Plus size dancers often have issues with ready-made dancewear and find that custom made ballroom dance dresses is the best option for them.
Custom Made Ballroom Dance Dresses for the Plus-Size Dancer
Ballroom dancing is enjoyed socially by many people regardless of gender, age, size, race, religion, cultural background, social standing, jobs, what they had for breakfast or what other people think. In short, ballroom dancing is for absolutely everybody, even for plus-size dancers! And for this reason alone, finding a plus-size ballroom dress should not be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Well, it’s not.
It’s actually quite simple these days to find anything online, including ballroom dance dresses for plus-size dancers. There is quite an impressive selection from many online shops, and finding a beautiful dress is just a matter of patience and a lot of research. Just like regular-size dresses, plus-size ballroom dresses can be:
• Rented
• Second hand
• Brand new RTW
• Custom made
There is just one thing, all these selections offer no guarantee that what you find will actually be flattering to your figure. There remains some degree of “making do”, else find an experienced seamstress who can make minor alterations.
Ballroom dance as a social recreation has a more demanding counterpart in DanceSport, for which competitive dancers (yes even plus-size) have specialized ballroom dress needs. Fabrics have to be carefully selected. Closer attention must be given to the style, depending on whether the dancer is doing (International) Standard, Latin, (American) Smooth or Rhythm. Plus-size dancers in this case find that having custom made ballroom dance dresses is still a much better option than any of the others.
Many of the advantages that regular-size dancers find in getting custom made ballroom dance dresses are also true for their bigger and taller sisters.
• Style – Drop waist, V-neck, Empire Cut, Wraps and Shift dresses are just some of the styles that are particularly flattering to bigger dancers.
• Fabric – Lycra, silk, brocade and stretchy velvet are some of the best fabrics for dance costumes. It might test your patience a bit trying to find the ready-made ballroom dresses in the right style and in these fabrics.
• Color and Patterns – Black is the universally-accepted slimming color, but navy and other deep solid colors will work just as well. Classic bold patterns are better than big florals or too tiny prints.
• Budget – Custom made ballroom dance dresses are generally more expensive than RTW, but being in control of the fabric choice, the decorations and most everything else about its construction puts you in control of the overall cost as well.
One very important point to remember, dancers should dress for their shape and not their size. Custom made ballroom dance dresses will take care of most figure issues with clever cuts and embellishments in the right places. More importantly, having your dancewear custom made assures you of ultimate comfort and confidence while wearing it during competition, the kind of confidence that will show in your performance.
Being plus-size does not mean settling for just any ballroom dress off the rack. You work just as hard for your dance routines as any dancer and you need to reward yourself by wearing that fabulous ballroom dance dress made especially for you.