Have any of you had skating dresses made for you or your kids? What is the price range for local dressmakers, such as the skating moms who sew? Thanks.

I always sewed for my daughter, but did not generally make dresses for other skaters. A lot depends on how elaborate the dress is. The stretch velvet I use is $18/yard and lycra is $10. Even with lining, mesh inserts, and notions, I could make a plain dress for $50 or less. Adding the stones could easily double the cost and more. Her last dresses as a Senior cost about $150 to make. So that gives you some perspective on materials - more than that, you're paying for designing and construction time. That can be considerable - with fittings and adjustments, it would take me several days to finish a dress, and hours to stone it. In my regular job as a music teacher, it would take me 5 hours to earn $150, and it took me way more than 5 hours to finish a dress, so there's some perspective there, too.

Well, my first dress custom made by a local skating mom, was about $200 (think year 2001.) It was a lovely skating dress that I've worn thru-out my time as a Pre-Bronze skater. I've stopped wearing it b/c I needed to retire the program (after how many years of Yanni???) and the mesh arms were wearing out!!!

I had an artistic dress that I bought from Six-O and a skating mom had sold me the stones to glitz it up. It was $110, not including my time glueing on those stones!!! Wasn't too fancy, but I loved the results!!!

When I passed Bronze FS, I wanted to go back to that dressmaker to make another dress. (The EWF dress!) Sadly I found out that she was dying of breast cancer... So I went to another skater who does dresses in Fresno, but I did my business remotely. Her dress was $250. Nice results on the dress, but the whole thing just didn't come together in the end. I saved the dress for another program that I'll do in the future, but shelved the EWF until I learn how to REALLY skate and do some show skating tricks (which probably means when I'm granny age...)

My Sharene dress that I'm still wearing for this year FS program is probably the most expensive.... it was just over $300!!!

My current artistic dress is $150 and I got it thru Ebay. It's sequins, not stones, but it's still glittery!!! I thought it was too glittery for me, until my choreographer for the artistic program says aptly "It's figure skating, honey!!!" I'm still trying to sell the program and the dress...

I still have a dress that is ariound that range that I bought off the shelve at AN!!! (Those of you at AN who saw me trying the dress out know which one I'm talking about.) I am using that one after I passed Silver Moves and I am looking for skating music to go with the dress.

Point is... the best deal is not always the off the shelve dresses, but it doesn't mean you should discount them either. And heck, if even *I*, the computer geek who at least has an eye for matching colors, can stone a dress with relatively little to no surface (have fabric glue, tweezers, cardboard box and floor surface...) then ANYONE can stone their own dress!!! (Of course, I am lucky to also be near a store where you can go to and look at the rhinestone stones needed to glitz your dress up before buying the stones!!!)

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

I usually have to have my dresses made, as I have a long torso and nothing seems to fit well "off the shelf"....and my most expensive dress ran about $225-250.

Which I thought was outrageous until I started buying belly dance outfits and now skating costumes are inexpensive by comparison.

I try to make my own skating dresses or have a friend make them (she usually has more time) if I can't find any that fits my torso.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

$250???

What about the dress from ebay, from China? They can make it to fit, accommodate the longer torso...and will be far cheaper than $250.

Guess I waaay undercharged when I made the dresses for the trio I was in for our last show at cost--total cost with with opera-length gloves and 144 stones was $67 but the other two gals did their own stoning. I really enjoyed making them but maybe next year I'll offer to make them for others if they'll pay me $250! That seems like a lot for a non-professional to charge--I bought my exhibition dress this year from Frieda B. for under $150--no stones but a fabulous dress nonetheless.

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

It depends absolutely on the materials and the design. There is stretch velvet ... and STRETCH VELVET. The prices are different, and so is the heft and finish on the material. Similarly, lycra varies significantly in weight and colour and simply how well it looks. So, if your dressmaker is using top-quality material, it costs more. My DD's dresses don't have chiffon or georgette in the skirts; our dressmarker uses silk charmeuse, which looks amazing. Plus, she spends a lot of time on matching colours body/skirt and binding, which helps on the final product - and I expect to recompense her for that.

She also sketches the designs and makes alterations to it. It's absolutely unique and no-one else has it.

Dip dyeing, stoning, handwork ... all add in. I do my own stoning and handwork (I LIKE it!)

As to design: anything which involves shaping to illusion adds, as do "structural" details like imbedded undergarments!

Plus, I get personal fittings where the dresses are cut and fit on my kid, which means that they can accomodate more than just sending measurements and hoping. As my kid has a long torso and tiny ribcage, etc., measurements don't really describe her figure. And, of course, final fittings and alterations as needed.

So. Depending on the dress, anywhere from $140 to $750 unstoned ! No, I don't buy at the top end of that range. Usually around the $175 to $200, but, that's top quality material and custom fitting, plus original design.

Why do you consider yourself less valuable than a professional? You have valuable skills, and you are using them for "customers". Just because you don't do it full-time doesn't mean that you should underestimate your own worth!!!!