Thoughts on a dress w/ an empire waist?

[phoenix]

Just curious what people's opinions are on this style.....I'm looking at dresses for AN. I'm doing a waltz, so I want a super flowy, soft look. There are several Watercolor dresses I'm considering, but many of them have an empire waist, of this sort:
http://www.sfdancewear.com/product.php?Product_ID=637
http://www.sfdancewear.com/product.php?Category_ID=41&Product_ID=641

I've never had a dress like that before--do you think it would look nice & flowy, or like I'm wearing a nightie? Or worse yet, like I'm pregnant?! 8O Sure they look great on the uber-skinny ballerina model, but I'm a "real" person..... Any thoughts?

[samba]

This is purely a personal view and I am sure there will many that will say to the contrary, but I have seen just a few in action and I personally dont like them I cant pick what it is about them, they just to me dont look nice. This is probably why they are not very popular. Maybe if you could try one on first before buying might help, it just may suit you.

[Thin-Ice]

Just my opinion... but the dresses like the blue (first) one seem to get wrapped around the skaters no matter what the body type.. .and I've never seen any skater look REALLY good in one. Yes, some folks look better than others.

The other one might be do-able.. but only if you have the right body type and depending on where it hits on your legs. There's the wrap-around problem (although not as bad) and are you long-waisted or short-waisted? If you're short-waisted, this can look ok.. BUT only if you are tiny-boned without much meat on you. If you're long-waisted.. well, you already said it.. it can look like you're pregnant, even if you only weigh 100 pounds. I'm not saying these don't work on some people.. just not many of them are skaters over the age of 21, who don't float like ballerinas. I think a lot of it also depends on just how much fabric is billowing from the empire waist in comparison to how big your bust is and how little you weigh.

Maybe you could look at some of the ice dancers for inspiration and see which body types are similar to yours.. and then see what works for them?

Good luck!

[AW1]

this is my opinion, purely as a shapely woman. I think unless you are thin, with an athletic build, they tend to make you look like you're wearing a maternity dress.... nothing personal, I'm just not fond of the style, given the way it looks on my body type.

[skaternum]

Sorry to say, they do make normal-sized women look pregnant. Maybe you could go for something with a dance length skirt and maybe flowy sleeves to achieve the waltzy look.

[Skittl1321]

I've worn the blue one you linked to (in another color) for a modern dance. It was lovely to dance in, but I think the speed of skating would make the dress distort a bit. And, I have to say, most of the girls on the team looked positively huge, even though many were less than 100 pounds.

[phoenix]

THANK YOU! You have all confirmed my suspicions. I will look for a basque waist dress w/ flowy skirt & maybe 'wings' or something. You've been very helpful!!

*this reminds me of last year's competition when I wore 2 dresses, one of them was new, & then later saw the video & was horrified to see how chunky the new one made me look. When I went in for my next lesson, I scolded my coach (who had seen the dress beforehand) and I said, "If I look fat in a dress, it is part of your job to say 'don't wear that--it makes you look fat!' " He thought for a minute and said, "which dress?" :oops:

[flo]

I do like that the empire types fall without a seam at the waist. Many of the newer styles are a version of this and give a very streamline and flowing look. They are attached slightly under the bust line, but are close fitting until the natural waist and then flair out. If you really like the dresses, I would suggest tacking them down to the bodice until you want the flair.

[Helen88]

Personally I tend to prefer just plain short dresses (which admittedly look better on the thin skaters - not quite me:halo: ) with plenty of colour to big flowery things. IMHO anyway :D

[flying~camel]

I have 2 empire waist skating dresses - 1 is a Bal Togs and the other is a Watercolours.

The Bal Togs dress looked okay on me - my only complaint is that the girth was just a tad too short.

The Watercolours dress, while really beautiful on the hanger, made me look REALLY fat. I'm definitely what you'd call "chunky" (but I'm working on that!), but I looked like I weighed 50+ lbs more than I actually do! Plus, whenever I jumped, the skirt would fly up in my face. I only wore it once for freestyle, and it is now my dance dress.

[doubletoe]

I agree about the empire waist dress. Not a good idea for skating.
I loved the Watercolours dress I had made 2 years ago through Riversedge Dancewear, but I must warn you: The Bal-Togs leotard sizing chart is WRONG! I had to actually re-order my custom dress after it came because I followed the sizing chart andthe leotard still turned out to be a full size too small! When I talked to the person at Riversedge, she told me she wished I had just called instead of using the order form, since she could have told me that sizing chart was off and told me what size to get. :giveup: But other than that :frus:, the people at Riversedge were wonderful and I would highly recommend the Watercolours dresses. I got the Watercolor Velvet Camisole Dropwaist Dress with wings, but had them use the BalTogs leotard with wider shoulder straps instead of the camisole. It turned out perfect!

http://www.riversedgedancewear.com/wadadr.html

I also got them to match my exact color shades (amethyst, warm fuschia and medium warm green) by sending them paint color samples from the hardware store (which are always free for the taking!).

[manleywoman]

They look fantastic on Kristi Yamaguchi, but she's one of the few I know who wears it well. Actually Ambor Corwin wore them well too.

Unless you're that slight of build, stay away!

[lovepairs]

I tried the type of dress that you posted, and they are very difficult to spin and jump in. Just a lot of fabric flying around and catching the air, which will put a spin on spinning. Test drive it first. It's pretty, but difficult to skate in.

[teresa]

I hate to say it, but I'm a no vote too. A gal at my rink had a dress like this and she did look pregnant wearing it when she skated. It sorta ballooned in the front. She looked pretty standing still and I could see why she bought it orginally.

teresa

[aussieskater]

I agree. Just to put another issue into the pot: If you have any semblance of a bust past about an "A" cup, the empire seam will probably hit you halfway down the breast rather than on the chest wall beneath the bust...so the skirt hangs down a couple of inches away from you, and makes you look a couple of inches thicker...8O

Have you thought about a princess seam? You can get the same flowy effect from the skirt by tapering the panels appropriately, and if you *really* wanted to (and your figure can stand it! :) ), you can change the fabric from lycra to chiffon at a seam somewhere under the bust. If you change to a non-stretch fabric (eg: chiffon) anywhere above the hips, you'll need a zip to get into the dress. You could either build it onto a full leotard, or (if you're not changing fabric), wear with a pair of leotard briefs.

Just a suggestion.

[Mrs Redboots]

When I went in for my next lesson, I scolded my coach (who had seen the dress beforehand) and I said, "If I look fat in a dress, it is part of your job to say 'don't wear that--it makes you look fat!' " He thought for a minute and said, "which dress?" :oops:Oh Deb, that sounds so exactly like something my coach would say! I had a similar experience last year - I wore a dress that I had thought would be flattering, but when I saw the photos, it wasn't! Grrrr.

I have never liked empire-line dresses of any kind - they always make the wearer look pregnant!

[LilJen]

Well, I actually like my empire-style waist dress. It's Capezio & made of stretch velvet, short (not dance length) very simple camisole style, and cut slim (not a big old poofy chiffon) so I'm hoping to heck I don't look pregnant in it. (Not that anyone has actually seen me in it but me and dh.) I am most definitely an hourglass figure--no pixie here, and losing 10 pounds wouldn't hurt--and short-waisted, so the traditional freestyle dresses with dropped waists look HORRIBLE on me. Any excess fabric (gathers, layers) tends to add poundage as well. I know also that a princess-seamed dress would look good on me--something designed to love those curves, not make me look like a 1920s flapper.

So that lengthy blathering is to say--depends on the way the skirt is done. Lots of fabric, in lots of layers, lots of gathers: yeah, probably might make you look ready for a laying-in. More of a trim cut, not so much.

[miraclegro]

I have a beautiful one that is a heavier fabric, and it is not long, but short, like a regular skating dress. It does not have a lot of foo foo extra flow and i think it is the most elegant thing. It is a very dark navy and the top is a differnt fabric than the more flowy bottom and the top has swirls with some stones placed in a not-overkill fashion. i wore it for Christmas. It doesn't look like the dance style ones, though.

[blue111moon]

I really think it depends on your body type. The last time I had a dress made (okay, so it was the first time I've ever had a skating dress made just for me!), the designer came to the first fitting with a rough sample of the bodysuit part (made from my measurements; it turned out to be too short in the girth although the measurements were correct!?!) and several different sskirt types. When she had me try on the empire styled on, I'd barely gotten it on when she took one look, shook her head, said "No! I don't think so!" and whipped it off so fast I never saw what it looked like. I'm assuming it was bad. :) But she made one for my friend a couple months ago that's absolutely lovely and perfect on her.