mamboqueen
Well-Known Member
Oh, I'll give another plug to a friend. This is the woman that made my magenta dress.
zhannakens.com/
zhannakens.com/
Custom making ballroom dresses in China?
- Thread starter tuxedosam
- Start date
mamboqueen
Well-Known Member
She'll make whatever you want her to make. I sent her a picture of a (Katerina Venturini) dress which is what mine is based on. The material is different (and I picked that myself because I had to get the color I wanted....blah blah.....), but she did a great job...and very quickly, I might add.
Natalka
Member
Thanks MamboQueen!
And thanks to all the ladies who have PM'd me!
That's correct, I get in new & gently used dresses all the time...so contact me if you are looking for something to wear at your next comp!
Katarzyna
Well-Known Member
Same for me.. I always know of many girls who try to sell dresses.. and I forward information to everyone I know.. so if you want to be on my list, pm me as well.. 
also you can ask me if I know of anything specific.
But that usually goes for standard, I usually never know of any latin dresses.. Sometimes smooth..
also you can ask me if I know of anything specific. But that usually goes for standard, I usually never know of any latin dresses.. Sometimes smooth..
Laura
Well-Known Member
You can check out my personal web site... www.dancesportimage.com
mamboqueen
Well-Known Member
Going to have to start a sticky for dress and shoe resources. This is great! (oh, and hands off that black Chrisanne that Natalka has...it has "MQ" written all over it 
)
)sleepytiger
New Member
Hi,
I'm wondering if anyone know the address or contact number of a ballroom dress maker in Shenzhen (I saw Shi Dai on an earlier post but has no way to find out where it is). I am in Shenzhen for a few weeks and would like to get my Standard and Latin dresses made here. I contacted Rainbow in HK but she only takes online orders. I would prefer coming to a store, having the feel of the materials and getting the measurement done.
Thank you,
sleepytiger
I'm wondering if anyone know the address or contact number of a ballroom dress maker in Shenzhen (I saw Shi Dai on an earlier post but has no way to find out where it is). I am in Shenzhen for a few weeks and would like to get my Standard and Latin dresses made here. I contacted Rainbow in HK but she only takes online orders. I would prefer coming to a store, having the feel of the materials and getting the measurement done.
Thank you,
sleepytiger
danceislove
New Member
Wow I really like a lot of her stuff! What is her price range? She doesn't have prices listed.
JANATHOME
Well-Known Member
I am having a new smooth gown made and having a horrible time picking colors... To the point of insane... I have an incredible design drawn and cant decide on the colors. Finally the fellow who is making the gown sent me to a fabric store to see for myself...
Anyway...MQ have you ever been to OSgood fabrics.... Think that is your area, West Springfield...The spandex and sheers are incredible.. Did not work for me however, I just could not make a decision. I was there for 2 hours and walked out fustrated and empty handed. I am going back this week-end to try again!
Anyway...MQ have you ever been to OSgood fabrics.... Think that is your area, West Springfield...The spandex and sheers are incredible.. Did not work for me however, I just could not make a decision. I was there for 2 hours and walked out fustrated and empty handed. I am going back this week-end to try again!
etp777
Active Member
Musique, and everyone else in here, have given great advice. Just to give a little background, I have never ordered a dress from Rainbow Shui (or anyone else, being as I'm a guy ). But being 5'5" with a 10" drop on suit measurements, pretty much everything I buy off the rack has to be altered/tailored to fit properly, so dealt with this a lot. Also, my mom designs and makes ballroom costumes (and alters costumes made by other people).
Few things I've picked up, both from personal experience, and from that of others. A lot of this will be repeats of what has already been said, but trying to bring it all together in one place and add my .02.
First, labor is huge part of expense of any ballroom costume, always will be. Looking at rhythm costume friend has (believe it was a Jordi), and some my mom has made, you're talking anywhere from 20 (tends to be bare minimum) to 40 gross or more of stones on the dress. Every one of these has been individually glued to the dress, by hand. This is after the initial labor to design dress, fit it to you (not just to your body, but to your personality and dancing style, though this of course only applies to custom dresses made locally by costume maker who takes time to do custom pieces individualized to dancer), design the stoning layout, and everything else. Yes, proper fabrics and swarovski crystals cost more than cheaper options, but the labor is what is going to kill you. So it is certainly possible to get a costume cheaper by going to a labor market where price of labor is noticably lower than here in states. This is actually a big things in bespoke (custom-made) suits, too. They face some of same challenges that we do in ballroom world though.
First, is that if at all possible, you want to be there working with the maker, rather than trying to communicate over phone/mail/internet. This is unlikely to happen for most people, but is still the ideal (can do it with makers here in states, but then you're paying for labor here).
Secondly, be very specific on material, including being willing to supply it yourself if you aren't satisfied with what they can get. If you don't use proper material, dress won't hang right on your body, the skirt won't flow right, and the stones won't look right. I've seen a dress made with inexpensive stones that had swarovski crystals added to it to add additional stoning (client's choice, not the seamstress in question, who suggested going with all one type of stone or all the other). As woman turned on the floor it was blatantly obvious where the swarovski stones were and where the cheaper ones were. The swarovskis shone out like a spotlight as she did her turns and light hits them. So I would definitely spend the extra on swarovskis even if you're ordering a dress from China. Make sure to clarify stones and fabrics being used BEFORE she starts making dress, not after.
Third: Make sure to get measurements right, and get professional help if need be. This was rule when my mom used to(and still does, though not as often) bridesmaid dresses for people coming in from out of town, who would only be in town for week before wedding, so just enough time for a final fitting, and it applies even more for a dress that is going to have to come from Hong Kong or similar. You will save yourself a world of hassle if you make sure you have the measurements right in the first place. If you're not sure exactly what maker means in measurements she's asking for, ask her. Clarify these things BEFORE she starts working on dress (or tails, or latin shirt, whatever), not when you get it in mail and are trying to adjust it afterwards.
Fourth: Make sure you have a clear idea of what you want before you go to the maker. Be willing to listen to her advice, particularly if you've seen their work before and know that you like their style, but always better with situations like this, where yo'ure tryint to communicate over thousands of miles, and over a language barrier, to have clera idea of what you want (ironically, if working with a local maker, I suggest almost opposite, to be very willing to listen to the maker and hear what they suggest). Pictures of examples dresses, specific colors you want (again with examples if possible, etc), will make life a lot easier (and this is taken almost word for word from advice I'd give and have received on getting bespoke suits in Asia. This is one of cases where same rules apply).
I can't give particular advice on what to ask for in a dress, as I don't claim the knowledge on that. others in this thread have specified that well (body suit, etc). I will say that no matter how well you get these dresses done, always a good idea to have local maker/seamstress for alterations. This is nothing against Chinese makers, but refers to any costume you're ordering from someone thousands of miles away. i've seen items ranging from chinese dresses to custom one-off dresses and shirts from Randall and Jordi, all that needed to be altered by someone on hand, who could actually see how i fit on the body in question and make the necessary adjustments.
In regards to RainbowShui in particular, my opinion is still kinda waiting on this one. I believe my teacher was wearing RainbowShui for at least her smooth dress at last competition, maybe Rhythm too. It was alright, good looking dress, I'm not sure I would call it a costume. But i also didn't get really close look at either of them, as I wans't competing, just watching. Also, the rhythm one definitely could have used more stoning or decorations of some kind, and stones on there were rather dull. This certainly doesn't mean RainbowShui can't do better (or that teacher looked bad, but she's one of people who can make most anythin look good ), just feedback on what I've seen. At least two more students should be wearing RainbowShui dresses at our October competition, as they were talking about it last week, so I will have a more informed opiinion then.
I don't know if any of that was any help to anyone, but I hope so.
). But being 5'5" with a 10" drop on suit measurements, pretty much everything I buy off the rack has to be altered/tailored to fit properly, so dealt with this a lot. Also, my mom designs and makes ballroom costumes (and alters costumes made by other people).Few things I've picked up, both from personal experience, and from that of others. A lot of this will be repeats of what has already been said, but trying to bring it all together in one place and add my .02.
First, labor is huge part of expense of any ballroom costume, always will be. Looking at rhythm costume friend has (believe it was a Jordi), and some my mom has made, you're talking anywhere from 20 (tends to be bare minimum) to 40 gross or more of stones on the dress. Every one of these has been individually glued to the dress, by hand. This is after the initial labor to design dress, fit it to you (not just to your body, but to your personality and dancing style, though this of course only applies to custom dresses made locally by costume maker who takes time to do custom pieces individualized to dancer), design the stoning layout, and everything else. Yes, proper fabrics and swarovski crystals cost more than cheaper options, but the labor is what is going to kill you. So it is certainly possible to get a costume cheaper by going to a labor market where price of labor is noticably lower than here in states. This is actually a big things in bespoke (custom-made) suits, too. They face some of same challenges that we do in ballroom world though.
First, is that if at all possible, you want to be there working with the maker, rather than trying to communicate over phone/mail/internet. This is unlikely to happen for most people, but is still the ideal (can do it with makers here in states, but then you're paying for labor here).
Secondly, be very specific on material, including being willing to supply it yourself if you aren't satisfied with what they can get. If you don't use proper material, dress won't hang right on your body, the skirt won't flow right, and the stones won't look right. I've seen a dress made with inexpensive stones that had swarovski crystals added to it to add additional stoning (client's choice, not the seamstress in question, who suggested going with all one type of stone or all the other). As woman turned on the floor it was blatantly obvious where the swarovski stones were and where the cheaper ones were. The swarovskis shone out like a spotlight as she did her turns and light hits them. So I would definitely spend the extra on swarovskis even if you're ordering a dress from China. Make sure to clarify stones and fabrics being used BEFORE she starts making dress, not after.
Third: Make sure to get measurements right, and get professional help if need be. This was rule when my mom used to(and still does, though not as often) bridesmaid dresses for people coming in from out of town, who would only be in town for week before wedding, so just enough time for a final fitting, and it applies even more for a dress that is going to have to come from Hong Kong or similar. You will save yourself a world of hassle if you make sure you have the measurements right in the first place. If you're not sure exactly what maker means in measurements she's asking for, ask her. Clarify these things BEFORE she starts working on dress (or tails, or latin shirt, whatever), not when you get it in mail and are trying to adjust it afterwards.
Fourth: Make sure you have a clear idea of what you want before you go to the maker. Be willing to listen to her advice, particularly if you've seen their work before and know that you like their style, but always better with situations like this, where yo'ure tryint to communicate over thousands of miles, and over a language barrier, to have clera idea of what you want (ironically, if working with a local maker, I suggest almost opposite, to be very willing to listen to the maker and hear what they suggest). Pictures of examples dresses, specific colors you want (again with examples if possible, etc), will make life a lot easier (and this is taken almost word for word from advice I'd give and have received on getting bespoke suits in Asia. This is one of cases where same rules apply).
I can't give particular advice on what to ask for in a dress, as I don't claim the knowledge on that. others in this thread have specified that well (body suit, etc). I will say that no matter how well you get these dresses done, always a good idea to have local maker/seamstress for alterations. This is nothing against Chinese makers, but refers to any costume you're ordering from someone thousands of miles away. i've seen items ranging from chinese dresses to custom one-off dresses and shirts from Randall and Jordi, all that needed to be altered by someone on hand, who could actually see how i fit on the body in question and make the necessary adjustments.
In regards to RainbowShui in particular, my opinion is still kinda waiting on this one. I believe my teacher was wearing RainbowShui for at least her smooth dress at last competition, maybe Rhythm too. It was alright, good looking dress, I'm not sure I would call it a costume. But i also didn't get really close look at either of them, as I wans't competing, just watching. Also, the rhythm one definitely could have used more stoning or decorations of some kind, and stones on there were rather dull. This certainly doesn't mean RainbowShui can't do better (or that teacher looked bad, but she's one of people who can make most anythin look good
), just feedback on what I've seen. At least two more students should be wearing RainbowShui dresses at our October competition, as they were talking about it last week, so I will have a more informed opiinion then.I don't know if any of that was any help to anyone, but I hope so.
Denise Marion
New Member
Have you ever tried renting a dress?
Ballroom dresses can be really expensive because most are custom made and have a LOT of rhinestones on them. Many people simply just don't want the commitment of such an expensive item, especially if they are only going to where it once. Many dancers are instead RENTING the dresses instead of buying.
Ballroom dresses can be really expensive because most are custom made and have a LOT of rhinestones on them. Many people simply just don't want the commitment of such an expensive item, especially if they are only going to where it once. Many dancers are instead RENTING the dresses instead of buying.
jenniegirl
New Member
Just to share my experience. I've done business with raibow shiu. I'm not very satisfied with my latin dress. though it has a body suit it's lined... it does not fit well, the fabric looks cheap and the craftmanship is bad.
I agree with sayings like "you get what you paid". But given the cheap labor rate in China (and the fact that they directly copy good design without paying), you surely can get a lot more with less money than here in the US. I'd even say Rainbow's dress are a bit over-priced giving the quality. And please don't be misled by wal-mart or some dresses from raibow shiu, "Made in China" does not always mean poor quality. There are several high-quality costume-makers in China. Several Chinese couples wore their costumes in Blackpool. I assume they didn't look too shabby.
Since you are going to China, don't miss the opportunity to order custom made costume at a good price. The best in the north is "Romatic" in Beijing. The best in the south include "Shi Dai" (Times) in Shen Zhen. "Wan Fang" in Guanzhou is good too. They even have pictures from major world events to show costomers what they can copy. My partner ordered a latin shirt from Wan Fang, which is a direct copy of Slavic's last year blackpool shirt. The result is great. But my latin dress was not fit well. (He was there while I was not.) My partner also ordered a tail suit from Shi Dai. Only $200, but the fit was excellent. I myself has bought a ball gown from Romatic in Beijing. I'm very satisfied with it.
My suggestions for ordering are
- ask about the fabric. Europe made fabric is available at a higher price.
- ask about the stones. The venders I mentioned usually use Swarovski. But double check to make sure.
- if they let you choose from catalogue, ask for fabric samples to make sure the color is right.
- lastly, keep in mind, Hong Kong venders' costumes are made in southern China anyway. So there shouldn't be too much a difference in price and quality.
PM me if you need further info
hi, im wondering if you know the websites for the good costume makers based in china. like shi dai or romantic. i tried looking on the web but couldn't find any.. please let me know. thanks!
jenniegirl
New Member
i have made costumes in china before, it didnt turn out too good. of cos, there are a lot of different makers in china, check out their price range, if its too cheap to be good, u know what to expect.. if they charge cheaper than what european costume makers do but the range is still nearer, then they should be the better ones..
Josh
Active Member
You probably won't find any for things like a tailor shop... it's just not really their way or part of their approach to business. These folks are working long hours at their machines making garments, and so why have a web site? Even in the US you'd be hard pressed to find a large number of web sites for your average tailor. The Chinese are great at copying designs and as an earlier poster said, they can copy just about anything you want. Unfortunately often styles and tastes differ on details (like how tight a collar on a dress shirt for a man should be even given a measurement), so you have to be very explicit when requesting what you want.