Using Dancewear as Costume

[sk8dreamzzzz]

Hi Skaters,

I'm excited to be in my first ever competition this season (ice dance, bronze pattern dance)! I don't have the budget to go all out for 2 custom figure skating dresses, however. I was going to order a dance dress from a dance wear store for one and am considering using either a training dress or sports dress for the other which I will add rhinestones to myself. Has anyone done something similar? How were your results?

I understand ISU rules say it needs to be one piece and modest, but I feel that isn't really much information to go off. Does anyone have any tips?

Thanks!

 

[k8a]

I have competed in a dance dress before and had no problems personally. I think as long as you are comfortable in the dress that is what's important.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Basically, as long as it doesn't show acres of flesh - or what you had for breakfast - you should be fine. A longer skirt is better than a short, skimpy one for pattern dance. And make sure that the shorts or knicker cover everything they are supposed to cover. If there's one thing I'd give a costume violation for, it's knickers that disappear like a thong... (Yes, Madison Chock, I'm looking at you...!)

Above all else, however, make sure that you feel happy and comfortable in whatever you choose to wear.

 

[lilimum]

For my daughter we pimped a training dress with rhinestones once and we were asked very often where we did buy this nice dress (haha). But you have to be careful not to loose the stones to easy. For the recent seasons we ordered dresses from a very nice vietnamese family business. For each dress I paid around 100 € and they fitted perfectly and nobody sees the difference to the very expensive custom made ones

 

[WednesdayMarch]

For my daughter we pimped a training dress with rhinestones once and we were asked very often where we did buy this nice dress (haha). But you have to be careful not to loose the stones to easy. For the recent seasons we ordered dresses from a very nice vietnamese family business. For each dress I paid around 100 € and they fitted perfectly and nobody sees the difference to the very expensive custom made ones

This is really important! The glue you use for fixing the stones is incredibly important! E6000 is probably the best on the market. Losing a stone on the ice is incredibly dangerous.

 

[MiraiFan]

If there's one thing I'd give a costume violation for, it's knickers that disappear like a thong... (Yes, Madison Chock, I'm looking at you...!)

Ummmm. Loena's SP dress last year was permawedgie. Just awful. This year's is also a violation in my eyes...

 

[NanaPat]

Ummmm. Loena's SP dress last year was permawedgie. Just awful. This year's is also a violation in my eyes...

I also recall Victoria Sinitsina with a long, very romantic dress that frequently floated out to reveal a bare bum.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Hi Skaters,

I'm excited to be in my first ever competition this season (ice dance, bronze pattern dance)! I don't have the budget to go all out for 2 custom figure skating dresses, however. I was going to order a dance dress from a dance wear store for one and am considering using either a training dress or sports dress for the other which I will add rhinestones to myself. Has anyone done something similar? How were your results?

I understand ISU rules say it needs to be one piece and modest, but I feel that isn't really much information to go off. Does anyone have any tips?

Thanks!

Dance is probably easier to get away with a dancewear dress, just be super careful about those rhinestones! After they're fastened on, do a lot of bending and twisting and windmilling your arms in the dress off the ice, making sure they stay no matter which direction the fabric pulls. One errant stone left on the ice can cause a serious injury to a later skater.

I always wore a tank-top style footless unitard bought in a dancewear store as my under layer. It was sturdier material than skating tights, and prevented the edges of my dress's pants getting, um, trapped, because the lighter dress fabric just slid over the Lycra unitard fabric. I was skinny enough to get away with wearing two layers, and when you're a pairs girl there's no safe opportunity to subtly (you hope ) hitch your pants down if you feel them morphing into a thong. I saw Tiffany Chin try to do that in a competition during her footwork sequence, but she had her back to the camera and the tug was so obvious. Peggy Fleming, as the TV commentator, laughed and said, "Ah, yes, the dreaded 'pants creep'".

 

[WednesdayMarch]

I also recall Victoria Sinitsina with a long, very romantic dress that frequently floated out to reveal a bare bum.

Oh lordy, I'd managed to block that one out. Pass the Brain Bleach...

 

[icewhite]

Maybe one day I will get skating's obsession with rhinestones - if you ask me, just leave it be.
There are beautiful dresses without rhinestones.
Even dance dresses. Even very simple black jumpsuits. Whatever. I know you are asking about what the judges think, but I'm sick of this 6year old princess style in figure skating. Yes, I know it sparkles and emphasizes movement, but... I'd take black leggings and a black shirt tied to them over most of these pseudo-prom dresses any time of the year. And if you have a nice dance dress I'm sure it will look very fine, even without any stoning at all. Judges who think otherwise should go into hiding and be forced to watch beauty pageants in their cellar all day long.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Maybe one day I will get skating's obsession with rhinestones - if you ask me, just leave it be.
There are beautiful dresses without rhinestones.
Even dance dresses. Even very simple black jumpsuits. Whatever. I know you are asking about what the judges think, but I'm sick of this 6year old princess style in figure skating. Yes, I know it sparkles and emphasizes movement, but... I'd take black leggings and a black shirt tied to them over most of these pseudo-prom dresses any time of the year. And if you have a nice dance dress I'm sure it will look very fine, even without any stoning at all. Judges who think otherwise should go into hiding and be forced to watch beauty pageants in their cellar all day long.

It's a tradition and helps with theming the program. No, I don't feel like there needs to be a million rhinestones on a costume, and there are times that simplicity and rhinestone-less costumes fit the bill, but in a sport where people are torquing their head to the side like dogs confused of what the skaters are trying to convey, and the lack of options of conveying in a program. Rhinestones and elaborate costumes it is! It's not a "princess" thing and we aren't the only sport that uses them, look at how Gymnasts leotards have evolved.

 

[MiraiFan]

I would say Loena's diamond diaper at skate America also made me go WHAT????

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Whilst I love a bit of sparkle, I have to say that the set of costumes I did for a couple of Junior ice dancers last season were all the more effective for not having a single rhinestone. They were commented on positively by judges and spectators alike.

I think plain and sparkle both have their place. What I don't like is the costumes that look like somebody threw up rhinestones all over them. And I feel that too much sparkle on young children is tacky.

But I'm old and grumpy.

 

[christy]

In Canada the artistic / interpretive programs require plain black clothing, so the focus is on interpretation without themed costumes.

 

[sk8dreamzzzz]

Thank you for all your comments! I have 2 options for the rhinestoning, glue method with E6000 or hotfix. I have had really poor results with the glue where the glue seems to eat away the backing of the rhinestone and it loses all reflection since the backing is the mirror part. Hotfix has been much easier for me.

I wouldn't add any rhinestones to the dance wear dress, it's will look fine as-is. As for the sports dress, I did want to jazz that up a bit because it looks like a tennis dress right now. I would add small rhinestones to the neckline and waist. I've been practicing on other sports clothes with hotfix to see if they will stay on. I'll give an update after I've worn and washed the practice items.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Thank you for all your comments! I have 2 options for the rhinestoning, glue method with E6000 or hotfix. I have had really poor results with the glue where the glue seems to eat away the backing of the rhinestone and it loses all reflection since the backing is the mirror part. Hotfix has been much easier for me.

I wouldn't add any rhinestones to the dance wear dress, it's will look fine as-is. As for the sports dress, I did want to jazz that up a bit because it looks like a tennis dress right now. I would add small rhinestones to the neckline and waist. I've been practicing on other sports clothes with hotfix to see if they will stay on. I'll give an update after I've worn and washed the practice items.

What brand of rhinestones are you using? The glue shouldn't eat away at the backing!

 

[Diana Delafield]

It's a tradition and helps with theming the program. No, I don't feel like there needs to be a million rhinestones on a costume, and there are times that simplicity and rhinestone-less costumes fit the bill, but in a sport where people are torquing their head to the side like dogs confused of what the skaters are trying to convey, and the lack of options of conveying in a program. Rhinestones and elaborate costumes it is! It's not a "princess" thing and we aren't the only sport that uses them, look at how Gymnasts leotards have evolved.

But I do hope the long claw fingernails are just a brief fad. They're safe enough (albeit hideous) on the women in singles, but in pairs and dance....?! There's a long tradition that pairs men get their noses broken at least once in their careers in twist lifts -- sort of like the Heidelburg students' badge-of-honour duelling scars -- but I don't want to see anyone getting his eye gouged! The hand grips must feel like going hawking without the heavy leather glove.

I always refused to wear rhinestones for competition, although I'd accept them grudgingly for an exhibition costume. I let the fabric do the glittering. That dress over there in the avatar picture was an old competition dress re-purposed for practices. The body of it was black with all the colour provided by the skirt and its matching trim at neck and wrists and the scrunchy from the same fabric. The colours coincidentally matched the orca embroidery on the back of the BC team jacket from a long-ago Canada Winter Games.

Having really dated myself with all that, I do wear rhinestones and feathers and all the glitz for ballroom dance competition dresses. That's a very longstanding tradition there, in spite of someone having to periodically sweep up the floaty feathers off the floor where the dancers have been moulting.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

But I do hope the long claw fingernails are just a brief fad. They're safe enough (albeit hideous) on the women in singles, but in pairs and dance....?! There's a long tradition that pairs men get their noses broken at least once in their careers in twist lifts -- sort of like the Heidelburg students' badge-of-honour duelling scars -- but I don't want to see anyone getting his eye gouged! The hand grips must feel like going hawking without the heavy leather glove.

I always refused to wear rhinestones for competition, although I'd accept them grudgingly for an exhibition costume. I let the fabric do the glittering. That dress over there in the avatar picture was an old competition dress re-purposed for practices. The body of it was black with all the colour provided by the skirt and its matching trim at neck and wrists and the scrunchy from the same fabric. The colours coincidentally matched the orca embroidery on the back of the BC team jacket from a long-ago Canada Winter Games.

Having really dated myself with all that, I do wear rhinestones and feathers and all the glitz for ballroom dance competition dresses. That's a very longstanding tradition there, in spite of someone having to periodically sweep up the floaty feathers off the floor where the dancers have been moulting.

Yeah, being an ice dancer I have no idea how some of the ladies put their partners through that let alone themselves. I would be terrified of a hand slip, etc.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Yeah, being an ice dancer I have no idea how some of the ladies put their partners through that let alone themselves. I would be terrified of a hand slip, etc.

Ditto. It worries me when making costumes for ice dance and pairs.