Where do you get your dresses for comp.?

[luckeylasvegas]

Where do you usually get your dresses for competitions ?

[twokidsskatemom]

http://www.customskatewear.com/about.html

She has made two dresses for us so far, check out dress 50.Great work, nice, works with what you need for music or budget.

Also a ton of stuff on ebay!!!!

[Mrs Redboots]

Before you spend too much money, ask around at your rink. If there are skaters a little older than yours, they may well have outgrown dresses their parents would sell very cheaply, or even lend, if they have another skater waiting to grow into one. I know at our rink, half the kids who test and compete are wearing dresses that belong, or belonged, to one girl who seems to have a lending-library of them! Wish they fitted me.....

[Elsy2]

We often found great bargains here.

http://www.dancefactoryoutlet.com/capezio/customer/home.php?cat=36

[AshBugg44]

http://www.imperialsportswear.com

Love them!

[skatersmama]

Try Six0 Skatewear, Jerry's Skatewear, Sharene Skatewear. Or try doing a search for "figure skating apparel". There are many sites out there. I however am a die hard e-bay shopper. Especially during the years when my dd was growing so fast.

Good Luck!! :)

[NCSkater02]

Since I can't wear anything off the rack yet, I make my dresses. It's relatively easy, and fairly inexpensive.

[twokidsskatemom]

Since I can't wear anything off the rack yet, I make my dresses. It's relatively easy, and fairly inexpensive.
Strange? but why cant you wear anything off the rack?They make dresses in all sizes, shapes ect.

[mdvask8r]

Strange? but why cant you wear anything off the rack?They make dresses in all sizes, shapes ect.

Nope, not for adults with HIPS.

[twokidsskatemom]

opps sorry :)
I have hips but dont skate well enough to buy a dress lol.My boy skater is easy to buy for and my girl skater so far seems to have a no hips and not much of a waist either :lol:

[AshBugg44]

Lots of adult skaters here wear dresses off the rack! I certainly have hips and I do!

[fadedstardust]

Plenty of companies make up to Adult Extra Large these days. Frieda B for example, makes dresses that large, and they size generously. I usually wear mediums in my dresses and the small Frieda b dresses were too large for me. She sizes them really big, and they are very pretty (she did manage to alter the small to fit me, too, so you could have an XL altered bigger IF you needed it, I'm sure). She's in the New England area but I know she does ship to other places. I'm sure there's others like her. I think the only company that sizes small/true to size is GK elite. The others are pretty generous, I think you should check some out. Oooh and Danskin has some too, they size pretty generously as well.

[NickiT]

Nope, not for adults with HIPS.

I have hips and don't have any problems wearing off the rack dresses. Try Twizzle or Jerrys.

Nicki

[Mrs Redboots]

I have a Twizzle dress that I looked good in when I had a great deal more hips than Nicki does! I would recommend them, too, for the "larger lady".

[NickiT]

I have a Twizzle dress that I looked good in when I had a great deal more hips than Nicki does! I would recommend them, too, for the "larger lady".


Awww....I don't know! When we measured up for our custom made dresses for last year's artistic, I was by far the biggest in the hip department!!!!

Nicki

[IceAngel725]

I've found that the six0 dresses run fairly large as well... i have a dress that i love from them and it's not skin tight in the waist, which makes me feel more comfortable.

[skaternum]

First of all, Ashbugg, I've seen pictures of you. I bought one of your old dresses. (Which didn't fit my hips, by they way.) You are not a full grown woman with hips! Check back in a few years. :P

Adult skating dresses in XL are not really XL. I currently wear a size 6 in street clothes. I'm 5'6" tall, and I weigh 129 pounds. My hips are on the largish size, relative to the rest of my body. Depending on the manufacturer, I wear either a L or XL skating dress. I'm sorry, but 129 pounds is NOT LARGE. A couple of years ago, I weighed 10 pounds more. XL skating dresses just BARELY fit! At 140 pounds, I hardly classified myself as a heifer, but I wore size XL. What do you think female skaters who are bigger than that have to do? Depending on their shape, maybe they can squeeze into XL (and look not-so-good, quite frankly), but many of them have to make their own, or wear plus size leotards and skirt, or simply not wear real skating attire. I know a lot of adult female skaters who are forced to make their own dresses. It depends on how your weight is distributed, but until I lost the 10 pounds, there were many brands I couldn't wear with a clear conscience.

Okay, that was a little rambly, but I guess my point is this. Many skatewear manufacturers are still deluded about adult skaters. You can't take a child's pattern and just cut it bigger. And they obviously never got the memo that said there are adult skaters larger than 140 pounds!

[mdvask8r]

THANK YOU, Skaternum. So very true, and might I add that the cut & length of the skirts on these dresses, more often than not, is totally UNflattering to the adult-shaped thighs extending from the adult-shaped hips.

FriedaB does a very nice job of fitting adult figures. I have custom dresses from her, but have not tried one of her stock dresses off the rack. The biggest plus in her dresses is the cut of the skirt & the way she gets the seam attaching the skirt to lay flat. Every dress I've tried off the rack just puckers & rolls at the skirt seam. Thank goodness I have found a wonderful dress designer to keep me looking good on the ice.

[LittleBitSk8er]

For competition and practice, we get our dresses from Pat Pearsall. She makes beautiful custom dresses in the Houston area. However, she has clients all over the country and world for that matter.



I know everyone has seen her dresses at nationals...



I have a few children’s sizes 8-10 I would not mind selling... if interested pm me.:P

[NCSkater02]

I've lost a fair amount of weight, and have gone down a couple of sizes. I wear size 12 jeans now, and that's great for me.

As far as skating dresses, and their measurements, go, I have to have at least an XL. My chest and hip measurements are usually within one size, but my waist isn't. Most standard measurements have a 10" difference between hips and waist--I have a 4" difference. I have no definable waist and a belly (which I'm still working on losing) The best pattern I've found to fit me is a Kwik-Sew, and I've made it in many variations. I'm going to try Jalie next (when I'm back on the ice) Has anybody tried them before?


I checked out the Frieda B website. The dresses are sized by regular clothing sizes, not measurements. Since I can fit into several sizes, I wouldn't know where to begin there.

[Mrs Redboots]

I think that for a child skater, the ideal is to borrow or buy from another skater! But most kids will fit dresses "off the peg", unless they are hefty. For adults, it's either make your own or get them specially made! I've had all mine made for me, except the Twizzle dress I mentioned, which was a lucky accident - it was included by mistake in an order one of the coaches at our rink had sent off, and she reckoned it would fit me, so I tried it on and everybody went "ooh, ahhh" so I bought it.... it does, actually, look great, but I don't have too many occasions to wear a free-skating dress!

[singerskates]

Oh, what do you say to a 5 foot 8 inch women who is 175 lbs last I looked at the sale two days ago who wears size 14 street clothes but X-large off the rack dresses and size large skating pants (they are a skin tight fit and pull in my kangaroo pouch, 3 C-sections)? I am an adult freeskater and interpretive FSer. I'm hoping to lose a few more fatty inches off of my butt, kangaroo pouch and love handles so that I can wear size 12 street clothes (I'll need to shop in the teen area of the store so I can get long enough pants for my legs then.) and off the rack Large skating dresses because there is so much more choice in skating dresses in Adult Large as to Adult X-Large. Plus you're more likely to find more and better eBay specials on dresses. I do the Buy It Now option when buying through eBay for my dresses.

I just checked online at some of the links you guys posted here and one place had my current FS dress for $165 US and I only paid $45 US through eBay. But then some of the links you guys gave were great but their Adult sizes didn't offer much.

[twokidsskatemom]

I think that for a child skater, the ideal is to borrow or buy from another skater! But most kids will fit dresses "off the peg", unless they are hefty. For adults, it's either make your own or get them specially made! I've had all mine made for me, except the Twizzle dress I mentioned, which was a lucky accident - it was included by mistake in an order one of the coaches at our rink had sent off, and she reckoned it would fit me, so I tried it on and everybody went "ooh, ahhh" so I bought it.... it does, actually, look great, but I don't have too many occasions to wear a free-skating dress!

If you have a small skater, dresses dont look well either.Hard to find small stuf as it is larger :)

[fadedstardust]

I've lost a fair amount of weight, and have gone down a couple of sizes. I wear size 12 jeans now, and that's great for me.

As far as skating dresses, and their measurements, go, I have to have at least an XL. My chest and hip measurements are usually within one size, but my waist isn't. Most standard measurements have a 10" difference between hips and waist--I have a 4" difference. I have no definable waist and a belly (which I'm still working on losing) The best pattern I've found to fit me is a Kwik-Sew, and I've made it in many variations. I'm going to try Jalie next (when I'm back on the ice) Has anybody tried them before?


I checked out the Frieda B website. The dresses are sized by regular clothing sizes, not measurements. Since I can fit into several sizes, I wouldn't know where to begin there.

If you wear a size twelve but have an undefined waist (and you are tall) then I would think the Large would be perfect for you, especially if you have a chest. If you're flat chested or aren't all that tall, a medium should fit you fine. Either way you can email her your measurements and she will recommend a size for you, I'm sure of it. :D

[Canskater]

Hi:

I got into the skating dress "business" because I, as an adult skater, had a very difficult time finding dresses which fit properly. I am 5'8" in height and weigh around 135 (give or take). I have small hips, small buns and a reasonably generous bust and, being on the tall side, require a longer girth than some. Commercially manufactured dresses simply do not fit .... I find for the most part that these are simply larger versions of dresses with child and/or adolescent proportions.

Insofar as one poster's question regarding Jalie patterns .... they are really straightforward, each envelope contains around 18-20 different sizes, and the instructions are okay .... I find that these patterns have no defined waistline ... the skirts tend positioned lower than is flattering to most people, and the briefs have what might be problems for some .... they are very high cut in the leg, and the brief back is all one piece ..... which results in nasty wedgies.

The Kwik-sew patterns are also fairly straight-forward, but have few stylistic variations. The Adorn patterns are excellent, but their adult large is not large at all .... more like an in-real-life small.

-- sheilagh

[NCSkater02]

If you wear a size twelve but have an undefined waist (and you are tall) then I would think the Large would be perfect for you, especially if you have a chest. If you're flat chested or aren't all that tall, a medium should fit you fine. Either way you can email her your measurements and she will recommend a size for you, I'm sure of it. :D

It's not so much as undefined as the belly is there. I'm not tall either. I have found that the lower waisted skirts that are so popular right now ar very unflattering as the dip "frames" my stomach and emphasizes (?) it. Keeping that in mind, it is difficult to find things that fit. I tend to make the same skirt style repeatedly and change the top to get different dresses.

I did like some of Freida's dresses, and do plan on finding out real sizing....but I'll wait until I am able to skate again. Kind of silly to spend money on dresses when I can't even use them. :roll:

[AshBugg44]

First of all, Ashbugg, I've seen pictures of you. I bought one of your old dresses. (Which didn't fit my hips, by they way.) You are not a full grown woman with hips! Check back in a few years. :P


Haha what dress did you buy from me?

[skaternum]

Haha what dress did you buy from me?It was a capezio. Sort of a fuschia and black, as I recall. I gave it to one of the kids at the rink who also has no hips. ;)

[jenlyon60]

I splurge and get my competition/test dresses custom-made by Judy at Figureskatewear.

I'm short and chubby... but even if/when I'm thinner, I still have a definite set of hips and a large bustline.

I've been pleased with the quality of the dresses that Judy has done for me. None of them came cheap but the fit is right on, and the quality of the trim and stoning is superb.

For practice/lessons, I usually wear running tights/leggings from REI and Target (I actually found some shorter non-bootleg cut leggings at Target recently...)

[AshBugg44]

It was a capezio. Sort of a fuschia and black, as I recall. I gave it to one of the kids at the rink who also has no hips. ;)

Yuck I remember that one. haha

[Canskater]

Hi all:

In regard to adult skaters, I think that one of the most important things is the "fit" ... if a garment doesn't fit properly, we don't feel good or comfortable wearing it. I don't know about anyone else, but after returning to the ice as an adult (I was a child skater), it took a long time for me to get up the courage to put on a dress. There are probably many adult skaters who can fit into and feel good in a stock dress .... and there are probably just as many who, because of adult body characteristics (i.e. tummies from childbirth, larger boobs, thicker waistlines, to name a few ..... not saying everyone has all of these ....) require more customized attire.

If a garment fits properly, it will look good ..... and don't we all want to look good when we are out on the ice ... irrespective of our skill levels.

-- sheilagh

[vintagefreak]

I've had luck with Ebay and Ebay Stores. You can find some great deals there.

[slusher]

I sew. When you're six feet tall and 180 lbs as a teenager, it's sew or look like a geek. I sew most of my own clothes, making a skating dress was just a different direction, I never bothered to try off the rack ($120 for that little thing?!) but have tried some on and discovered that the "average" skater must be about 5'2" - 5'4". I fit the measurements for adult XL (hips 42") but they lose me on the girth, it's funny to see.

It's not just as easy as going to a dressmaker and saying "I want this". Most skating dressmakers work with kids and don't know how to fit adult flabby bits and smooth them out (note: it's all about powernet, baby) and make the skimpy unlined dresses that they make for the kids who have no flab whatseover, or the ones that have a clue about making women look good aren't into skating/dance dresses. Finding someone who can do both is rare.

I made a dress for someone last week, a skinny girl actually but who was very long in the body, and I lined the dress. Her mom was shocked, no one had ever done that before. It made for a such smoother fit and I charged slightly extra for it. Not to toot my own horn, but I learned the hard way that foundations matter, no matter what the body type.

And what Canskater said, KwikSew is a bit boring but they're a start and can be designed up. Jalie is for a skinny figure with no belly and the waist is on the thin side, I also have issues with the panty and gave up using it for anything other than design inspiration. Since last year, I draft my own slopers with PatternMaster Curves if anyone's interested in computer aided patternmaking.

[NCSkater02]

Since last year, I draft my own slopers with PatternMaster Curves if anyone's interested in computer aided patternmaking.

Is this a program that would allow me to fit my still-haven't-lost-all-my-extra-weight yet body?

[slusher]

www.wildginger.com

Yes, you take a lot (a lot! ) of measurements and enter them into the program, it will create a basic leotard. Based on how that fits, if you have to, you adjust the program measurements and make another test garment. Then, everything you design should fit if the test garments were OK. If you gain or lose, remeasure and make another test leotard and off you go. There's no size limitation. I made a bathing suit for a 48-45-53 woman with a 78" girth.

The Curves program is about $150, so not for everyone and it took me a year to be comfortable with it, honestly. I still sometimes draw stuff out on tracing paper instead of fiddling with the computer.

[Elsy2]

For what it's worth to join in to this conversation, I used to alter the basic quicksew pattern, raise the skirt, add an inch to the panty that was too skimpy, change the sleeves, etc. I only went thru this ordeal a few times, then figured a great sale somewhere was well worth the time I put into it.

What I wanted to suggest is what my coach used to do. She'd use patterns for wedding dresses to design the top of the skating dresses which would turn out to be quite elegant.

I never tried this, but sounds like a good idea for that one of a kind dress. So, if you have altered a pattern to fit you perfectly for the panty and skirt, then you can really add about any top from a dress to design a unique outfit.

[Canskater]

Hi:

I'd just like to add a word to the wise for those to might want to take up Elsy's suggestion of using bridal / formal wear patterns. As we all know, there are significant differences in woven vs stretch fabrics ..... you might take a size 10 in a garment made from a woven fabric, but only a 4 - 6 if that very same garment was made of a 4-way stretch lycra .... and there might be other modifications required to accommodate the differing amount of ease. (I have done this, and in fact I am currently working with / modifying a pattern to make a Tango dress for a skater).

I've only tried demo / beta versions of pattern making software and have found most of them tedious to learn (due to lack of time) ... and since I don't have a large format printer, I also find taping printouts together not only frustrating, but unless done exceptionally carefully, you can introduce error into your pattern.

-- sheilagh