麻豆约拍

Words: Abbie Hirst
Photos: Kirsten McTernan

Johanna sparkles in a full-length, gold voile dress. The colourful abstract design has gold thread running throughout, catching the light and creating a weightless feel. Simple drop earrings complete the look.

The Man In Black! Vasyl embodies style in a slim-fit black suit with feature stitching on the lapels. Paired with a matching black shirt, he softened the look by wearing no tie.

Beth cuts a glamorous figure in her graphite, floor-length, wrap-over dress. The lace bodice is pinned at the side by a diamanté brooch at the waistband, while the chiffon skirt gracefully skims the floor. Pendant earrings complement her look.

Nombulelo wears a fitted, black velvet sheath dress with fabulous statement sleeves. Heavily embroidered with gold, they shimmer under the lights picking up tones of yellow and rose gold. Pendant earrings are the perfect accessories.

Meigui’s Grecian style, one-shouldered dress with ruched neckline is a beautiful navy blue. This colour choice works well under the lights, giving a real depth to the fabric and picking out the blue-black tones of her hair.

Her delicately sparkling, fan-shaped drop earrings are a perfect match.

It’s not always easy to stand out in a tuxedo, but Toni pulls it off in style. Combining the classic dinner jacket with black-studded shirt, he adds a tastefully modern spin with his silver-grey bow tie and matching cummerbund.

Jessica wears a velvet and chiffon full length dress that is a rich mixture of wonderful colours. Against a pink sapphire base, shades of amethyst, ruby and garnet blend beautifully. The wrap over bodice and three-quarter length sleeves need few accessories, and Jessica’s choice of understated drop earrings, bracelet and rings is a perfect addition.

Siphokazi is radiant in a vibrant cerise trouser suit. She lends it a modern edge by wearing the longer jacket belted at the back, and having a feature seam down the trouser front. She matches a black satin camisole with lace edging at the neckline and black silk shoes which have a pretty diamanté buckle at the front. A gold chain and jewelled pendant earrings are the final touch to this stylish outfit.

He wears it well! Huhegala personalises the classic tuxedo by accessorising with a white bow-tie and smart white pocket tie. Black patent shoes polished to a high shine complete the look.

Julieth proudly wears her traditional Colombian necklace representing the Embera indigenous tribe. Women are born and given one line of glass beads. Over her lifetime, a new line is added each year with specific designs to represent the story of her life. She matches this with a navy tape-work dress on net over a silk petticoat, and chose to sing barefoot.

Beomjin is another gentleman who knows how to make his mark! Opting for the classic tuxedo, he shows his personality by the clean, crisp white bow-tie and a fan-shaped pochette.

William wears an elegant black suit made of pure wool. He pairs it with an understated collarless grandfather shirt, presenting a noble image that complements his repertoire nicely.

The Little Black Dress is back! Simone has fabulous lace-work on her key-hole cut shoulders, with a deep lace trim at the end of open slit three-quarter length sleeves. A beautiful diamanté belt completes a look that has the glamour of a bygone era.

Sungho proudly wears his native South Korean traditional attire, and what a feast for the eyes! The Durumagi overcoat is grey silk with a straight white collar, and the front overlapping panels tie to the right. Various motifs cover the fabric, including the red-crowned crane which is known as a symbol of luck, longevity and fidelity.

Sungho’s traditional tuxedo in silk looks wonderful under the lights, with the fabric almost seeming to shimmer. A formal deep V-waistcoat and black tie create a sharp contrast to his crisp, white shirt and his red silk handkerchief provides a modern splash of colour.

Simone radiates joy in her silk-effect, full-length dress. The eggshell blue of her dress emphasises her blue eyes, as do her ornate pendant earrings. The pleats across the wrap-over bodice were stitched in place just before the concert to ensure the perfect fit……. whilst still being able to breathe!

William is looking sharp in his traditional tails! A crisp white shirt and a feature white lapel on his waistcoat front complete his formal attire, and he continues the tradition of a self-tied bow-tie….. no mean feat!

Nombulelo wears a beautiful royal blue silk dress that comes to life under the lights. Deep tape-work crosses over the bodice and extends up to cover the shoulders in wide straps, with the skirt gracefully skimming the floor. Diamanté earrings and a matching brooch are the final touch.

Meigui sparkles in an off-the-shoulder navy dress that sweeps to the floor. A fascinating feature of the shoulder detail is the layer of fabric entwined to cascade down the back of the dress as a cape. The delicate netting over silk petticoat has intricate bead-work in a navy base with silver sewn in an abstract pattern throughout. She completes the glitz with her beautiful fan-shaped drop earrings.

It’s always a little more difficult to individualise a formal tuxedo, but O臒ulcan carries it off with panache! He wears a double-breasted jacket with the top two buttons unengaged and set high, against a brilliant white, black-studded shirt.

Under the lights Jessica’s dress appears to be emerald green, however……. it is actually a deep blue. A navy petticoat lies under a delicate layer of fine net embroidered in a vivid blue - almost turquoise - repeating pattern, with sequins to add that bit of shimmer. The lace gives a scalloped effect to the neckline, continuing to form a wide off-the-shoulder strap. Drop diamanté earrings perfect her look.

A modern spin on the traditional tailcoat is worn with flair by Toni. The front of the coat opens as though it was leading to tails at the back, yet it stops short at the length of a standard jacket. The black silk fabric has a sheen that complements his silver woven waistcoat and matching tie, with the finishing touch added by a feature button on the jacket, and a silver tie-ring to allow for his tie to be styled as a cravat.

Beomjin impressed us in the Song Prize with his classic, crisp look and he takes it up a notch for this Main Prize Concert. Opting for traditional tailcoats, he wears a pristine white shirt under a woven white waistcoat with matching bow-tie. A subtle nod to glamour is seen in his three pearlised waistcoat buttons.

Johanna practically floats on to the stage in a wonderful sleeveless, full-length dress of darkest blue. The diaphanous fabric is incredibly light and reflective, giving the impression that it is constantly moving, like water. Although it is all one dress, the bodice looks as though a separate piece of fabric has been draped around her, almost resembling a victorian riding habit at the bottom whilst the neckline is thoroughly modern and asymmetric. This dress is a piece of art in its own right!

Huhegala wears a formal tuxedo with four silk-covered buttons at the cuff, and striking black silk lapels. He coordinates with a black waistcoat boasting black fabric-covered buttons, a white shirt, matching white bow-tie and pochette, and smart silver cufflinks. As always, he cuts a very dashing figure.

Siphokazi exudes glamour in a black ladies’ tuxedo with silk side seams on the trousers. Her double-breasted jacket has silk lapels, two black silk-covered buttons on each side and she wears it open. Her black silk camisole top underneath has a deep lace v-neck which, at the deepest point, meets an inverted v-shape of lace as a mirror image across the bodice. She accessorises with a diamanté heart on a yellow gold chain, and diamond stud earrings.

Vasyl wears a slim-fit classic tuxedo with white shirt, black bow-tie and fabulous feature shoes. Handmade especially by Fabi in Italy, these cap toe Derby dress shoes have a plain toe box and throat, open lacing, and woven leather across the vamp.

Julieth brings Colombia to the stage in this eye-catching outfit that she modified herself to create a look that had “a little bit of me”. The dress itself is a white duchess silk wedding dress (not her own!). Julieth then sewed by hand three layers of feathers in burgundy, orange and red, and styled her hair, makeup and accessories to match. Her hair is pinned back with two loose tendrils curled to frame her face, and they are coloured red to match her feathers exactly. Her burgundy lipstick is the same colour as her pendant bead necklace and the ribbon lining the neckline of her dress, and her glittery eyeshadow blends orange and burgundy to pull the whole look together. It’s clearly a costume that Julieth has put a great deal of thought and effort into, and she looks amazing. As always, she is singing barefoot.

Julieth’s earrings are very significant for her, and are pieces based on those produced by the indigenous people of the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Made of gold, they are shaped like a butterfly - the favourite animal of Julieth’s mother.

Adolfo makes his first appearance of the competition wearing a fine traditional tailcoat. His woven white waistcoat has four pearlised buttons, and he wears a custom white shirt with concealed placket alongside his white silk bow-tie.

Beth wears a wonderful figure-hugging dress in deep midnight blue. The fine lace overlay with repeating floral design can be clearly seen on her three-quarter length sleeves, and sequins sewn throughout the lace catch the light as she moves beautifully. The bodice features a wrap-over front, with the waistline ruched to the side and a slit in the side seam to just above the knee.

Nombulelo chooses another wonderful colour tonight for her full-length dress. The deep magenta petticoat is overlaid with a fine net, heavily embroidered in a repeating vertical floral design. The cross-over bodice is edged with a wide velvet trim extending upward to form off-the-shoulder straps in the style that Nombulelo favours, and is matched by a velvet sash around the waist.

Nombulelo wears the same diamanté brooch that we saw in Concert 1 of the Main Prize and if you look carefully you can see that it is actually two separate diamanté brooches, each in a flower-like cluster. When asked if they hold a special meaning for her, she replied that she wears one each in honour of her parents.

Sungho says he feels so proud to be representing his country in his traditional South Korean Durumagi for the second time, and how delighted he is that fans are interested to learn more. Many of the audience have asked for pictures of the detail on his silk fabric, so have a look below for further information!

Sungho’s grey silk Durumagi with white, straight collar is tied to the right. In South Korean tradition, the plum, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo are known as the Four Gentlemen as each one is said to embody noble qualities and values. On Sungho’s durumagi there is bamboo to represent modesty and sincerity, plumb blossom to represent perseverance, and the spiritually sacred red-crowned crane to symbolise longevity, purity, peace, fidelity and luck.

Siphokazi is back in her signature cerise trouser suit, and in this picture you can clearly see the symmetry of the black lace v-neck meeting the inverted v-shaped lacework over the bodice of her camisole. White nail varnish, an intricately woven necklace and diamond stud earrings finish her look, and underneath her floor-length trousers she wears black satin shoes with a diamanté buckle to the front.

William returns to the stage in his traditional tailcoat (complete with self-tied bow-tie!) and feature lapel waistcoat. Although we can’t see the detail in this picture, he has personalised his outfit by wearing mis-matched cufflinks…… on his right cuff he wears the Canadian flag, and on his left he wears the English flag to represent his dual heritage.

Simone’s black and gold, figure-hugging dress is a joy to describe with its various fabrics and textures! The dress itself is black stretch fabric to above the knee, where it then kicks out in three separate layers of heavy net, each one edged with a deep black trim. The top two layers are higher at the front then sweep around to meet the bottom layer at the back to form a fabulous fishtail. The strapless sweetheart bodice is overlaid with a heavily bejewelled, ornate gold fabric that tapers symmetrically to either side in a leaf-like pattern. The design is picked up again in a beautiful border to cover the point at which the fitted black fabric joins the net of the fishtail.

For the final Beth wears her most impressive dress yet; a full-length, A-line dress with piping at the waist seam and full, ruched off-the-shoulder sleeves. The fabric is a silver-grey brocade covered with roses in shades of gold, rose gold and dusky grey, and she accessorises with diamanté earrings and sparkly gold court shoes.

Beth’s bracelet is significant to her as she says it is the very first piece of jewellery that she bought herself as a treat after getting her first singing job! It is a white, round Moonstone set on a delicate gold band.

Nombulelo wears a stunning evening gown of palest baby-blue. Several layers of devoré fabric based on a circle design are embellished on the top layer with intricate diamantés and beadwork in silver and sky-blue over a floral design. The three-quarter length sleeves are single-layered therefore transparent, and the sweetheart neckline has a lace insert for modesty. Nombulelo needs only the simplest of accessories, opting for diamanté and blue topaz pendant earrings.

Adolfo returns to the stage in his tailcoat wearing a Marcella waistcoat, which is the traditional choice for white tie. The backless waistcoat in cotton weave comes with adjustable straps and removable Mother of Pearl buttons.

Jessica’s satin-esque wrap-over dress with side ruche is a wonderful claret red that picks out the warm highlights in her hair. The side-slit is inlaid with a slightly lighter fabric, and the cross-over neckline is edged by a deep trim that extends around the top of her arms as off-the-shoulder sleeves. Her hair is styled in a French Roll, allowing her to accessorise with diamanté stud earrings and a rosé diamanté floral cluster necklace.

Siphokazi wows the audience with a stunning new look for the Final. She floats on to the stage in an evening gown of dusky pink silk devoré, covered with intricate diamanté and silver beadwork over the high round-neck bodice, and tapering to a less intense design throughout the skirt. The sleeveless dress has pink caribou feathers to mask the shoulder straps, and she wears her hair high on her head to show her pink sapphire drop earrings.