"Shelf life" of ballgown

[Brush Tap]

Today I saw the most beautiful, stunning Dore dress!!! I am in love!!! However, it is probably going to be a while before I can compete... like probably 4 months at the earliest and a year at the longest. Should I get the dress I love NOW while I have the opportunity... and if I do, is it likely to still be in style and usable for a while???? OR, is it better to wait until close to the whichever comp ends up being next so that I'll be able to wear it longer? How long do ballgowns usually stay in style??

[mamboqueen]

I think it depends on how classic or trendy the dress is. Can you share a picture of it?

[Brush Tap]

I don't have a picture of it... and I'm horrible at describing dresses! What would be considered trendy? What has more life to it?

[fluffy]

I think if it's a dress you really really love, afer a cooling off period, and you look a million dollars in it - get it. It's not often you fall in love with a dress.
Styles do come and go, but they are fairly stable at the moment. Feather boas reapeared on a coupld of dresses and thankfully disappeared again. If it's a classic, elegant design, you will be able to wear it for a long time.

[SDsalsaguy]

Do you know the name of the dress? If so, I can check into how "current" it is style-wise.

[Brush Tap]

Nope- no name either. I saw it at the Northeastern Open. It's bright pink with these two nude cutouts on the sides near the waist. Lots of stones- I think some of them were dark blue or purple. Nude straps on the shoulders- but then sleeves off the shoulders. The sleeves were kind of loose and bigger at the wrist end than the shoulder end. As I said, I'm horrible at describing these things!!!

[SDsalsaguy]

Sorry, but I wasn't there so have no idea. :?

I thought that maybe you caught the name tag, in which case I could've looked into it for you.

Otherwise I'd tend to agree with what's been said... if you really love it, then go for it. How you feel in a dress is as important as anything else about it, and especially with styles being fairly consistent at the moment, its probably better to make the investment then to regret it (not doing so) later.

[mamboqueen]

You saw it at the Northeastern Open...you mean today?

I'm an impulsive buyer and have spent the past 3 months in shopping rehab. So, I'm not a good person to ask. My general rule of thumb is -- wait a week or two and see if I'm still really in love with it.

How many times do you think you're likely to wear it in the next year or two? My problem (and I know this is called "Kat-itis") is I'm sick of a dress after wearing it twice.

[Nik]

My favorite shirt is one I designed a year and half ago and I think its still in style and I wear it all the time.

[mamboqueen]

But, big difference between a man's shirt and a woman's gown...the gown is going to be much more memorable. Most people will remember the guy had on either a black or white shirt...and not much beyond that.

[SlowDancer]

I'm probably not the one to ask, since I'm not currently competing and I haven't bought a new latin or smooth dress for quite some time (don't do standard), but I can't imagine that a dress you love today would actually look truly dated six months or even a year from now. I don't think ballroom styles come and go THAT quickly, or do they?

[Nik]

You never know, feathers on ballroom gowns went in only a few months.

I was refering more that I still love the shirt and think its trendy. If you buy a dress you love sooooo much today, I'm sure you will still love it a year from now.

I know Natasha has had the same ballroom gown for well over a year and she's happy with it.

[fluffy]

I have a dress I bought 3 years ago and I still love it.... Since buying a dress is so personal, I'd rather buy one I love now, than have to worry about finding one later in a hurry, and you may never find one you like as much.

If you intend to keep the dress a while, I'd stay away from any bold prints, strange colour combinations, overly fussy details, and large amounts of feathers (in fact I'd stay away completely from any of those....). "Statement" dresses can date quickly, fine if you're sponsored or rich, but not for the majority of us!

[Chris Stratton]

I saw it at the Northeastern Open.

I think there are some DF'ers who will be there tomorrow night, maybe you could model it for them and get their opinions?

[Katarzyna]

How many times do you think you're likely to wear it in the next year or two? My problem (and I know this is called "Kat-itis") is I'm sick of a dress after wearing it twice.You are bad :)

[fascination]

Today I saw the most beautiful, stunning Dore dress!!! I am in love!!! However, it is probably going to be a while before I can compete... like probably 4 months at the earliest and a year at the longest. Should I get the dress I love NOW while I have the opportunity... and if I do, is it likely to still be in style and usable for a while???? OR, is it better to wait until close to the whichever comp ends up being next so that I'll be able to wear it longer? How long do ballgowns usually stay in style??
as long as the thing is on the outer edge...but has come classic features...I don't see how on earth it's gonna go out of style that quickly...and I am not going to let anyone tell me otherwise about something I pay at least 3K for

[fascination]

by trendy, I mean is it so odd or unusual that it would like very different from all the others?...I doubt it...if you love it, IMO buy it...that is what I did for my first dress and it has been two years and if I hadn't lost over 40 pounds I'd still be wearing the thing...and in fact if the dressmaker isn't able to sell it by the Fall...I'll be taking it back washing it, having in massively altered and then re-stining it to wear it again...and it is a copy of a dress that someone else designed a long time ago...but I love it

[SPratt74]

From what I have read in other threads too is that you can always update the dress if you know how to, or you can take the dress some place to have it updated. That's something that I would consider anyways, but I know how to do that stuff now. ;)

[Brush Tap]

Well, today I went back and looked at the dress. It was amazing how seeing it on someone else changed my opinion. I was not thrilled. BUT.... I saw another pink and purple one that I liked- and when I put it on- I decided I really loved it. So, we have a winner! I am so excited!!!! You can see it on their website: http://www.doredesigns.com/gowns.php?subcat=103 , it is 17 rows down... the pink and purple one!

[SDsalsaguy]

Very nice dress BT! :D

[mamboqueen]

I like it a lot, too. Congrats!

[fascination]

ditto

[SPratt74]

I love that dress, but I like all of them! Oh if only I had the money. ;)

[JANATHOME]

What do you all think of the animal print gown, row one... I have seen this one in person and is much nicer than the picture.. For some reason I really like it. Actually, I saw this at a comp last November on Dore's rack... I must be the only person who does not just hate this gown!

[fascination]

in general I just loathe animal print...occasionally (coupled with brown or black when every thing else is sedate) I will like it, but it is exzceedingly rare...as I said, Cal has one that I really like in brown

[JANATHOME]

Yea, actually I dont like animal prints myself, I am not sure why I am so drawn to this gown... We are competing in the AM at Northeast. If Dawn has it with her at the comp tommorrow I will try it on...get it out of my system, or bring it home!!

[SlowDancer]

What do you all think of the animal print gown, row one... I have seen this one in person and is much nicer than the picture.. For some reason I really like it. Actually, I saw this at a comp last November on Dore's rack... I must be the only person who does not just hate this gown!

I absolutely love it. I know animal prints are risky because they go in and out of fashion, but I really like them on the dance floor.

[fascination]

I saw one last year in wisconsin in pink with some animal print that then had something else even over it so that it didn't look like animal prin that was cool and unusal...can't remeber the designer...but again, its a very careful proposition IMO...sort of like black and red ...can be striking, can look like a hooker...gotta be careful

[SDsalsaguy]

Yea, actually I dont like animal prints myself, I am not sure why I am so drawn to this gown... We are competing in the AM at Northeast. If Dawn has it with her at the comp tommorrow I will try it on...get it out of my system, or bring it home!!
Say "hi" to her for me please! :D

(Her being Dawn, and not the dress that is! ;))

[samina]

wow... yes... very nice!

[SPratt74]

I saw one last year in wisconsin in pink with some animal print that then had something else even over it so that it didn't look like animal prin that was cool and unusal...can't remeber the designer...but again, its a very careful proposition IMO...sort of like black and red ...can be striking, can look like a hooker...gotta be careful

Lol! You sound like my mom. She'll tell all of us girls if we look like hookers lol. I'm very conservative, so she doesn't really worry about me. But my little sister isn't at all. She used to wear the shortest stuff, and my mom would say that to her all of the time. Now of course we all wear business outfits, but still. It makes me wonder why any of us have any confidence at all lol. ;)

[JANATHOME]

To late, the gown was sold on Saturday.. Probably for the best, anyway.

[SPratt74]

To late, the gown was sold on Saturday.. Probably for the best, anyway.

I'm sorry. When things like that happen to me I automatically think that it just wasn't my time to have it lol. Hey it helps from getting down about something you would have liked to have. ;)

[fascination]

ah bummer janathome...

[Another Elizabeth]

What do you all think of the animal print gown, row one... I have seen this one in person and is much nicer than the picture.. For some reason I really like it. Actually, I saw this at a comp last November on Dore's rack... I must be the only person who does not just hate this gown!

Actually, I'm not wild about the strongly constrasting colors - and I wouldn't wear a stripe across the butt like that unless you have no insecurities about that area. (And if you don't, then we should put you on display in Ripley's Believe It Or Not!)

[JANATHOME]

Good point Elizabeth. I never had the opportunity to try the dress on, just saw it on a mannequin, and the "stripe across the butt" never entered my mind... Ya know mannequins have no butts......Not that it matters now!

[Kitty]

How many times do you think you're likely to wear it in the next year or two? My problem (and I know this is called "Kat-itis") is I'm sick of a dress after wearing it twice.


you know, i think this is really a serious a problem... Correction of this problem might require surgery...

she feels really sad and uncomfortable if she has to wear the same dress 3 times...

I am trying to resist getting infected with this as much as I can... but it is not easy to do AAAAAA!!!!!!!! :-)

[samina]

My problem (and I know this is called "Kat-itis") is I'm sick of a dress after wearing it twice.

that really is very funny... the two of you were born to be celebrities, with nary a dress repeat...

[Katarzyna]

I just do it because I don't want the dress to loose value. :) or get damaged :)

[samina]

smart. had not thought of that...

[mamboqueen]

You will notice Kat has the most changing avatar ;)

And yes, Kitty, some sort of surgical (brain???) procedure might be in order. I mean, it's not like I'm an Oscar nominee that can actually afford a $3,000 dress every month....

But, I have to give Kat high-fives because she has a knack of selling dresses quickly, too.

[dressgirl]

brush tap - you looked great in your new dress!!! Janathome, I'm sorry the dress didn't wait long enough for you to at least get to try it on, but ususally when it happens that way - its for the best. And it found a happy home. It was a nice comp and great to see everyone.

[tanya_the_dancer]

I just do it because I don't want the dress to loose value. :) or get damaged :)

So, how fast does it lose value (after the initial drop-off, that is)? Maybe we need a deprecation chart like they have for cars...

[DancerForLife]

Well, it really depends. I liked the general rule Laura gave a while back- for every time you wear the dress, it looses 10% of its value. On the other hand, if you get an insanely great value on a dress, you can wear it a few times and still sell it at or very close to where you bought it, especially if it's a brand name and you've kept it in good condition.

[tanya_the_dancer]

Well, it really depends. I liked the general rule Laura gave a while back- for every time you wear the dress, it looses 10% of its value. On the other hand, if you get an insanely great value on a dress, you can wear it a few times and still sell it at or very close to where you bought it, especially if it's a brand name and you've kept it in good condition.

10% of its remaining value? And how much is the initial drop, btw?

[Chris Stratton]

The shelf life is longer than the hanger life because it stays shorter longer

[Katarzyna]

You will notice Kat has the most changing avatar ;)

And yes, Kitty, some sort of surgical (brain???) procedure might be in order. I mean, it's not like I'm an Oscar nominee that can actually afford a $3,000 dress every month....

But, I have to give Kat high-fives because she has a knack of selling dresses quickly, too.
Lol, Actually 2k Is my absolute max on a dress now... and it's got to be really good.. most of mine are around 1.5K.. I lost money on new chrisanne gown.. a lot of money.. don't intend to repeat that ever again :)

[Joe]

And yes, Kitty, some sort of surgical (brain???) procedure might be in order. I mean, it's not like I'm an Oscar nominee that can actually afford a $3,000 dress every month....

Oscar nominees rarely pay for their gowns anyway.

[fascination]

not namin' names but the most expensive gown I have bought required the most corrective work immediately...and I thank dressgirl for fixing it for me...

[Joe]

the most expensive
Whew, then it wasn't mine. ;)

[fascination]

I don't even want to think how many times less expensive yours was...too much math...anyhow, I EXPECTED to have to do work on yours....and I won in it...am rather fond of that dress now

[JANATHOME]

I just cant wait to see pictures of you in your new smooth gown (after Heritage). Even more so now that I know who the designer is.

[fascination]

you do?

[fascination]

it IS HOT...was surprised pro didn't give it thumbs down....he likes the full coverage look...and it isn't... for a smooth gown

[samina]

it IS HOT...was surprised pro didn't give it thumbs down....he likes the full coverage look...and it isn't... for a smooth gown

what color?

[fascination]

bright green apple...tpaz and peridot accents...

[samina]

wow... that's gonna be gorgeous with your coloring!

[JANATHOME]

Well maybe not! I just made an assumption it was a Dore since Dressgirl did the alterations you mentioined. The colors sound great.

I find it much harder to find the perfect smooth gown than an internationl standard. As a result I am always really interested in what everyone is wearing in smooth.

[samina]

what's the diff between a smooth & a standard gown?

[tanya_the_dancer]

what's the diff between a smooth & a standard gown?

Smooth gowns shouldn't have floats, or anything that would interfere with going in and out of the closed hold.

[tanya_the_dancer]

Hey, my new dress is also apple green. Here it is

[samina]

very pretty -- who designed the stonage/blue trim?

[fascination]

standard also tend to be more conservative....

and yes the green is a dore'....I can't wait to wear it...I have no picture right now, but as i said, it has a cut out in the abs...which is quite a little step for me and its sleeveless...another brave move for me...pictures in 3+ weeks

[samina]

looking forward to seeing it, fasc. abs & all...

[tanya_the_dancer]

It's a dore dress.

[fascination]

looking forward to seeing it, fasc. abs & all...
does this help you understand why I am at the gym all the time...otherwise, BOT...the dress would have no shelf life at all....:cool: unhighjack

[samina]

understood.

ab-solutely. <ar-ar>

[fascination]

gotta watch out for that latingal

[latingal]

gotta watch out for that latingal

*lurk, lurk* ;)

[fascination]

see? no one's safe

[samina]

*lol*

you're scarin' me, LG...

[JANATHOME]

Also, smooth having a lot of open/side by side, the front of the dress is more visable, and therfore the details more important.

I can do sleeveless fine, but the dresses with the cut outs...every time I try one on I just think no way, looks horrible... I am very very envious of your new gown already....

I think American Ballroom Challenge will have smooth tonight. Will be looking extra close at the gowns!

[fascination]

Hey, my new dress is also apple green. Here it is
btw....tanya...I like the dress alot...the bodice is so feminine and imo nice floats and contrasting color

[tanya_the_dancer]

btw....tanya...I like the dress alot...the bodice is so feminine and imo nice floats and contrasting color

Thanks. I asked for the floats to be made removable, so that I can use the dress for both smooth and standard for now. But this dress is still better for standard, I thinkk, and I will be having a smooth dress made, probably later this year.

[fascination]

Thanks. I asked for the floats to be made removable, so that I can use the dress for both smooth and standard for now. But this dress is still better for standard, I thinkk, and I will be having a smooth dress made, probably later this year.
funny...I did the oppostie...even though by dress is ...er prolly too minimal for standard...I am still having some detachable float done so that I can wear it for both at the smaller comps....I try hard these days to make certain that every gown I own would work for either...just practical when talking that much dough.......I want the flexibility so that when something is getting altered or am touching up stones or washing something out...other stuff is good to go......only my first gown was fairly exclusively smooth...but if it doesn't sell...that will change

[tanya_the_dancer]

funny...I did the oppostie...even though by dress is ...er prolly too minimal for standard...I am still having some detachable float done so that I can wear it for both at the smaller comps....I try hard these days to make certain that every gown I own would work for either...just practical when talking that much dough.......I want the flexibility so that when something is getting altered or am touching up stones or washing something out...other stuff is good to go......only my first gown was fairly exclusively smooth...but if it doesn't sell...that will change

I am not sure if it will always work out well this way. I mean, it's not as bad as a multi-functional gadget which usually doesn't adequately do any of the functions it claims to do, but I think some dresses look better in smooth and some look better in standard.

I am thinking now what to do with the cheap dresses I ordered last year. I cut my losses on them and ordered this dress before I spent a lot on stones, etc. So I have 3 unstoned cheap dresses, which also need some minor changes.