Dancing with the stars: How much do contestants' outfits cost?<

This Friday, November 12, TF1 is broadcasting a new number of Dancing with the Stars. Behind the outfits worn by the candidates on the floor, hides the know-how of a man, Pierre Annez de Taboada, whom TV Magazine met. But then, how much do the costumes made for the show cost?

Every Friday evening, Dancing with the Stars attracts more than 3.8 million viewers on average. Behind the shows proposed by the personalities and their dance partners, hides a big machine. Indeed, in order to impress the jury and the public, Pierre Annez de Taboada has the heavy task of making behind the scenes the outfits of the duos. A former professional dancer, he became a designer of stage costumes and finery for cabarets, as reported by TV Magazine who met him. Passed by the Moulin Rouge or the Paradis Latin, the interested party is now working on the famous dance competition of TF1.

As the head costume designer says, each outfit corresponds to a very specific type of dance. "There are the standard dances, the waltz, the tango, the quickstep and the fox-trot, for which you need long dresses for the women and dressier outfits for the men. And there are the Latin dances, the cha-cha, paso-doble, jive, rumba and samba, everything that is very dynamic, where you need dresses that move a lot, with fringes, beads." From Bilal Hassani's immaculate white suit to Dita Von Teese's flying red dress, how much does it cost to buy these outfits? "The simplest go from 800 to 1000 euros, the Latin ones oscillate between 1000 and 1800 euros and for very decorated dresses, it can go up to 4000 euros", confides Pierre Annez de Taboada.

How long does it take to create an outfit?

Once the production has given him the necessary information about the dances that will be performed on the show, the costume designer begins to draw all of the costumes. “I make a simple sketch representing the lines of the costume which I then give to the workshop,” he confides. It then takes him "between 4 to 5 days" for the costume to be finalized. "The main concern is to have the right fabric. I have basics - black, white... - but I can't stock thousands of fabrics, lots of different colors. So I order from wholesalers - suppliers to major theaters - who take between 24 and 48 hours to deliver to me. This is why I need the production to give me the information a week before so that Monday or even Friday or Saturday we can start working on the costumes." Once the creation is ready, the candidates move on to the fittings, which take place the day before the show.

Photo credits: LAURENT VU/TF1