Ballroom Dance Dress Consignment & Boutique Store

How and where to sell your ballroom dancing dresses is a question I have been asked many times over the decades.  The primary two options are to sell the costume yourself, or use a dance dress consignment shop.

Today you get a peek inside Dance Dress Couture, a ballroom and country consignment shop and boutique store near Nashville, Tennessee.

Duffy and I met because I stopped in Nashville for a few days while I ran a free Latin dress design masterclass.

Duffy was participating in the design class when I did a casual shout out to see if anyone in the area wanted to film a few blogs.  She jumped and here I am in her dance dress consignment shop, DDC.

Dancing Mother-Daughter Team Begin A Dance Dress Consignment Shop

I had a fun time interviewing Duffy Betterton, who co-owns Dance Dress Couture with her mom Debi Camp.  Both Duffy and I are wearing some of the store’s 200+ dress inventory.

I’m wearing a brand new dress from Chrisanne Clover in the UK.  Duffy wears a consignment dress made by Suzanne, one of my Sew Like A Pro™ members.  I was surprised and tickled to see Suzanne’s dress for sell at Dance Dress Couture!

Duffy and her mom Debi began social dancing in country and ballroom several years ago.  Once they participated in their first competition they were hooked on performing…and all the dazzling dresses.

The mother-daughter team opened Dance Dress Couture (commonly called “DDC”) as a simple website to list used dance dresses for sell.  Why not?  It was a great way to help them and their dancing friends sell their costumes so they could buy more.

To get started, Debi and Duffy hosted a small open-house event where they invited local dancers to bring dresses that they wanted to consign.  In that one night they ended up with thirty dresses!  Dance Dress Couture had officially began.

But then what?  In order to get more clients who wanted to buy and sell costumes (and therefore a wider collection of dresses for consignment), Duffy and Debi took DDC on the road to Dancesport and Country events in the southeastern USA.

Dance Dress Couture grew quickly until the Covid shut-down earlier this year.  DDC has roughly two hundred dresses in inventory.  They anxiously await the day when competitions resume full-time so they can begin attending the live events again.

Meanwhile, as 2021 approaches.  If you are preparing for next year’s competition circuit, consider reaching out to Duffy and Debi at Dance Dress Couture  to buy new or used costumes, and to sell your current costume so you can get a new one.

Dance Dress Consignment Shop Sells New Dresses Too

In addition to consigning used dance dresses, sometimes Duffy and Debi buy new dresses from designers and resell them.  When buying from a designer, they look for dresses that are a good size or fit for their market.

For example, the awesome Chrisanne Clover dress that I model for the video is brand new.  The starburst rhinestone pattern and slit skirt with lots of movement make it a flattering design.

As of writing this, it is still for sale, so click here if you want to buy the dress.

More than a consignment shop.  It’s a boutique store with Ballroom Box subscriptions available.

What is a ballroom box?

Ballroom boxes are custom, surprise gift boxes that come out each season.   Each box is filled with about 6-8 things to equip and inspire dancers, together valued at $120 or more.

When COVID-19 slowed the dance world down, Duffy and Debi got creative and came up with a new idea to help keep dancers fueled and inspired during the forced shutdown.

If you wish to have the Ballroom Box delivered to your door, sign up for the quarterly subscription.

Here are items found in past boxes.

• Rhinestoned mask
• journal for dancers
• shoe brush
• dancer socks
• makeup bag

Dance Dress Couture offers two versions of the winter box: one for men, and one for women. These ballroom boxes make great Christmas gifts for dancers.

P.S.  You can also purchase any items separately.

I saw an SLP™ Member Dress at Dance Dress Couture!

DDC carries a great variety of ballroom and country dance dresses — including one that I recognized but had only seen in photos.

Boy was I delighted to see this purple ballgown made by Suzanne, one of my Sew Like a Pro™ members  as part of the DDC inventory!  I believe it was only the second or third ballgown Suzanne made.  She did an amazing job!

It is a lovely design with beautiful colors and a three-layer skirt with crinoline in one layer and fishing line in another. (Click here if you want to buy it.)

It gives me chills to know there are 139 Sew Like a Pro™ members' dresses in sixteen countries!

While some Sew Like a Pro™ members only make dance dresses for themselves or their daughters, others have begun their own dressmaking businesses or doing alterations.  Many Sew Like a Pro™ members resell their dresses after wearing them for a while, and they end up in consignment shops like Dance Dress Couture.

If you want to learn more about Sew Like a Pro™, click here to view the different sewing programs.

Customizing the Dress for the Client

One of the main things I appreciate about Dance Dress Couture is that their mission statement is similar to why I created my online sewing school and offer all my free blogs.  Duffy says,

“Our favorite thing about this business is helping women find confidence in what they’re wearing so that when they step on the dance floor they dance to their best potential.”

With each sale, Duffy and Debi try to match the woman to the right dress.  They don’t just sell dresses; the mother-daughter team plays the role of a design consultant so each customer purchases the best dress possible.

I love that DDC helps match dresses to the clients!

What looks good on one person’s body shape may not look good on another.  Every person is different.  It is important to have a good understanding of your body and what flatters your body shape.  Colors, texture, bodice and skirt proportions, design elements, necklines, and other details can all have a huge impact on how a dress looks on your body.

To learn more about how to design or buy a dress that flatters your body shape and size, sign up to get emails about my next dress design masterclass.

Duffy and her hired seamstresses also do minor alterations on ballroom dresses so they are customized for the client.  For example, an additional skirt layer to lengthen the dress.  Back straps may be added if bust support is needed.  Or, the skirt can be shortened if it is too long. Click here to see another blog where we discuss detailed skirt alterations for one of the dresses for sale at Dance Dress Couture. Duffy and her mother Debi pour a lot of effort into helping each client have the best dress possible.

Which size dresses are available at Dance Dress Couture?

All sizes.

Duffy and Debi look high and low to find dresses of all shapes and sizes that will look good on a wide variety of womanly curves.

Duffy said dresses size 10 and above usually sell very quickly because many dressmakers do not make costumes for curvy women.  Knowing what to look for and who her market is helps Duffy choose the best dresses for Dance Dress Couture.

Do You Want to Buy or Sell a Dancesport or Country costume?

If you have a dance dress you want to consign, or if you are shopping for a dress, click here to go to the Dance Dress Couture website.

The website has instructions for how to get in touch with Duffy to consign your dress, and has her current inventory listed so you can shop online.

Duffy and Debi accept dresses that are excellent condition.  Ideal consignment costumes are usually less than five years old, or of a classic design that they still look current with today’s trends.

You may follow Dance Dress Couture on Facebook or Instagram.

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