It's not quite Beyonce... Ellie Goulding's attempt to pull off a very racy gold dress with nude side panels on The X Factor divides viewers
It was a night of high drama as Lorna Simpson became the first contestant to face The X Factor exit, but it was Ellie Goulding who stole the show in a sweeping gold dress from Julien Macdonald.
The 26-year-old singer was the first of two musical guests to take to the stage at Fountain Studios on Sunday evening, shortly before Lorna and fellow Over-25 Shelley Smith went head to head in a dramatic sing-off.
Ellie was performing a live version of number one single Burn, but the performance was overshadowed by the raunchy dress that glittered beneath the studio lights courtesy of its numerous gold accoutrements.
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Wow: Ellie Goulding wore this embellished gold dress for her performance of Burn on The X Factor on Sunday night
The revealing gown also displayed her shapely figure thanks to its two arm-pit length slashes, with Ellie’s modesty protected by a figure-hugging nude underlay.
Originally modelled on the catwalk as part of Macdonald’s Fall 2013 collection, the dress was previously worn by Beyonce in a monochrome promotional shot for her recent Mrs Carter World Tour.
But while the R&B songstress managed to wear it with aplomb, Twitter was divided over Ellie’s game attempt to pull it off during her X Factor performance on Sunday.
With an evident lack of charity one user sniped: ‘Ellie goulding definitely CANNOT pull off this dress!!!!!!’
Divisive: The dress divided opinion on Twitter, with many users commenting that Ellie didn't manage to pull the look off
Burning up: Ellie Goulding performed her number one hit, Burn, but her distinctive choice of dress overshadowed her performance on Sunday evening
Leggy: The Julien Macdonald dress came with two arm-pit length slashes on either side
Another user added: ‘I don’t know what’s worse between Ellie Goulding’s singing or that dress she’s wearing’.
Cher also took to the stage as the evening’s second musical guest – but opted for something a little more low-key.
The veteran singer – who celebrated her 67th birthday in May – looked chic in a classically designed little black dress with silver embellishments.
Cher was performing her latest single a cover of country hit I Hope You Find It, originally sung by former Disney star Miley Cyrus.
Following her performance host Dermot O’Leary asked the singer and actress what advice she could give the 12 hopefuls waiting anxiously backstage.
We've seen that before: Beyonce first wore the dress on the cover of her Mrs. Carter show tour book (L)
That''s how you do it: Beyonce pulls off the racy Julien Macdonald number in her Mrs. Carter Show tour book
Golden girl: Ellie was certainly the centre of attention as she took to the X Factor stage in her slinky ensemble
Dare to bare: The Herefordshire-born singer left little to the imagination with her daring choice of stage ensemble
'Just don't believe the word 'No,' she replied.
Lines had closed shortly before Cher's performance following an obligatory five minute warning from Dermot, and Kingland Road were the first act to maker it through to next weeks, show, closely followed by supermarket worker Abi Alton.
Sam Callahan was next - despite a shaky performance the previous evening - while Sam Bailey was fourth out of the hat having impressed with he version of Jennifer Rush hit The Power Of Love.
Miss Dynamix screamed after Dermot unveiled them as fifth, while Hannah Barrett could barely contain herself after being named sixth.
The thigh's the limit: Ellie wore a nude bodysuit underneath her gold panel creation to protect her modesty
From sexy to sporty: Ellie switched into a bright red New York Yankees vest and tiny shorts as she left the X Factor studios
On form: Cher was the second musical guest to take to the stage on Sunday evening
Veteran: The legendary singer performs a version of Miley Cyrus hit I Hope You Find It
Still on top: The legendary songstress looked pleased with herself as she left The X Factor studios after her performance
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2458307/Ellie-Gouldings-racy-gold-dress-The-X-Factor-divides-viewers.html#ixzz2hgvenfqH
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