someone else with the same outfit. This is why each of Rina’s items are one of-a-kind. She will also custom make a dress especially for you.
One of the reasons I’m so thrilled for Rina, is that clothing design is a big change from her career as a scientist. I love it when people decide to follow their artistic passions. When they do, the end result are usually quite amazing.
With this thought in mind, a quote by the founder of modern dance, seems quite fitting:
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.” — Martha Graham