Do you order dancewear and shoes from overseas?
- Thread starter DanceMentor
- Start date
ProgressNotPerfection
Forum Master
YES PLEASE!!!
st258
The green one was the first I bought from them. I took a bodice I liked on one gown, had several back-and-forth emails consulting about style, then asked for a different style of skirt for that bodice. (I do not look good in skirts with godets, so I order my gowns with full, multi-circle skirts.) Sent measurements, upgraded stones to Preciosa, picked a color, paid paypal, and waited. When the gown arrived, the construction was far better than I expected. Fit was fine. Happpy happy joy joy. I had myself a bright green gown to dance on St. Patrick's Day!
This one was a disaster. Fit completely wrong, stoning completely wrong. I was politely firm in email exchanges about what all had gone wrong. The company was very responsive and apologetic, and made me another gown at cost. I salvaged the sew-on stones and the underskirt from this, and the rest went bye-bye.
This simple, old-fashioned thing is a howling success, whenever I wear it. I added sheer chiffon floats, as well as the ribbon floats you can't really see. It moves beautifully and I'm still happy with it a couple of years later. However, I did catch a heel and tear out the soft boning at the hemline in the middle of competition, so we had to talk about making sure there are no edges where I can catch a heel and pull off a ruffle (don't ask). Long story short: someone took off the underskirt and turned it inside out, and all the rough edges disappeared.
I took a bodice I liked from one of their Standard gowns, and had a VERYVERY full, very lightweight skirt with no soft boning at the hem and no underskirt, and voila! A bright red Smooth gown. Moves like a dream, weighs nothing, and I can do skirt work til the cows come home. I love Smooth skirt work.
I'm mildly horrified to note that I own six gowns. But pleased that four were reasonably priced. The other two? Not so much. But the money-gowns' workmanship, especially the stoning, is significantly higher quality. However. For "starter" gowns? These from Latinodances are MUCH better than I expected. Built-in bras, not bra cups -- and for me, that's important. Finished seams. on a $400 gown? Finished seams? dang.
scullystwin42
Forum Master
scullystwin42
Forum Master
ProgressNotPerfection
Forum Master
With the backless design it has, how does that dress style provide any support for the girls? That's one of the biggest problems I ran into when trying on dresses last week. Unless the back is high enough to cover a horizontal strap (like a regular bra strap, almost), there's not enough support for me in the front area - with or without inserted cups - and I'm not even large-busted. Actually, maybe that's the problem. Maybe if I WERE, then there'd be more for the dress to hold onto in the front. (I really don't know how dresses work.)
ProgressNotPerfection
Forum Master
That is EXACTLY the type of dress I'm looking for: moves like a dream, weighs nothing, and looks gorgeous. But I don't know enough to say "ok, use the bodice from dress A, but use the skirt from dress B, and remove the underskirt, and don't use any boning at the hem" (since I don't even know what all of that means).
I couldn't help but notice that all your choices follow almost the exact same style, which happens to be my preferred style as well: either V-neck or rounded neckline with stoning in a V shape; stoning on the bodice but very little on the skirt; another wider V shape just below the waist (except on the red one, which is just as pretty); long sleeves but bare shoulders; full circle skirt with no godets; open back but not cut too low (which means a more supportive bra can be sewn in). And I love all your vivid colors!
Oh, and hey - if you are "mildly horrified" that you have too many dresses, I'd be delighted to help you out and take one off your hands...how tall are you, exactly? After all, I'm in the market for a smooth dress....
scullystwin42
Forum Master
there is a nude straps in the back, like a bra - they attach to the cups and dress. with the tan, it doesn't show from far away.