standard dress style for a short lady

[Kitty]

I'm curious what you think is a good standard costume for a short lady and why:


should it be bright color/avoid black?
should it be open back or no open back?
floats/no floats?

any suggestions for what will look on a short lady in 1) a closely height -matched parthership (man also short) and 2) a partnership with significant height difference between lady and man (short lady and man of average height or even tall)

pictures and any other evidence welcome

[fascination]

I'm curious what you think is a good standard costume for a short lady and why:


should it be bright color/avoid black?
should it be open back or no open back?
floats/no floats?

any suggestions for what will look on a short lady in 1) a closely height -matched parthership (man also short) and 2) a partnership with significant height difference between lady and man (short lady and man of average height or even tall)

pictures and any other evidence welcomeI'm not short but I look short and my partner is short and I have found that between my two dresses the more closely fitting one elongates me...and it is not dark but darker that the other...I certainly echo that empire waist is not a plan for short person....I like floats rather than full skirt on myself, and I rarely find black or any subtle hue to be a good idea

[standardgirl]

Personally, I think colors have more to do with your skin color and hair color - both your natural skin/haircolor and your competition color (if you tan at all). Open back vs. no open back have to do with how comfortable you are with your backline. When I first starte competing, I was told to wear longsleeves b/c my shoulder lines were good enough to show to the judges.

There is a lady who is fairly short (slightly shorted than you, Kitty) and I have seen her in both bright color dresses and dark color dresses. She look good in all of them.

I think floats are good when you look a lot "smaller" than your dance partner because the floats can give you more volume. In general, I like to have floats on my dress anyways......

[Kitty]

I'm not sure what size and shape floats are best for shorties:
too big or too much floats seems to be not a good idea

http://dancesportinfo.net/DisplayGallery.aspx?coupleId=1294

for example go to page 13... the float on her right arm is so big, she gets lost in it...

I think thats too much for a short girl. Tall girls on the other hand do get away with it and look beautiful. and you can still see the dancing behind it.

[spatten]

Something a little brighter might stand out a bit more. I think you might have to fight a little bit more to be seen, so be a bit more bold.

Long vertical lines in clothing tend to elongate - any kind of horizantal line (such as ruffles or waists) will tend to break your shape and obscure the height you do have.

[LXC]

I think bright colors will make one stand out or look larger. Floats have that effect too.

But lately I've noticed a trend to have wings coming from the front to arm instead of attaching from the back, and that adds a lot of fabric in the front. I wonder if this is good for a short lady?

For example, this yellow dress in the third row 244T
http://www.chrisanne.us/rtw4-6.html

[lynn]

I don't know, it feels a little overwhelming - esp for someone who's small. I think the dress would be better suited for someone who's fairly tall and slim.

[standardgirl]

But lately I've noticed a trend to have wings coming from the front to arm instead of attaching from the back, and that adds a lot of fabric in the front. I wonder if this is good for a short lady?

For example, this yellow dress in the third row 244T
http://www.chrisanne.us/rtw4-6.html

I actually like the float to come from the front better than from the back. I have a dress that has float that wrap around from the front to the right arm and then to clip on the back side. It gives more volume than just attaching the float from the back to the arm.

[Katarzyna]

I think kitty is afraid of getting totally lost and invisible inside the floats... she likes cleaner lines..

I think she would look really cute in a nice flowing romantic dress, but that's not a look she's going for. Her current gown is very nice and simple. All white, halter top, not floats. It works very well :)

[lynn]

actually, i was thinking about something along those lines - simple, clean dress, something not overwhelming.

[Katarzyna]

I think simple can work well, as long as it's not too simple and won't be lost in the crowd at a big competition.

[lynn]

i've often find that dresses that are complex in design aren't easy to carry - esp for a small lady. It's easy to get lost in all the busy ruffles..etc

[Katarzyna]

some dresses can be tough to get in and out of. Sometimes the leader has to fight with the floats to put his hand on the ladys back :lol: but I still love them :)

[lynn]

whoa....looks like guys have a tough job - besides leading :lol: !

[Katarzyna]

whoa....looks like guys have a tough job - besides leading :lol: ! :) yes we have to have a lot of respect for them.. :) they need to be treasured 8)

[lynn]

treasured & pampered - perhaps we should frame them and hang them on the wall :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ??

[Katarzyna]

Frame the frame?

[lynn]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[fascination]

sometimes its so cute though ...watching my partner struggle with arms ful of fluff...I love floats too...and they dont have to be complex...some women look like they've been TP-eed...ya know...(toilet papered...like a tree?)does that happen elsewhere?

[fascination]

ha... funny...I am amusing myself :roll: ...TP wouldn't = treasured and pampered....okay,need more coffee...still very punchy this morning :lol:

[Standard Dancer]

ha... funny...I am amusing myself :roll: ...TP wouldn't = treasured and pampered....okay,need more coffee...still very punchy this morning :lol:

oh when i first read "TP"-ed I thought you meant like a teepee ... hehe.

back to the thread though, I think the color depends on what looks best on you in general (or with your tan), like someone already mentioned. As for the elongating lines, I agree with that as well ... any dress that visually makes you "look" taller than you are will be good. As for whether this would make you look taller than your partner ... hard to say. That probably has more to do with the hold/frame rather than your dress anyway, or at least it should?

Floats - I'd say even a simple dress needs one float at least. I've seen your white dress, Kitty, and it seems like it would benefit from a (not too large) float.

The dress that Edita was wearing (light brown/tan one) had a float that, I agree, makes her look a bit smaller than ideal ... I wouldn't go with something that huge in your case.

As for the floats coming from the front or back ... I personally don't like the yellow dress in the third column in the link above, but that's just cuz I think it looks too messy from the front, like it's hiding all the beautiful lines underneath, IMHO. But I'm sure floats from the front can be done in a way that makes them look very elegant or 3D like standardgirl mentioned.

Good luck Kitty!

[Standard Dancer]

When I first starte competing, I was told to wear longsleeves b/c my shoulder lines were good enough to show to the judges.


Does that mean that your coach recommended sleeves to show off the topline then? Or did he mean that you didn't need floats cuz your topline was good enough without them? Sorry I'm a bit confused ... just wanna know for future reference! :D

[wyllo]

It seems like every dancer, no matter how tall or short, needs to evaluate what creates the best look for her (guys don't get many options in standard - but I have yet to see a guy who doesn't look snazzy in a tail suit!). That being said, I don't think large floats and excess fabric will do a shorter lady any favors (I tend not to like ladies buried in fabric anyway so maybe I'm just biased). To stand out, I think a shorter lady would be better off choosing simple floats and then loading up the dress with lots of rhinestones to catch the eye.

Also, no costume will make a short couple look tall if they are surrounded by tall couples -- so short couples (like every other couple) should carefully choose their choreography to play up their assets. Shorter couples can be incredibly fast and precise in their movements compared to a taller couple doing the same moves. And taller couples if they are not careful can appear ungainly.

[DancingMommy]

should it be bright color/avoid black?
should it be open back or no open back?
floats/no floats?

any suggestions for what will look on a short lady in 1) a closely height -matched parthership (man also short) and 2) a partnership with significant height difference between lady and man (short lady and man of average height or even tall)

Well, the first thing you have to consider is how chunky you are. I'm on the rather rotund side AND 5'2" (on a good day). I try to use slimming colors when at all possible AND I avoid an open back/sleeveless just because of back fat and humongo arms issues.

Floats really depend on what kind they are. I wold think that petite ones that are proportional to your body size/type are OK, but full on huge wings would probably be a no go. Think wrist bands with a tiny scarf or the like.

My husband and I are very closely matched and we have yet to find anything that looks good on me. Including shoes. I'm going to have to go down to a cuban heel to dance with him. ARGH!!!!

[Kitty]

I am very slim so I need more volume. at the same time don't want to disappear in a fabric cloud. Trying to figure out what shape a float would work best.

[Standard Dancer]

Kitty, maybe drawing out some possibilities would give you some more solid ideas? ... just play around with sketches and such?

[Kitty]

Kitty, maybe drawing out some possibilities would give you some more solid ideas? ... just play around with sketches and such?

i don't even know what my options are.
maybe i could ask Valentina to help and draw them for me?

[lynn]

Kitty, i would imagine light/bright colours (ie, white) would probably be better for you. Light/bright colours tend to add volume and stand out on a crowded floor.

[redhead]

Light/bright colors will look good on shorter ladies; neon bright will be too much.

[mamboqueen]

What about a fabric that had some sort of vertical print or embellishment?

[Standard Dancer]

i don't even know what my options are.
maybe i could ask Valentina to help and draw them for me?

You could, I'm guessing she's made enough floats to know what works ... and I'm sure she'd be happy to help design since she'll be making anyway.

[Standard Dancer]

What about a fabric that had some sort of vertical print or embellishment?

That would be really cool!

[redhead]

What about a fabric that had some sort of vertical print or embellishment?
I'd avoid any large patterns, including vertical (for standard)