I actually have the complete opposite problem!

My husband and I dance USABDA amatuer gold level. Most USABDA functions do not allow costumes at this level. It has become quite a problem. Your normal evening gown is just not made to dance comfortably international standard so I am constanly buying gowns that do not work.

So I finally decided to have a gown made, without any stones that would fit the rules of costumes, while still giving me a well made dance gown. Now the problem..

I started with Chrisanne. All custom made gowns have a 20% surcharge, and therefore the minimum cost is $3100.00 This is a lot of money for a gown with no stoning....I just am not sure what to do.... I know I cant keep buying store gowns that dont work, and spending many fustrating hours trying to figure it out....

Any suggestions from anybody?

OK I HAVE THE ANSWER TO YOUR PROBLEM. I BUY MY DRESSES FRPM A LADY WHO IS IN HONG KONG. I SEND HER A PICTURE OF WHAT I WANT AND SHE MAKES IT. ALSO SHE HAS A CATALOG THAT YOU CAN LOOK THRU AND JUST TELL HER THE ONE YOU WANT. AND FOR An awesome price. i mean awesome. and the dresses are pretty. for a dress custom made with stones ( korean stones) it is 100.00 USD, and for a plain dress with no stones it is 75 dollars, she also makes practive skirts and pants for 45.oo each!. i love her. i have ordered 2 dressed from her and right now am getting ready to order a few more once i decide what i want. you can also if you like one part of a dress and another opart of another dress she will combine lall the things you want in the dress you order. if you want to contact her let me know

Do not spend the money on an undecorated dress from Chrisanne. It will still end up looking like a costume and will cost you waaaayyyy too much money.

Why not just buy some nice dancewear? You can get gorgeous skirts and tops from Chrisanne for a fraction of the cost of one of their dresses. Check out the dancewear sections on www.chrisanne.co.uk
Also, look around on www.dancesport.uk.com they have several brands of dancewear. You should also check out http://www.dancescape.tv/paradise/shopping/shopMain.asp

You can also check out www.designsbyrandall.com
There are some tops, skirts, and dresses there suitable for wearing in a syllabus event.

Back Bay Dancewear (www.backbaydancewear.com) and New York Dancewear (www.nydancewear.com) has some skirts and tops that can work, too.

I dance in gold-level USABDA events and usually wear a plain skirt and a leotard-style top. I make my skirts and tops myself, they aren't difficult if you know how to sew and because you're doing the labor yourself they can end up costing you a very very small amount of money.

I've bought from all the places listed above except for Randall, so I can vouch for them being safe places to order from.

Thank you Laura and Ali

I did go aheasd and cancel my appointment. Laura, I think that you are right, stones or not, this will end up looking like a costume.

Thanks for all the great links. I found something I think could work on F Wongs website... HAve you purchased thru her?

Thanks again.

I've never bought from Farida Wong but I've looked at her web site many times and think she does good work.

Hey Laura,
As a follow up.... I did order a skirt and body suit from F. Wongs site... She called me once I placed the order to make sure I had the right size, ect ... She was just wonderful...(for such a small $ purchase) The merchandise arrived, great quality, and just right for the Amatuar comp...

Now, can highly recommend this site from personal experience. Thanks again for swaying me away from spending way to much money on a non stoned gown.....

Janet

Thanks for letting us know about your experience with Farida Wong. Good luck in your competition, and enjoy your lovely new dancewear. Let us know how things go!

Hi Laura,
With this posting being about comp dresses,it reminded me of an incident that happened a few decades ago: A local amateur dance club booked a well known lady adjudicator to be the solo judge of their annual ballroom competitions. After the results and prize giving the chairperson asked the members present if they had any questions they would like to put to the adjudicator. One of the competitors asked the adjudicator, what did she look for when judging a competition,such as today? The judge replied with a detailed description of what the lady's hair should look like; her dress; the gent's suit and how they walked onto the floor, etcetera. When the adjudicator sat down the chairperson asked the competitor if he was satisfied with the answer? 'Oh!, yes', he replied. 'I've always suspected she never judged a couple on their dancing ability!' A true tale.

I've got to say, after watching a tape called "The Judge's View" that I got from DanceVision, I can totally see this...every single judge mentioned grooming in the first few things they look for. If you can, order the tape. It's eye-opening and will make you think about what I call the "beauty pageant" aspect of dancesport.

I would love to get the contact info for the dressmaker in Hong Kong. Ballroom dancing is such an expensive hobby....