Making a competition dress

[pinkstuff]

I have had an idea (and I admit it may not be the easiest or best idea...) but I was thinking of making myself a latin competition dress as I don't dance at a particularly high standard and so am not ready for a proper costume, plus don't have the money to spend at the moment.  (plus should keep me out of trouble for a while  )  I have found a cheap jersey "skater" style black dress with 3/4 length sleeves which I thought would be suitable as has movement in the skirt and if it all goes horribly wrong, am not going to cry about it.  My idea was to decorate the dress for exxapmle:
1) use large flat sequins (also black) around hem/neck line & then add a belt to the waist
or
2) Cut the hem vertically  to add more movement & sequin the edges in a different colour eg silver and add a silver belt
or
3) add some stones...

Has anyone ever tried to do this/or done this and any have any suggestions...

(seems the dress code rules are made to be broken from recent experience  )

[elisedance]

Good luck!  My first latin dress was a store-bought one that I had a friend stick sequins on. 
Does it work?  Didn't for me but I am not gifted either in design or in body shape!!  If you have a great latin body you can wrap yourself in toilet paper and people will love it.....

Er, better use lots of sticky tape come to think of it...

[dlgodud]

 
  If you have a great latin body you can wrap yourself in toilet paper and people will love it.....

True. If you have a body, people will love to see more skins than cover the body. 

[Dora-Satya Veda]

I used to make my own dress the first three years I lived in England. 

I would suggest that you stitch in hand with rough stitching what you would like to do together before putting a sewing machine to it. This way it is easy to change things that don’t work. Even dancing a little in the dress to see how it works before sewing it together for serious would help you in the long run.

All the best!

[QPO]

how has it gone? did anyone have success with making their own

[pinkstuff]

Have found a professional seamstress to help with the first one & am then hoping to make some practice wear and progress from there....(could be extremely wishful thinking!).  Looking at patterns on eg Burda etc there seem to be some dresses that look like they could be adapted as I look better with something more covered for latin anyway.

[elisedance]

There was a new company showing their wares at the Classique this weekend that I really liked.  The dresses were not just excercises in excess but were artistic - one had fantastic modern art patterns in the material.  I also liked the designer a lot and his prices are quite reasonable. 

I've decided to get a new dress once we move up to championship....

[pinkstuff]

Which company was that?  Have had a look on the internet a lot to see what is around other than DSI/Chrisanne/Vesa as my dancing doens't warrant that standard of dress.  There seems to be a huge variation in quality/designs & I haven't really seen much that I like for latin.

[elisedance]

Its called marc pellerin design - but I can not find a website

[QPO]

well as much as I love to sew I just dont have time to do it and I want it to look stunning and I would always be unhappy with what I made.

[mummsie]

I have been making ball gowns and latin dresses for years.  Have made a few latin dresses.  Normally I start with a normal dress pattern that you know will fit.  Sew it up in some cheap material if you are not sure.  Then lay the pattern out and add what you need - extra in the skirt or less in the top.  In the past for latin dresses I have made them around a skirt and a good fitting bra.  Drape the material and see how it falls.  Pin it, try it on fiddle with it until it feels right.  I never usually make pants for latin costums only ballroom ones.  I have found it best to get a pair of sports underwear as they are normally well built and not too brief and sew them in. good luck. mm

[QPO]

would you recommend a good dressmakers doll?

[pinkstuff]

I have been making ball gowns and latin dresses for years.  Have made a few latin dresses.  Normally I start with a normal dress pattern that you know will fit.  Sew it up in some cheap material if you are not sure.  Then lay the pattern out and add what you need - extra in the skirt or less in the top.  In the past for latin dresses I have made them around a skirt and a good fitting bra.  Drape the material and see how it falls.  Pin it, try it on fiddle with it until it feels right.  I never usually make pants for latin costums only ballroom ones.  I have found it best to get a pair of sports underwear as they are normally well built and not too brief and sew them in. good luck. mm

Have now spent sometime chatting with a friend who is a seamstress about this and we are going to start the 'experiment' shortly   Have also decided to go with the sports underwear option also as trying to find a bodysuit that worked is difficult & I don't have a machine that is suitable for making underwear.  Even if it doesn't work out, it will be an education!

[QPO]

I have just spent the evening stoning a dress. it had some but I got a gross and fixed up the missing ones and added more, it now has more depth

[dlgodud]

I used to make my own dress the first three years I lived in England. 

I would suggest that you stitch in hand with rough stitching what you would like to do together before putting a sewing machine to it. This way it is easy to change things that don’t work. Even dancing a little in the dress to see how it works before sewing it together for serious would help you in the long run.

All the best!

Good advice DSV! Just watched a documentary about Channel haute couture house, and they do exactly the same. They used white fabric to do the first draft and later used the fabric.