Buying the First Dress

[DanceMentor]

I was fortunate enough to get a really good deal on a tux, but it is getting close to time for my wife to get her first dress. I'm wondering if I could get some feedback about making the right decision as well as some of the "ins and outs". Here are a few questions:
1) What sorts of features are in style right now?
2) What can we do to maintain a good resale value?
3) What would be a typical resale value after 1 year? (ex. 75% of purchase price)
4) Are there certain colors or materials to avoid?
5) How much better is a new dress over a used dress?

This will be for standard. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[caityrosey]

I was fortunate enough to get a really good deal on a tux, but it is getting close to time for my wife to get her first dress. I'm wondering if I could get some feedback about making the right decision as well as some of the "ins and outs". Here are a few questions:
1) What sorts of features are in style right now?
2) What can we do to maintain a good resale value?
3) What would be a typical resale value after 1 year? (ex. 75% of purchase price)
4) Are there certain colors or materials to avoid?
5) How much better is a new dress over a used dress?

This will be for standard. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Personally I think that one should avoid satin--To me it usually doesn't look right under the lights, and it actually tends to make people appear heavier. If your wife is a skinny-minnie then perhaps this would not be so much of an issue, but I would still avoid it.

 

[Katarzyna]

I personally like satin a lot, but everyone has different opininos

 

[caityrosey]

I personally like satin a lot, but everyone has different opininos

Yes true. I do like most of the dresses you've posted yourself wearing though.

 

[fascination]

my 2 cents...don't get an empire waist unless you are a rail....dont get a color that shows sweat and dont get any stones in the armpit area and the neck area....b/c it is a total pain to wash those areas of the dress, and they will need to be washed most throoughly and frequently, and it is a pain to do that if the area is stoned.....

 

[Merrylegs]

A quick response:

No velvet, makes you look big and slow, somehow.

A black dress may work against you. I personally have no problems with a black dress if it has a lot of adornments.

A very trendy dress may go out of style quickly and then you'll (your wife) is stuck with it. Unless you are able to update it by altering it, reselling might be tough.

A very expensive or a dress made from cheap materials will have difficulty reselling. Because: an expensive dress will still have a high price tag. A cheaper quality dress will not hold up over time and will show wear faster.

I'm sure there is more I can say but I'm off to a meeting.

 

[Ithink]

I agree about satin - very hard to pull off and not look heavier than you are. I don't like how it looks on a great majority of people.

Dresses in style right now feature flowy fabric, few skirt layers (very slim designs are in), lots of floats. I would say bright colors are always good. I would stay away from browns and beiges (maybe yellows too unless they are fairly bright) as they tend to blend in with the surroundings (read: floor). Oh, and white is ALWAYS in!

 

[skwiggy]

I was fortunate enough to get a really good deal on a tux, but it is getting close to time for my wife to get her first dress. I'm wondering if I could get some feedback about making the right decision as well as some of the "ins and outs". Here are a few questions:
1) What sorts of features are in style right now?
2) What can we do to maintain a good resale value?
3) What would be a typical resale value after 1 year? (ex. 75% of purchase price)
4) Are there certain colors or materials to avoid?
5) How much better is a new dress over a used dress?

This will be for standard. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

1) Slimmer skirts with big floats, but it's been that way for awhile now, so I wouldn't be suprised if things shifted very soon.
2) Replace rhinestones as they fall off, and pray that it's still in style by the time you want to sell it.
3) Depends more on how worn it is (combination of how many times you've worn it and how it holds up) and how much the styles have changed more than the amount of time you've had it.
4) I don't agree about velvet being inherently bad, so much as out of style. I agree, black can be problematic. Either the dress or the dancer (or both) have to be pretty special to pull off black. Depending on skin tone, you may want to stay away from pale colors unless she has dark skin or intends to tan.
5) As long as the used dress is in good condition, I don't think it makes a bit of difference, personally. Especially for a first dress.

 

[LXC]

i love satin. it's eye catching.

satin skirt cannot be too full, or it will look heavy. if it's done right, it looks great, in my opinon.

 

[standardgirl]

I don't like velet, and I am open with mesh, satin, or lycra.
I wouldn't recommend the entire dress being in satin though unless the girl is very skinny since satin will help to show anything underneath it. You could be pretty skinny but still have a not-so-flat ab, and that doesn't look good with satin, imo.

Don't get anything with a drop waist line, unless you have pretty good hip action. I guess, another of saying this is, cover up what needs to be covered and show off what you are good at. If you don't have a nice shoulder line (lady, especially left shoulder), then don't wear a sleeveless dress with a huge open back.

 

[swan]

Satin is nice in terms of the coloring & shininess under spot light. But it has to cut right so that the skirt can flare up & flow.

Otherwise, chiffon is a safe choice because it just flows.

You may consider finding satin or lycra bodice w/ chiffon skirts.

I always opt for simple style that can hold up for a long time. Floats are better be the detachable ones, so that when you resale, people can use it for smooth as well (a lot of smooth dancers prefer not to have floats).

Colors - I like vibrant colors such as Sky Blue, Turqoise, Red, Shaded colors, etc. Sometimes pastel colors like Baby Pink or Mint Green will be good as well.

 

[fascination]

detachable floats are a mixed bag...sometimes they detach when they shouldn't...but good itf you are budget conscious and doing both standard and smooth

 

[DanceMentor]

Thanks for all of the advice.
I am going to show this thread to my wife now.
We may be able to get something for Heritage, where we are planning to compete.

 

[Joe]

I disagree about velvet. Plain velvet isn't very good, but crushed velvet or crushed panné looks very nice because the "crush" catches the light at various angles, where plain velvet does not.