i need opinions on dress

falen · September 23, 2011, 01:37:02 PM

Quote from: Sk8tmum on September 23, 2011, 01:00:15 PM
What do kids in your area at your daughter's test level wear to competitions? in our area - what you describe above in terms of crystal flowers would be a "no" because it would still be too fancy (and so would the illusion arms) - but, in other areas, it might be just fine.

here, a basic velvet or spandex dress, with sleeves, covered to at least the throat (small collar is also frequently seen), with a sparkly sequined waist band or sparkly neck, maybe a sleeve ruffle, and a double skirt that's "flouncy" or moves well as opposed to a flat panel skirt would be used. Glittery chiffon skirts are often used too. No fancy cutouts or appliques; maybe an embroidered butterfly or something else pretty. Yes, it is very sterotypical of the "pretty little girl" movement, but, it also means that the kid doesn't stand out for the wrong reason in the judge's eyes, and also that the kid feels comfortable and that she fits in with the other kids (plus, it's WARM!). However, in other cities, I'm sure that a kid in a similar dress would look way underdressed. It's all about the area norms.

Honestly, its all over the place. No Mondors or Jerry's. I see a lot of Sharene. And a lot of the ebay ones mentioned!! Ukraine coach just loves the full on mirror ball! But I must admit, when I see a girl come on the ice all decked out like a mirror ball, I think to myself "she better be really good" But maybe I am just being catty...because I can't afford Sharene and I am scared of identity theft for the chinese ones.

hopskipjump · September 23, 2011, 02:56:58 PM

Dd wore one of the glitzy Chinese ones for her first 'no test' comp. Most of the other girls in her group were decked out in beautiful custom dresses.

Personally I'd run it by your coach. Here is why... our glitzy dress was only worn once because the other girl's coach didn't like it. It has the two tone ombre thing and for her it's a big no for her skaters. My coach is glad I got a 'like new' skating dress for not a lot of money. The dress is kind of ugly on the hanger, but it really suits dd's music and personality and looks beautiful on the ice.

Dd couldn't wear the dress you posted dress though because every time her arms went up or down they would rub on the crystals and chafe her arms.

isakswings · September 23, 2011, 08:43:09 PM

Quote from: falen on September 23, 2011, 09:48:32 AM
I guess they wouldn't assume I just borrowed the dress They would think I was one of "those" moms

My daughter's dresses have always been pretty simple. We've bought a couple dresses from Wonderland on ebay and those have been really cute and I think they have just enough sparkle on them as well.

The dresses I have made for my daughter or have crystalled for her, have never been over done. Like I said, some kids have dresses far more crystalled then what we have. I think the design of the dress you like could easily be crystalled in a way that isn't overly flashy. Also, a color other then black might be good too. What do you see at your local competitions? Bling-y dresses or more simple dresses??

Angie

falen · September 23, 2011, 09:16:08 PM

dd was skating at a comp recently so I will look through the online pictures.

But help me...my dd is chanelling Elvis because she likes this from ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=350492747017

I agree with you about the black...I would do maroon or green to keep dd happy with a darker color.

isakswings · September 25, 2011, 12:46:08 AM

I really like the wonderland dresses. Nice quality and lots of "bling" for not much money.

You pay more for it, but it is worth it. I think the dress she likes is cute. What is her music?

fsk8r · September 25, 2011, 09:47:31 AM

I recently did a color test on different velvets from across the rink. A lot of the dark colours all looked black at a distance, like rich burgundys. A bright red actually had the effect of looking closer to the dark red we were looking for. It was quite a revelation to me.

While I can understand some people's comments of too much bling on the Tania Bass dress you've found, I actually like the style and the idea. I'd tone the bling down, but the concept looks nice and suitable for a young skater. And I'm impressed that you're able to look at a dress and make your own version of it. Your DD is one lucky girl as I'm sure you'll be making some fabulous dresses over the years.

Sk8tmum · September 25, 2011, 10:49:08 AM

Red is a hard colour to judge in terms of how it will look under fluorescent lights. We always take the swatches to the arena to see how they will look under the lights; it can be quite a marked difference. Anything with a orange or yellow undertone will radically change tone.

Navy is another difficult colour; it can certainly end up "black" under lights.

falen · September 26, 2011, 10:28:47 AM

Quote from: isakswings on September 25, 2011, 12:46:08 AM
I really like the wonderland dresses. Nice quality and lots of "bling" for not much money. You pay more for it, but it is worth it. I think the dress she likes is cute. What is her music?

Music of the Night

dak_rbb · September 26, 2011, 03:41:43 PM

Quote from: falen on September 26, 2011, 10:28:47 AM
Music of the Night

I like the dress and think it's good for that. If it were me I'd use nice crystals, but simplify the pattern and use fewer, but here we do also see the whole range from simple to elaborate. My daughter wore a dress of indigo (deeper than royal, not quite navy) velvet with long mesh sleeves for pre-pre (only a few crystals, though) and I thought the color looked good on the ice.

kssk8fan · September 26, 2011, 06:41:22 PM

I love Tania Bass dresses! Typically they aren't "overdone" though. When I saw this dress, with all the stones and everything I thought "Adam's Family"....and in that case - PERFECT! LOL.... I think black is fine on little ones depending on the music.

Here's another stoning option that I've done before - if you want to put a lot of crystals on the dress, use colored ones! They don't make the dress shine like a Tiffany Store (great analogy, whoever said that) but it does add dimension. My favorite color stone.....BLACK! It's great, i've used them on black and red dresses, and black dresses.

FYI....if you use swarovski crystals on this dress, and you want to do this stoning pattern, consider just the neck or perhaps a row or two just down the middle. It will make it look more elegant and less cluttered, not to mention less expensive! You can clutter the stones on the back - that always looks nice too.

Good luck and happy stoning! LOL

PinkLaces · September 26, 2011, 10:48:43 PM

Quote from: kssk8fan on September 26, 2011, 06:41:22 PM
My favorite color stone.....BLACK! It's great, i've used them on black and red dresses, and black dresses.

My DD has black stones on the sheer black skirt of her dance dress and it looks amazing. The skirt starts with large stones at the top and gradually gets smaller toward the bottom.

There is a girl at our rink who's mother is amazing at stoning. She has the same pattern on the top, but it's on a white halter dress. The girl is 9 and skates at the Pre-Juv level.

isakswings · September 27, 2011, 11:21:44 AM

Quote from: falen on September 26, 2011, 10:28:47 AM
Music of the Night

In that case, black works! Really what matters most is what you and your daughter and her coach like. Your daughter's coach should know what they judges may or may not like on a girl your daughter's age. I think both dresses you have shown are pretty.

falen · September 27, 2011, 03:24:21 PM

Thank you for your input. Coach loves more bling the better. In a sport where appearances matter, I don't want to seem like I am overspending for her level...even though I am not. Honestly, the chinese stones against a dark fabric will show up a lot, so I would go with the cheaper option. Since the precision would take some time, I don't want to do all that work for negative effects. The other black dress stone pattern is a lot easier since it is scattered and random.

isakswings · September 29, 2011, 04:13:58 PM

Quote from: falen on September 27, 2011, 03:24:21 PM
Thank you for your input. Coach loves more bling the better. In a sport where appearances matter, I don't want to seem like I am overspending for her level...even though I am not. Honestly, the chinese stones against a dark fabric will show up a lot, so I would go with the cheaper option. Since the precision would take some time, I don't want to do all that work for negative effects. The other black dress stone pattern is a lot easier since it is scattered and random.

I still think you should do what you, your daughter and her coach think will work. I have yet to hear anyone comment on a skater's dress being too over the top... unless it is about it being too mature for her age. Both of the styles you have showed us, look very age appropriate to me. Some of the wonderland dresses are very, very glitzy and they still do not cost a lot(comparatively speaking anyway!). I think you should make or buy whatever you want. If you make it, you and your daughter can have a lot of fun designing it! ENJOY! it will be uniquely HER. She is so lucky to have a mom who can look at something and design it herself. I can sew, but my talents are limited to a pattern and whatever modifications I am capable of achieving.

BTW... here is my daughter's dress. You will have to scroll down the thread to get to the pictures of her dress with the crystals on it, but that dress as 500+ crystals on it. My daughter skates at the pre-preliminary level. I would feel comfortable adding more crystals if I wanted to spend the money and time to do it. I wouldn't feel like she is over dressed. However, at this point I just want the dress to fit her through the next few comps!! lol http://skatingforums.com/index.php/topic,1547.0.html

falen · September 29, 2011, 04:42:35 PM

I bet you dd looks like a million bucks in it! That is a pretty complex pattern with all the transitioning fabrics. The sewing part has to be easy for me...the dresses are pretty much front back sleeves and bottom. But I rock with the Bedazzler and the Bejeweler..and dd knows it so she asks for things only Liberaci would wear! I guess she and her coach are a perfect pair!

hopskipjump · September 29, 2011, 04:45:22 PM

isakwings - I love your dd's dress!

isakswings · September 29, 2011, 07:52:52 PM

Quote from: hopskipjump on September 29, 2011, 04:45:22 PM
isakwings - I love your dd's dress!

Thanks! It is a fun dress.

I love that it is original and fits the music well! It is fun.

I will be working on her Halloween show dress this weekend. EEK! It will be an adventure for me. It's going to be a witch costume. I am using a Jalie pattern for it, so that will help. If it turns out how I am hoping it will, I will post a pic of it.

isakswings · September 29, 2011, 08:00:23 PM

Quote from: falen on September 29, 2011, 04:42:35 PM
I bet you dd looks like a million bucks in it! That is a pretty complex pattern with all the transitioning fabrics. The sewing part has to be easy for me...the dresses are pretty much front back sleeves and bottom. But I rock with the Bedazzler and the Bejeweler..and dd knows it so she asks for things only Liberaci would wear! I guess she and her coach are a perfect pair!

Thanks! It's a cute dress.

Dd likes it. She likes her showcase dress better(Pocahontas style), but they both are pretty cute. To do the contrasting parts wasn't too bad. I just cut the pattern pieces before hand. The biggest mistake I made was not leaving extra length for seam allowances. After i sewed the bodice together, I think I lost an inch or so in the girth! OOPS! Lesson learned and I won't make the same mistake twice.

The next adventure will be her Halloween dress. YIKES!

Have you seen the Jalie patterns? They are GREAT! Easy to use and it is pretty easy to put your own twist on the patterns too. In fact, the skirt on my daughter's dress is from a Jalie pattern.

http://www.jalie.com/sports-apparel/figure-skating.html

falen · September 30, 2011, 12:53:11 PM

thanks!

How are the Jalie bottoms? I used a specialty Sportswear one because I read that they have "full coverage" DD doesn't like cheeks to hang out!

isakswings · October 02, 2011, 08:37:43 PM

My daughter doesn't like them. I use Kwik Sew bottoms.

I haven't tried specialty sportswear.

retired · October 03, 2011, 10:07:59 AM

Jalie has redesigned their basic shape, the panties used to be worse.

chriskater · November 11, 2011, 02:57:04 PM

How about Yuna's blue dress? I love IT! It's gorgeous.
http://www.olympic.org/figure-skating-individual-women

Isk8NYC · November 11, 2011, 06:02:59 PM

Quote from: chriskater on November 11, 2011, 02:57:04 PM
How about Yuna's blue dress? I love IT! It's gorgeous.
http://www.olympic.org/figure-skating-individual-women

FWIW, I agree that the color and beading is beautiful, but the cut of the bodice under the arms wasn't flattering to her. I actually thought she had outgrown the dress, girth-wise, and it was pulling down. (Maybe it was, under the weight of the stones.)

It just didn't look right to me at any angle, even with the illusion at the edges for modesty and strength. It was distracting, especially in photos, because it drew your eye away from the overall image she was trying to present.

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i need opinions on dress