Tips for dress shopping at competitions?
- Thread starter ChaChaMama
- Start date
JANATHOME
Well-Known Member
I had a similair experience.
I bought a new latin dress off the rack from Randall... After I wore it I felt the bust was way to revealing for me and was too much out of my comfort zone to wear again.
So I sent a picture to Randall about my concerns to see what we could do to fix.
They were so awesome and understood. They had me send the dress back and they re-did the bra inserts with more support and covered up the section that made me uncomfortable.They also told me the dressmakers were very excited to see a dress in action because they do not normally see what they create in action.
Long story short, they altered the dress for me, did not charge me for the changes and did a follow up to make sure I was OK with the dress. I learned, sure you will pay more for a major designer but they stand behind their sales.
I bought a new latin dress off the rack from Randall... After I wore it I felt the bust was way to revealing for me and was too much out of my comfort zone to wear again.
So I sent a picture to Randall about my concerns to see what we could do to fix.
They were so awesome and understood. They had me send the dress back and they re-did the bra inserts with more support and covered up the section that made me uncomfortable.They also told me the dressmakers were very excited to see a dress in action because they do not normally see what they create in action.
Long story short, they altered the dress for me, did not charge me for the changes and did a follow up to make sure I was OK with the dress. I learned, sure you will pay more for a major designer but they stand behind their sales.
Joe
Forum Master
I suppose you'd prefer your flaws were visible?
s2k
Well-Known Member
I had an up-and-coming vendor tell me the $1400 dress would cost extra to alter, but the the dress that cost $4000 she would alter for free. Oy.
I always take my pro with me, as he is very particular about my look, that being said, he has FANTASTIC taste and a real eye for line and shape and color.
Completely agree with this statement. If I love it and I'm waffling on it, when random people walk by and ooh and ahh (that $4000 dress I mentioned) it helps. PS I did not leave with the $4000 dress because IT WAS A $4000 DRESS. Lol.
I always take my pro with me, as he is very particular about my look, that being said, he has FANTASTIC taste and a real eye for line and shape and color.
Completely agree with this statement. If I love it and I'm waffling on it, when random people walk by and ooh and ahh (that $4000 dress I mentioned) it helps. PS I did not leave with the $4000 dress because IT WAS A $4000 DRESS. Lol.
fascination
Site Moderator
ChaChaMama
Well-Known Member
Thanks, everyone, for all these helpful thoughts!!!
I may wind up sticking to the secondary market, but if I see something fabulous that would work well with my body, I want to at least know enough about the norms of the vendor culture so that I know things like "Are they expecting you to haggle?" and "Is it okay to try things on at one vendor, ask them to hold it for a few hours, and try another vendor?" Because these things are NOT obvious, at least not to me.
I am within the size range that there should be some things on the rack that will fit me in terms of size...and I'm glad to hear that less curvy could be a good thing, because I am definitely not an hour-glass.
RE: Fascination's comment above, by the way...I was very casually glancing at dresses at a vendor a few years back, and was looking at a particular dress in a bold color that I liked. The salesperson approached me and offered the opinion rather brusquely that that dress would only work on someone who was very narrow through the ribcage. Even though she didn't say so in so many words, I definitely felt like I'd been told "You are too fat to wear that," which is not the best opening conversational gambit between salesperson and potential customer. (I wear US size 4 or 6 depending on the maker...so not super skinny, but not what most people would consider fat either. I get that this is the dance world and that I don't have an ethereal ballerina body, but even so....) If she had said "Oh, I see you like that dress? I have something in a similar color that I think would look even more fabulous on you and which my boss just marked down," then who knows? Maybe I would have bought a vendor dress years ago!
I may wind up sticking to the secondary market, but if I see something fabulous that would work well with my body, I want to at least know enough about the norms of the vendor culture so that I know things like "Are they expecting you to haggle?" and "Is it okay to try things on at one vendor, ask them to hold it for a few hours, and try another vendor?" Because these things are NOT obvious, at least not to me.
I am within the size range that there should be some things on the rack that will fit me in terms of size...and I'm glad to hear that less curvy could be a good thing, because I am definitely not an hour-glass.
RE: Fascination's comment above, by the way...I was very casually glancing at dresses at a vendor a few years back, and was looking at a particular dress in a bold color that I liked. The salesperson approached me and offered the opinion rather brusquely that that dress would only work on someone who was very narrow through the ribcage. Even though she didn't say so in so many words, I definitely felt like I'd been told "You are too fat to wear that," which is not the best opening conversational gambit between salesperson and potential customer. (I wear US size 4 or 6 depending on the maker...so not super skinny, but not what most people would consider fat either. I get that this is the dance world and that I don't have an ethereal ballerina body, but even so....) If she had said "Oh, I see you like that dress? I have something in a similar color that I think would look even more fabulous on you and which my boss just marked down," then who knows? Maybe I would have bought a vendor dress years ago!
middy
Forum Master
Yes, virtually no one has a perfect body, but if you feel confident to show what you want (within reason, naturally), and someone implies that you should hide yourself instead, then it can be quite insulting. Regardless of what size you might be!
mindputtee
Forum Master
This is the dance world though where we are judged on our appearance, not just how we feel about our bodies. I've seen a number of instances of very poor costuming choices (I'm thinking in particular of that dress with the awkwardly placed tassel, can't find the video) and I always just wanted to know why someone didn't stop them or recommend something better.
fascination
Site Moderator
I think that designers should leave the judging to the judges...and do the designing for the person buying the gown...I don't care what will re-sell for them...I don't care what is hot ...if you want my 4000 bucks, you had better be willing to design what I want...
as to holding things; I have never had a problem with a designer being willing to hold something for a few hours...
as to holding things; I have never had a problem with a designer being willing to hold something for a few hours...
fascination
Site Moderator
it is certainly responsible and prudent for a designer to say "I think this is a style that would work well for your body type"...but if the consumer says that they want something else...then you let them die at their own hand, IMO
fascination
Site Moderator
what you don't do is nod and go ahead and do whatever you want anyway...I have had that happen and the designer was sorely mistaken, and I hated it, was stuck with it, and that was the end of that relationship...if we are talking about 100 bucks, you go ahead and take artistic license...if we are talking about 4000...it had better be what I asked for...without editorial tweaking
fascination
Site Moderator
steps off soap box
tanya_the_dancer
Well-Known Member
Even though I have a bigger than average size in some places, and can't wear something off the rack "as is", I have had some luck with buying pre-made dresses and having them altered so that I could wear them. But if I decide I want something custom-made for me again, I probably would go back to the eastern european designer I've used before. Yes, once I get the dress I'm on my own, but considering the price difference it's something I can live with.As a "curvier" girl, I know my place. I don't even try to shop off the racks as they have nothing that will fit me. I'm forced into the custom made route (at least for smooth/standard as I have had decent luck with off the rack rhythm/latin dresses).
Having said that, I have been very happy with my dresses. I even wore one of my dresses for a comp, saw the video, called my dress maker back to inform her that there were areas where I disliked the look of the dress ON ME in the video. She asked me to send her the video so she could see for herself what exactly I didn't like. I did and she reworked the dress for me (months after the final sale), redid the skirt and changed the bodice a little bit here and there until I was completely satisfied. This may not be typical behavior from most dress makers, but this type of service is why I will be purchasing more gowns from her. And also why ordering a custom gown isn't always a bad thing. Glass half full type of view since I can't buy off the racks
GGinrhinestones
Well-Known Member
I've done both custom and off the rack, both purchased at competitions. So far, I'm more partial to the off the rack, given the ability to test things out. The custom dresses were the only ones for which I paid full price (and even those ended up at a discount) and I agree, they didn't turn out much like my original vision, but they were good dresses and have served me well over the years. The off the rack dresses were better, the customer service and company overall was better, and there is a huge benefit to having my pro in arms-reach for approval. My favorite dress was purchased in the morning, and when it was too long and needed a bit of tweaking, the alterations were done that day, at the comp, for no additional cost - and I wore it that evening. Also, IME, I have never had a designer NOT try to bargain on the price. Maybe I am just good at looking like I need to be talked into buying.
While I certainly agree with the idea of making smart costuming choices, I do have to object a bit on the idea that it doesn't matter as much how WE feel in our costumes...I have seen some amazing dancers who have anything but the ideal dancer body who have absolutely cleaned up the floor and danced their competition into the dust because THEY know they look good and dance out of pure joy and love, and they don't care what anyone else thinks. Just sayin'. I, as someone who fits into the off the rack costumes, learned a huge amount about how a dancer should "look" by watching those women. The costume is only part of the "appearance" that is being judged, and in the end not a very big part.
While I certainly agree with the idea of making smart costuming choices, I do have to object a bit on the idea that it doesn't matter as much how WE feel in our costumes...I have seen some amazing dancers who have anything but the ideal dancer body who have absolutely cleaned up the floor and danced their competition into the dust because THEY know they look good and dance out of pure joy and love, and they don't care what anyone else thinks. Just sayin'. I, as someone who fits into the off the rack costumes, learned a huge amount about how a dancer should "look" by watching those women. The costume is only part of the "appearance" that is being judged, and in the end not a very big part.
I can appreciate this thought, but speaking from my own experience, I have to disagree. Sure, I don't want to wear anything offensive. But I trust my own sense of style enough to feel confident that I wouldn't wear "that" dress, you know, the one that makes everyone cringe. But I think how I feel about how I look is the number one criteria for me when I am buying a dress. If I am excited about the dress and happy with how I look in it, if I feel good wearing it, etc., that is by far more important to me than what my pro or my friends or strangers walking by think.
If I am wavering on a decision or have 2 options and want some help narrowing it down, then I ask my pro's opinion, or his wife's, my dance friends, and so on. But if I don't feel great in the dress, I won't buy it no matter how many people tell me how great it looks. Their strong opinions may persuade me to take a closer look perhaps, but in the end, I'm not going to spend thousands of dollars on a gown that makes me feel kinda sorta ok.