When you first buy those sumptuous ballroom dresses made out of the finest delicate materials and trimmed with all those eye-catching sparkly stones and trimmings, you probably give little thought to how best you are going keep them that way. You’ll want to keep the colors bright and attractive and keep the dress shape exactly as it was when you bought it. There’s nothing worse than discoloration, damaged fabric, shrinkage and stretching. So how, I hear you ask, do I store and keep my ballroom dresses clean, fresh and in good condition? After all, you have already invested both time and money into finding the right one.

Well, help is at hand. In this and the next post, we’re going to take a look at some hints and tips for looking after your ballroom dresses that are inexpensive and easy to follow.

Let’s look first at how you go about storing your ballroom dance dresses. You might be thinking that you just hang them up in your closet. Well, you certainly hang them up, but not just anywhere. Firstly, you have to consider the fact that most ballroom dresses crease easily (and these creases are usually difficult to remove). So , prevention being better than a cure, you have to ensure that you hang them on a rail where they have plenty of space around them and that they are not touching anything else. Ideally, the hanging space will be dry and airy as this will help prevent mold from forming on your dress.

Next, you’ll want to think about protecting your garment from other things that will spoil it. These include dust and dirt in the atmosphere and possible infestation from insects, such as moths, which will ruin your precious dress by eating holes in it! The solution is to get a plastic dress cover. Both inexpensive and effective.

You also have to consider the possibility of the fabric fading. This is caused by exposure to natural light. What’s more, it doesn’t take much time in direct sunlight for this to start happening. This is where your plastic ballroom dancing dresses covers again come to the rescue. But you have to make sure that you have bought ones that are dark in color and opaque. If they are light and transparent, then the light will still damage the material.

So, you need to hang your ballroom dresses in a roomy dry area and make sure that they are protected from sunlight and other damage by enclosing them in dark-colored plastic covers. This is step one to prolonging the enjoyment you get from wearing your beautiful dresses.

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In the next couple of posts, I’m going to give you some tips about how to go about finding the right person to custom-make your ballroom dresses for you.

I’ll then give you some pointers on how to tell your chosen dressmaker exactly what you want and at the right price, so that you won’t be disappointed or feel ripped off when you receive your dress.

These steps are good practice and apply equally wherever you go to have your dresses made.

Firstly, choose your dressmaker with great care.

This may sound obvious, but do your research first and shop around. Don’t just go on to eBay and bid on the first dress you see.

Ask your dance teacher, other dancers and friends who they would recommend you go to. If you like someone’s ballroom dress, ask them where they got it. Of course, it may be outside your budget, but it’s always worth asking.

You can also do your research on the internet. Ask questions in ballroom dancing forums. You’ll always find people willing to share their views and experiences. Always bear in mind though that it’s usually folks who have had bad experiences who are most vocal. You have to look at the body of evidence and weigh it up for yourself.

When you look on eBay, be sure to check out the sellers’ feedback and see how long they’ve been in business. When you visit a dressmaker’s website, be sure to read all the small print.

Will the dress be exactly as shown in the photograph? Will there really be that many stones? When do they expect payment?

Will they issue a full refund if you are not completely satisfied? Remember that if you are planning to shop overseas, then it will be so much harder getting your money back if you’re not happy.

The success of having ballroom dresses made depends heavily on the quality of the communication between you and the dressmaker. It’s a great idea to test them out by asking lots of questions before you decide to place an order.

Do they respond quickly? Do they answer all your questions well? How good is their grasp of the English language? Are they courteous?

If communication is not good at the pre-sales stage, then it doesn’t look good for when they’ve already taken your money.

Finally, don’t rule out home-grown talent. Overseas sellers may look cheap, but that’s often because they are mass-produced and they use inferior material and trimmings.

What’s important for ballroom dresses is the quality of the workmanship. If the dress is well designed and made, you could make savings by, for example, cutting down on the number of and applying the embellishments yourself.

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Nowadays, there is an overwhelming array of modern ballroom dresses and latin ballroom dancing dresses to choose from. They come in a multitude of styles, as varied and colorful as the ballroom dances themselves. Each has its own character and appeal.

So how do you go about finding the best one for you?

No matter what style you are looking for, the most important thing is your comfort and ease of movement. Ballroom dresses should complement both the dancer and the dance. Not only should dancing clothes look sensational, but they should make it easy for both you and your dancing partner to move unrestricted across the dance floor.

Beyond this, you should consider how often you plan to use your dress and upon what sort of occasion.

If you dance regularly (perhaps at a competitive level), then it’s certainly a good idea to consider top-of-the range investment pieces. These are made to last and hang and flow beautifully. This is particularly important for dancing competitions where presentation is so important and you really want to cut a dash and make a good impression.

These designer dancewear dresses can be bought ready-made or you can have one custom-designed and made for you. With these, you should be assured of high quality fabric and an excellent cut.

On the other hand, if you, like me when I was just starting out, are on a tight budget and are not yet sure how serious you are going to be about ballroom dancing, then don’t limit your search to ‘ballroom dresses’.  You can come across some great finds if you look for ‘social dancewear’. I found some really great dancewear dresses which are very reasonably priced and are ideal for beginners and people  dancing just for fun, or maybe only once in a while.

Another possibility is to look for a second hand dress, maybe looking at auction sites such as eBay as a source.

If you do need that extra special dress for a single occasion only, but don’t want to overstretch your budget, then an option is always to rent a ballroom dress. This can make that extra special gown affordable.  Alternatively, you could sell your dress after the event.

Now if you are someone who just doesn’t like to be seen in the same dress twice, there are vendors who offer a trade-in against the purchase of your next dress – certainly worth considering.

Choose your ballroom dresses carefully and they will serve you well.  Look for comfort and flexibility.

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