Do you order dancewear and shoes from overseas?

[ChaCha1]

I was watching Tri-State smooth bronze this morning. Everyone was blinged to the max, with hair and makeup in place. Something to think about

 

[ProgressNotPerfection]

Here’s some great advice @raindance gave me more than 4 years ago (there’s lots of other good info in the thread linked below, too):

I will say this about nice practice wear for competitions (for instance, on the NDCA circuit) - many people, even judges, will say this is fine for newcomer or bronze students (with appropriate makeup and hair and some nice jewelry, etc). You can ask your teacher about this, and depending on the event, it may be OK. But I will just share my experience - my teacher as well as a traveling (well respected) coach and judge gave me the advice to wear a simple black dance dress plus dance jewelry, etc for my first competition. I did it. I was the only one in the building aside from spectators dressed like that. I felt like I was wearing a neon sign that said, "hey, this is my first competition! And my coaches gave me bad advice!". If I'd rented a proper competition dress, I could have at least blended in somewhat while walking the hallways

 

[HappyLilac]

I might be starting to get off topic from “buying dancewear overseas”, but also, at least for me, I think pretty dresses and doing makeup is fun? At least right now it’s not a source of stress, it’s something that actively is adding to my anticipation for competing? I think for a lot of people ballroom is one of the few chances you have to really go glam and that’s fun too!

So (back on topic) if the choice is buying something overseas and risking it not looking great, or wearing practice wear, I’m guessing a lot of people will buy the cheaply made costume? But idk.

edit: I also don’t have anything that would be considered practicewear, so either way I’m going to be spending some money

 

[raindance]

Here’s some great advice @raindance gave me more than 4 years ago (there’s lots of other good info in the thread linked below, too):

Thank you for finding that old post of mine and saving me from typing something similar again! It was a very deflating experience.

 

[raindance]

So (back on topic) if the choice is buying something overseas and risking it not looking great, or wearing practice wear, I’m guessing a lot of people will buy the cheaply made costume? But idk.

Rent, borrow, or buy a used dress - any of these options can get you into a "real" ballroom dress for your first comp. Especially if you are a common size (plus sized ladies have more trouble finding rental and used costumes, for example, while sizes 0-8 have a lot more options typically).

All of those options can be very or relatively affordable until you're ready to invest more in a dress. And until you know what you really want from a dress (color, style, etc, etc).

 

[singndance]

I remember ordering a dress with very cheap stoning from a far eastern supplier for my first comp, without consulting with my pro. He was LIVID. But hey, I wasn’t accustomed to the ballroom price structure at the time, and I didn’t know if I would enjoy competing. I liked fine, but I was definitely many steps down from my competition in terms of costuming. I ended up selling the dress immediately after, and investing in a proper costume for my next comp. I like the idea of buying a used dress from someone at your studio if you can find the right fit.

 

[Cal]

I tend to fall on the “minimalist” side of things. If everyone else is blinged to the max and you wear something blinged-out in order to “blend in” – doesn’t that go contrary to the goal of “standing out” from the others in order to be seen? You’re just another dancer with a lot of bling. So, instead, you could wear a classy practice-wear costume that moves well, and make the statement that you are confident in your dancing and don’t need to disguise it by distracting people with bling. Shrug.

Whatever you choose to wear, put it on, and then “own it.” Don’t enter the ballroom and start second-guessing yourself, because that will make you look unconfident, and that is what people will remember. If you need to re-evaluate costuming, do it for your next competition.

(Disclaimer – I quite often choose non-traditional costuming, and mix-and-match things, but I DO select items that are designed for ballroom dancing and allow for proper movement. Maybe I get side-eyed for doing that, but I don’t really look for people’s reactions to my costuming, so I can’t really say. And quite honestly, I don’t think it really affects the judge’s marks, at least for me.)

Back on topic, I’ve got some nice practice-wear and made-to-order items from DSI, and found them to be very reliable. For instance, I got a suit from DSI, where I sent them my measurements, they sent me the pinned-together-pieces, we set up a “video fitting” with my local tailor and a DSI tailor, and then I mailed the garments back to London for DSI to complete the suit, and then they sent the completed suit back to me.