Early this year, I was able to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing for the Houston Live Exhibition for the Super Bowl Festival, a 10-day downtown fest that leads up to Super Bowl Sunday. Although I mostly share my travel and fashion endeavors on this blog, what most people may not know is that I grew up performing music. I was a “natural” at karaoke when I was three years old, and it grew my passion for singing. Like most Filipino parties, I’m that girl who never stopped singing “My Heart Will Go On“ or “The Greatest Love of All.” Singing eventually lead me to pursue the arts seriously as I learned piano, guitar, ukulele, and earned a degree in music. You can read more about my story at The Lasso here.So the real subject matter that everyone asks, “What was it like?” And to tell you the truth, it was incredibly thrilling, nerve-wrecking, beautiful, wild, brief, and wonderful all at once.
When I was meeting up with the directors for planning out the music, wardrobe, and full rehearsal every week, it was exciting for me to see that little dream they’ve given me come to life. A lot of the music practice came from my own time, and when it was time to see them, they made the ultimate decision of approving it and/or giving me performance advice. I don’t say this for every music gig I do, but every director, assistant, music tech person I worked with for the Houston Live Exhibition was encouraging and great to work with. I made lots of new friends because of this experience!Never ever in my wildest dreams did I ever thought I had the chance to be a part of the Super Bowl. It made me reflect a lot about my college days where I would gig every weekend for some spare money for groceries and paying off bills. I didn’t even own a car while I was in college, so I would gig with a friend and catch a ride downtown every weekend just to make it happen. Now, being given the opportunity to share my talent with over 1.3 million people and meet so many incredible performers was a great eye-opening experience for me. It’s one that has opened new doors for me and will be an unforgettable memory that I will be happy to talk about when I’m old. Even though it’s been a month since the experience, I wanted to share some tricks of the trade about what fashion pieces I look for when I perform. In collaboration with this post, I worked with Miosé and 3reecs in helping me look outstanding for this amazing event!
1. Ham it up…with sparkles.
When I’m talking about “hamming it up,” I’m not exactly referring to the meat dress Lady Gaga wore at the 2010 MTV Awards- but by all means, you do you! However, a clothing piece that anyone can easily pull off is wearing sequins, rhinestones, and/or metallic. Although, people may think that sparkly pieces can be too flashy, there’s a reason why everyone does it. Stage lights can easily wash a person’s face out, and having a sequin top, for example, can easily reflect light back to the audience and make you dazzle on stage (quite literally). Sparkly pieces are great for singers at glamorous events, weddings, and winning singing competitions.
When I’m talking about “hamming it up,” I’m not exactly referring to the meat dress Lady Gaga wore at the 2010 MTV Awards- but by all means, you do you! However, a clothing piece that anyone can easily pull off is wearing sequins, rhinestones, and/or metallic. Although, people may think that sparkly pieces can be too flashy, there’s a reason why everyone does it. Stage lights can easily wash a person’s face out, and having a sequin top, for example, can easily reflect light back to the audience and make you dazzle on stage (quite literally). Sparkly pieces are great for singers at glamorous events, weddings, and winning singing competitions.
Dress by Miosé
2. Look bold in print.
You can find interesting prints in clothing these days now that Spring season is here, and it’s an effortless way to standout on stage. Like my Miosé floral dress, the print gives off a cheery and fun vibe that really reflects the genre of music I perform. Prints are a great way to help reflect your style as a musician or performer. It’s also a great way to make an outfit look eye catching on stage in comparison to wearing a monochromatic outfit. A great occasion to wear print is during party events where you’ll be dancing a routine on stage! I find that printed clothing and movement really makes a difference when you perform, especially when you’re in a dance group.
You can find interesting prints in clothing these days now that Spring season is here, and it’s an effortless way to standout on stage. Like my Miosé floral dress, the print gives off a cheery and fun vibe that really reflects the genre of music I perform. Prints are a great way to help reflect your style as a musician or performer. It’s also a great way to make an outfit look eye catching on stage in comparison to wearing a monochromatic outfit. A great occasion to wear print is during party events where you’ll be dancing a routine on stage! I find that printed clothing and movement really makes a difference when you perform, especially when you’re in a dance group.
Photo by Silvia Marquez
Skirt by 3reecs
3. Try some vibrant colors!
There’s nothing more edgy than wearing a neutral outfit with a pop of color. A common outfit style many performers wear is dressing all black with fire engine red pants. For me, I look for colorful pieces that cover the most part of my body. Because the accent color piece is the biggest piece in the outfit, it makes the ensemble stand out on stage. With my 3reecs purple maxi skirt, the royal purple skirt really flows out and creates a more feminine flair to my outfit. Although color can be incorporated for any performer in any occasion, it’s also a great way to stand out when you audition! Because dressing for an audition is the same as dressing for an audience, right?
There’s nothing more edgy than wearing a neutral outfit with a pop of color. A common outfit style many performers wear is dressing all black with fire engine red pants. For me, I look for colorful pieces that cover the most part of my body. Because the accent color piece is the biggest piece in the outfit, it makes the ensemble stand out on stage. With my 3reecs purple maxi skirt, the royal purple skirt really flows out and creates a more feminine flair to my outfit. Although color can be incorporated for any performer in any occasion, it’s also a great way to stand out when you audition! Because dressing for an audition is the same as dressing for an audience, right?
4. It’s all about the details.
When shopping for pieces, look at the details of it. Does it have ruffles? A bow? Ripped detailing? Does the fabric stretch? Is it see-through? Choose pieces that make your body look flattering when you’re on stage. Because of my petite figure, I enjoy wearing ruffles to help create more shape to my body. However, outfit details are completely based on an individual’s style, too. So I recommend challenging yourself in purchasing pieces for it’s details, not the piece itself. Because when people hear you perform for the first time, they may not remember your name, but they’ll most likely remember you as the “girl with the ruffly, red dress.” Details matter.
When shopping for pieces, look at the details of it. Does it have ruffles? A bow? Ripped detailing? Does the fabric stretch? Is it see-through? Choose pieces that make your body look flattering when you’re on stage. Because of my petite figure, I enjoy wearing ruffles to help create more shape to my body. However, outfit details are completely based on an individual’s style, too. So I recommend challenging yourself in purchasing pieces for it’s details, not the piece itself. Because when people hear you perform for the first time, they may not remember your name, but they’ll most likely remember you as the “girl with the ruffly, red dress.” Details matter.
Floral pants (backdrop) from Miosé
5. Accessories make people say,”Wow!”
Similar to attending a red carpet event, a celebrity will hardly wear an outfit without some bling bling bling! The same rule applies to performers. But when is it too much? I think that when it reaches the point where your jewelry hinders you from performing your best, that’s when it’s overkill. Instead of wearing five pieces of jewelry to standout, just wear one statement necklace instead. The effortlessness of having one statement jewelry piece can truly complete a whole outfit.
Similar to attending a red carpet event, a celebrity will hardly wear an outfit without some bling bling bling! The same rule applies to performers. But when is it too much? I think that when it reaches the point where your jewelry hinders you from performing your best, that’s when it’s overkill. Instead of wearing five pieces of jewelry to standout, just wear one statement necklace instead. The effortlessness of having one statement jewelry piece can truly complete a whole outfit.
Photo by Irene Santos
When you’re deciding on what to wear for a performance, I hope my tips and advice can help you look and feel your best. Being under the spotlight is such a beautiful opportunity, and your outfit should always be an extension of your talent. If you like the pieces I’m wearing in this post, you can find them at Miosé (@mioseofficial) and at 3reecs (@3reecs). Be sure to check out their clothing and let me know what other fashion tips you may have for performers!
Wow Ressa! This is amazing, I never would have known. Thanks for sharing! Now you need to post a video of you singing live (or you might have I’m just now getting caught up in the cyber world hehe) <3