contracheck
New Member
They say that it's always dark under the lamp. Mine is a pair of mens latin pants, which may be quite different from dresses.
Custom making ballroom dresses in China?
- Thread starter tuxedosam
- Start date
They say that it's always dark under the lamp. Mine is a pair of mens latin pants, which may be quite different from dresses.
True, but if this place does good work, then we dancers in Columbus would have been directed there, I'd think, even though pants are different from dresses.
But, I am only familiar with my studio and perhaps other studios in the area patronize this designer.
I am looking forward to hearing how they look!
But, I am only familiar with my studio and perhaps other studios in the area patronize this designer.
I am looking forward to hearing how they look!
wooh
Well-Known Member
Or it could be they have "exclusive" deals with different people that they recommend or there was some perceived slight on the part of one or the other. There's a lot of reasons a business might not suggest another business that have nothing to do with the quality of work or service.
Yes I think that it is enough layers - it depends on the design a bit. I have just had a ballroom and latin dress made by rainbow shiu and I am very happy - all her dresses have body suits and bra cups (which are essential) and I get the floats detachable because of New Vogue style dancing.
I am a dressmaker myself and I think her quality is excellent -the fabric is not hte most expensive but for 10% of the price of a custom made (the only size that will fit me) dress in Australia I am a happy repeat customer.
Remeber people choose hteir own design - and I agree that does make some of the dresses hideous - but you cant blame the maker for that !
contracheck
New Member
I received my completed pair of Latin Pants from this vender, a week sooner than her promised delivery. I am highly satisfied with this product. The fit is perfect and the craftmanship is superb. From now on, I will use this vender for my future costume need.
Purr
Forum Master
contracheck
New Member
I'm glad the pants worked out for you.
Over the yrs, I have my pants made in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taka, LeNique, and a famous Beverly Hill tailor. The pants I received today from Ohio tops all of my previous pants - just perfect. It displays a tag, "Made in USA."
wooh
Well-Known Member
Happy for you!
danceislove
New Member
those look like rainbow shui dresses, but at much higher prices....
scotttocs
Member
Don't know too many details, but from what I've heard locally in Hong Kong --
Given the option, you want to source the fabric OUTSIDE of China, to get a good high quality fabric, then get it put together in China for best results.
However I was doing this through uneven interpretation, as I speak only English, my friend is English/Cantonese with some Mandarin, and the person we were talking to was all Mandarin....
Given the option, you want to source the fabric OUTSIDE of China, to get a good high quality fabric, then get it put together in China for best results.
However I was doing this through uneven interpretation, as I speak only English, my friend is English/Cantonese with some Mandarin, and the person we were talking to was all Mandarin....
cantskiforlife
Member
A friend of mine just bought tails in china for $250. I was impressed with the quality but they are definitely what you pay for..... perfect for silver, gold, and maybe pre-champ at collegiate competitions.
DanceAllure
New Member
Tips for fnding Affordable Dancewear- The right way or the China way
This could be helpful for dancers who don't have much money to spend on a competition dress and cannot afford any of the hand-crafted designer dresses.
Many dancers prefer to go online and just purchase their costume form an e-bay seller (from China for example)attracted by low price. But soon they realize what's the difference between cheap and cheap looking
. Why most of the dresses made in China and Vietnam and Korea, flooding the e-net are so cheap?
- In most cases, fabrics are of extremely low quality ( often with some defects on them)
- Cheap crystals. (Korean stones are plastic based , scratch easily and don't have the same sparkle like Swarovski or Preciosa)
- Automated manufacturing : For the most part, costumes are made by machines instead of being hand crafted by professionals.
- Low and often non-excising quality control. Which in this case means that even if there is some obvious defect on the dress, nobody would even notice it .
- No guarantees at all- in most cases you gonna have a big problem getting your money back if there's something wrong with the dress you ordered.
hyperlinks removed as per our Guidelines: PLEASE read.
But even then, there's always alternative ways for having a good quality costume made for less.
It requires more involvement in the creative process but the end result is worth the time and effort.
If you are on a limited budget and your competition date is getting closer , instead of panicking and shooting desperately in the dark, think of what you have and what you need in order to end up with a nice dress which you actually could afford.
Ok, here's the things you will need: some time, some money ( invest the money you would otherwise spend on on of those cheap looking dresses) and a good design idea.
1st- Try to make a sketch of your own future dress, the way you imagine it. You can base it on your own idea or on a picture you saw on the e-net.
2nd. Decide what fabric and colors you would like to use. The fabric must be stretchy ( preferably 4-way stretch)
3rd. Order the fabrics
4th. Borrow a quality gown from someone you know just to see it's structure. The high quality gowns usually have built in bodysuit & bra cups.
5th. Try to find a local seamstress on the e-net. and ask them if they are used to working with stretchy fabrics.
6th. Go there and show them your sketch, fabrics and explain to them what the structure should be. Usually an experienced seamstress won't have any problem working on design sketch especially if you explain to them what exactly is that you want. And you want bodysuit with built in bra on the inside.
7th. After you get the dress put together , you need to purchase stones where you can choose from Korean ( not recommended) , Preciosa & Swarovski.
Preciosa are as good as Swarovski, there's no difference in quality. Preciosa are still around 20% less expensive.
Then you can put put on the crystals yourself, the way you like it and as many as you want.
Or you can ask somebody to do that for you.
I believe that if you decided to go that way , for the money you would spend on one of those dresses you can end up having a far better quality dress that you would actually wanna use more than once and that will look much better in the stage spotlight. You just need to put in some more time and use your own creativity. If you do that once, the second time will be even easier and more enjoyable.
hyperlinks removed as per our Guidelines: PLEASE read.
This could be helpful for dancers who don't have much money to spend on a competition dress and cannot afford any of the hand-crafted designer dresses.
Many dancers prefer to go online and just purchase their costume form an e-bay seller (from China for example)attracted by low price. But soon they realize what's the difference between cheap and cheap looking
. Why most of the dresses made in China and Vietnam and Korea, flooding the e-net are so cheap?
- In most cases, fabrics are of extremely low quality ( often with some defects on them)
- Cheap crystals. (Korean stones are plastic based , scratch easily and don't have the same sparkle like Swarovski or Preciosa)
- Automated manufacturing : For the most part, costumes are made by machines instead of being hand crafted by professionals.
- Low and often non-excising quality control. Which in this case means that even if there is some obvious defect on the dress, nobody would even notice it .
- No guarantees at all- in most cases you gonna have a big problem getting your money back if there's something wrong with the dress you ordered.
hyperlinks removed as per our Guidelines: PLEASE read.
But even then, there's always alternative ways for having a good quality costume made for less.
It requires more involvement in the creative process but the end result is worth the time and effort.
If you are on a limited budget and your competition date is getting closer , instead of panicking and shooting desperately in the dark, think of what you have and what you need in order to end up with a nice dress which you actually could afford.
Ok, here's the things you will need: some time, some money ( invest the money you would otherwise spend on on of those cheap looking dresses) and a good design idea.
1st- Try to make a sketch of your own future dress, the way you imagine it. You can base it on your own idea or on a picture you saw on the e-net.
2nd. Decide what fabric and colors you would like to use. The fabric must be stretchy ( preferably 4-way stretch)
3rd. Order the fabrics
4th. Borrow a quality gown from someone you know just to see it's structure. The high quality gowns usually have built in bodysuit & bra cups.
5th. Try to find a local seamstress on the e-net. and ask them if they are used to working with stretchy fabrics.
6th. Go there and show them your sketch, fabrics and explain to them what the structure should be. Usually an experienced seamstress won't have any problem working on design sketch especially if you explain to them what exactly is that you want. And you want bodysuit with built in bra on the inside.
7th. After you get the dress put together , you need to purchase stones where you can choose from Korean ( not recommended) , Preciosa & Swarovski.
Preciosa are as good as Swarovski, there's no difference in quality. Preciosa are still around 20% less expensive.
Then you can put put on the crystals yourself, the way you like it and as many as you want.
Or you can ask somebody to do that for you.
I believe that if you decided to go that way , for the money you would spend on one of those dresses you can end up having a far better quality dress that you would actually wanna use more than once and that will look much better in the stage spotlight. You just need to put in some more time and use your own creativity. If you do that once, the second time will be even easier and more enjoyable.
hyperlinks removed as per our Guidelines: PLEASE read.
Any websites ?
Hi musique. Just following up on your post about ballroom and latin outfits in china.
Me and my partner need 2 outfits - 1 male and 1 female. And it may well be cheaper for us to fly to China and get it made there..
We live in Sydney Australia.
Do you mind passing us updated info on the people you know of ?
I only know of rainbowshiu on ebay.
Hi musique. Just following up on your post about ballroom and latin outfits in china.
Me and my partner need 2 outfits - 1 male and 1 female. And it may well be cheaper for us to fly to China and get it made there..
We live in Sydney Australia.
Do you mind passing us updated info on the people you know of ?
I only know of rainbowshiu on ebay.
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