Standard Dress Material

T

tangophysics

New Member
I'm in the process of ordering my first standard dress (exciting), but I have a few questions...

I've been told that ordering an all-Lycra dress is a good idea because it makes everything sleek and shiny and gives more continuity of color. However, I'm hesitant to order this because I don't know whether it would flow as well or be as easy to dance in.

Does anyone have experience with lycra vs chiffon skirts?

Also, how long should a skirt be? Is it possible to get it hemmed? Which side should I err on?

Thanks!
 
High on my list of priorities in gowns is the wrinkle factor. Ironing those puppies with 30+ yards of skirtage is a HUGE pain. Yes, it is possible to shorten a gown. The length is a bit of a personal preference. I don't like them too short, but I also have a fear of getting caught in the hem if it's too long :shock: As for the flow of the skirt, it depends on the weight of the lycra. With chiffon, sometimes there are problems with static cling. Do you have any photos or drawings of the gown you're planning to buy?
 
and123 said:
High on my list of priorities in gowns is the wrinkle factor. Ironing those puppies with 30+ yards of skirtage is a HUGE pain. Yes, it is possible to shorten a gown. The length is a bit of a personal preference. I don't like them too short, but I also have a fear of getting caught in the hem if it's too long :shock: As for the flow of the skirt, it depends on the weight of the lycra. With chiffon, sometimes there are problems with static cling. Do you have any photos or drawings of the gown you're planning to buy?
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You know that I'm going to have to get used to the shortness too. My instructor saw the pink Latin costume that I bought from you and loved it, but he basically wants it to fall an inch below my butt and to have something added to the bottom of it, but he can't decide what yet (I thought it was short enough as it was lol). (I was thinking maybe I could add more beads instead of fringe on the bottom?) So, I think that the routine depends on the shortness and longness of your dress. Since I will be doing a lot of death drops and lifts, It would only make sense to have something a bit shorter for my legs to flow smoothly in it.

Oh and I wanted to add that he wants the sides to be cut more than they are lol! Mind you that I'm not used to wearing these types of dresses just yet lol! So, this will probably be the sexiest outfit that I've ever had on me lol! ;)
 
OK then, would *YOU* like to come over and iron all of my skirts? ;) :shock:

(Mods, can this thread be moved to Ballroom? I think it would get a lot more traffic there.)
 
and123 said:
OK then, would *YOU* like to come over and iron all of my skirts? ;) :shock:

(Mods, can this thread be moved to Ballroom? I think it would get a lot more traffic there.)
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Lol! Very funny. I don't think the poor guy knows how many items of dancewear you have in your closet lol! ;)
 
How are you storing your dresses that your skirts need to be ironed?

Or do you have silk chiffon skirts that wrinkle like crazy?

Even Chrisanne dresses use polyester chiffon...don't get wrinkle problems that way.
 
Personally I would never go for a lycra skirt. It's too light and too heavy at the same time. too light to hve a lot of volume, and to heavy to be flowy like chiffon
 
Lycra *can* work for skirts, but it does depend on the type f lycra. I'm not big fan of the shiny type as it can look cheap. It will be "swingy" rather than "flowy", and dresses I've seen made of lycra usually have something in the hem to aid movement like horsehair braid/soft boning.
The most popular fabrics these days for skirts seem to be chiffon (as noted), satin, and dance crepe which does flow nicely. Chrisanne does something called Angel skin which is really lightweight and flowy, and Danscouture do something similar called "danceflow"
http://www.danscouture.co.uk/web%20pages/content_danscouture.shtml
 
WTH are you all talking about? There are tons of dresses made entirely of lycra (at least the outside), including the skirt.
 
Joe said:
WTH are you all talking about? There are tons of dresses made entirely of lycra (at least the outside), including the skirt.
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I really don't like skirts made of lycra.. unless it something super light weight like "angelskin" as someone mentioned. I see a lot of dresses, but don't like how they look
 
Joe said:
WTH are you all talking about? There are tons of dresses made entirely of lycra (at least the outside), including the skirt.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter. If the dresses don't work well on the dance floor, then why buy them is what my instructor says. Pretty is one thing, but so is comfort. You have to realize that everyone has her own preference too. I don't want anything scratchy or that I can't breathe (rayon etc.) well in, and I don't mean breathe as in the dress being to tight, because the word breathe has another meaning entirely when it comes to dress fabric. And think of it this way, not only are we thinking of ourselves when we are picking out fabrics for our dresses, we are trying to be more helpful to you men that dance with us! ;)
 
I never have to iron my (chiffon) skirt. I store it folded a couple times draped over a hanger and then hang it up in the bathroom while I take a warm shower to get rid of any wrinkles.
 
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