How to keep your ballroom dresses in the best condition

If you have joined ballroom dancing for a period of time, chances are you already have at least one ballroom dress. Your dress is your asset. You have spent time to search it and pay dollars to get it, so you want to take care of it, don’t you. If it even has chance to go along with you for some competition, it becomes your souvenir as well. So you want to take care of it. However, not every one knows how to care their ballroom dresses properly. Here is some tips for you to make sure you keep your dress in the best condition possible.

 

For the dresses that do not have rhinestones, beads or any kind of hard material, they are easier to handle. However, since most of the types of fabric used to make ballroom dresses are sensitive so you still need to be careful if you want to wash it. It is better to wash the dress manually by hands, but if you want to use machine just set it at the gentle mode. Do not use water that has temperature exceed 30 C degree as the hot water will make the dress shrink after washing. You also want to avoid mixed-washing your dress with other colored clothes because the colors might fade with other clothing.

 

For the dresses that have decorations such as rhinestones, beads, sequins, feathers, etc. It is best not to wash them at all. Those decorations are very sensitive and might be off during washing. Even dry clean can damage your dress. To keep your ballroom dresses clean after wearing, you can use a steamer to remove the wrinkle and the smell right after using the dress. Another tip is that you can hang your dress while taking a hot bath in the bathroom, so that the steam will remove all the wrinkles and the smell of the dress for you. After using your dress, make sure you keep it in a dry place to avoid your dress from getting mould.

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Ballroom dresses review - this item looks gorgeous

Hi there!

Just drop by Dance dress shop this morning and found this new item. It looks pretty nice, isn’t it? The Teaberry pink color just goes along very well with this design. The fabrics are mix up of lycra, mesh and chiffon. Given the price at US$320 with Korean stone, it is not a bad deal.

If you want Swarovski stone for your ballroom dress, add $150-$200 depending on the number of stones.

Personally, I satisfy with Korean stones.

 

Have a good day, dancers!

For more information, go to www.ballroomdressesblog.com

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Select a ballroom dress correctly can fix some errors

Following some ideas in the first article, this post is to look into a bit more detailed about how to select your ballroom dress to make it matches your dance. A ballroom dress should not only look beautiful when you are standing in front of the mirror but also make you really gorgeous when you are dancing. Basically, it should satisfy the three elements below:

1. It must not restrict you from moving when you are dancing
2. It should highlight your strong points (e.g some of your techniques or your body)
3. It should cover your weak points.

Obviously there is no dress could replace your daily practice. However if you know where your weaknesses are (both in terms of techniques and body), you can select a ballroom dress that helps you hide those weaknesses and highlight your strengths. As a result, you can get a better impression for your performance.

Below are examples of some common errors and how to fix it by selecting a suitable dress.

Back bone not straight enough:

This is a common problem for many dancers. It can be fixed by having some cut of fabrics adorned from your neck (or your upper arms) to your back. You can even use more than one cut of fabric. By this way, your back will be somewhat hidden behind those fabrics.

Elbows and arms:

Another error in standard dance is that your arms and elbows may unconsciously lower down when you are dancing. This can be fixed by selecting a ballroom dress that have roomy sleeves with thin fabric material.

Another recommendation: if you have purchased your ballroom dress, do not wait until you have chance to get on the dance floor but try it and see if it really fits your body and your movements well.

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Tailored ballroom dresses - get the measurements your self is easy!

Most of the dancers prefer tailored ballroom dresses as the dress is gorgeous as long as it fits the body in every move. If you worry about how to get your measurements as you are not a tailor, this quick guide is to give you an easy-to-follow instruction so that you can order a ballroom dress that is 100% yours!

What you need is a cloth tape measure. If you don’t have a cloth tape measure, you can simply use a string to measure around your body and then use a normal ruler to measure the string.

To get proper data, you want to take the measurements undressed or in lightweight clothes. Most of the ballroom dresses now have built-in bras. But if you are going to order a ballroom dress without built-in bra, it is even better to take the measurements with the bra that you will be wearing with your dress.

Below are the common measurements normally required by online retailers and the illustrations.

 

1	Bust
2	Waist
3	Shoulder  Width
4	Hip (20 cm below waist)
5	Center shoulder to bust point (Start near neck 1 inch)
6	Around neck
7	Sleeve Length (Shoulder to wrist)
8	Biceps
9	Wrist
10	Armhole
11	Center shoulder to Waist (Over bust, start near neck 1 inch).
12	Torso (from shoulder over bust to crotch to shoulder. Start near neck 1 inch)
13	Ballroom Dress length from shoulder (over bust, Start near neck 1 inch) to hem.
14	Latin Dress length from shoulder (over bust, Start near neck 1 inch) to                                                     Shortest point
15	Latin Dress length from shoulder (over bust, Start near neck 1 inch) to                                                             Longest point
16	Top Hip (About 13cm below Waist)
17	Your Height (without wearing shoes)
18	Latin Dress  point back length (start from waistband to shortest  point)
19	Latin Dress  Longest  point  back length ( start from waistband to Longest point)

(Source of images: Dance Dress Shop)

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Ballroom dresses - Shining on the dance floor

Those who love ballroom dance probably have a passion for the dresses as well. The ballroom dress is an integral part of the dance beauty. It is definitely what catches people’s first impression. That is why those who are getting dressed for an evening on the ballroom dance floor normally spend time to seek for their costume of dream.

Ballroom dresses are much different from evening or cocktail dresses. The beauty of a dress is shown not only when you wear it, its real gorgeousness represents in every step of your movements. A typical ballroom dress has two or three layers, adorned with cuts of fabric flowing from the neck and the back, sometimes with feathers. Ballroom dresses are normally long but do not extend all the way to the floor as it might get tangled in the dancer’s feet. Many dancers have a collection of ballroom dresses for different dances. It makes sense because the dancers want to be sexier in a Tango, more flowing in a Swing waltz and more striking in a Paso Doble.

Among those types of dancing costume, ballroom dress seems to be the most costly one. You do want to impress people on the dance floor, but you also want to stay within your budget. Many people choose to visit local stores, and sometimes because of the budget issue, they might be tempted to come up with an evening or cocktail dress. The problem is these are not specifically designed for vigorous movements so that you can not really be shining on the floor with them.

Most of the dancers prefer tailored dress, since the dress is gorgeous as long as it fits the body. You might think that a tailored dress will get pricey, but now internet makes it more affordable. You may also a little bit concern when you can not physically try it on before placing the order, but most retailers will allow you to send them your exact measurements and have an excellent return policy. If you worry about how to get your measurements as you are not a tailor, you can find an easy-to-follow instruction on many ballroom dress retailer’s websites.

Nowadays, online retailers give you a pretty wide variety of choices so you can create your own style and pattern. Ballroom dresses bought online therefore are much less likely to be the same as anyone else’s ones, you do want to stand out from the crowd.