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Once you purchased, made, or altered that perfect performance dress for dance or skate, you must consider how to store your dress so it will last for years to come.  After all, you invested a fair amount of time and/or money buying or making your competition dress.  You want to keep it looking great as long as possible, don’t you?

Before we continue, let’s clarify what I mean by “storing your dress”.

I do not mean when you go to an event and your dress is hanging or laying around for a few days with you in and out of the dress at least once, if not three or four times.  That counts as being active with the dress, not storing it.

To me, “storing a dress” means that pretty hunk of fabric and rhinestones is going in a closet or a drawer to be ignored for weeks or months before you wear it again.  When neglect is imminent, you need to store the dress properly so it is in great shape when you pull it out to compete again.

Of course, your alternative to storing the dress is to sell it and buy a new one!  Check out this blog featuring Dance Dress Couture, a consignment store for Dancesport and Country dresses.

dance dress couture inventory, dance dress consignment shop

 

Rule #1: NEVER, EVER PUT YOUR DRESS IN STORAGE WHEN IT IS DAMP OR WET.

The #1 enemy of a dance or skate costume is moisture. 

Is your dress wet from sweat after a performance?  Did you wash the dress and it is not completely dry?  Are you competing in a humid location and the dress is damp from the environment?

Whatever the case, if you read no further and don’t even watch the video, remember this rule …. NEVER, EVER STORE YOUR COSTUME WHEN IT IS DAMP.

(This also applies to trousers, shirts, skates and dance shoes which are also negatively affected by dampness, especially perspiration.)

When time allows, dry all parts of your costume before you travel home or to the next show.  If you have to perform and then jump on a plane, be sure to unpack your dress and let it air dry as soon as you land at home or in your new hotel.  Leave your costumes exposed in a well-ventilated room, or in the breeze on the back porch to ensure they are completely dry before tucking them away in the closet or under your bed for weeks or months.

It is common to dye braided elastic flesh color to use on competition Ballroom Dancesport and Country dresses.

Rule #2: NEVER, EVER STORE YOUR DRESS BY THE SHOULDER ELASTICS.

Shoulder elastics are not designed to hold the weight of the dress for days or months on end.

If used for that purpose, they will absolutely get stretched out and no longer be able to offer the breast support they’re intended to give.  So if you want to keep the girls high and dry… use those tape hangers to hang the dress instead of cutting them out!

TIP: If your dress does not have tape hangers, hang the dress by the crotch to take the stress off the shoulder elastics.  Grab the crotch and drape it over the hanger.  Nice and easy.  (Watch the video for a visual.)

Do you want my top three tips for keeping any type of Dancesport ballgown, latin or country dance, artistic roller or figure skating dress looking great for years? 

Read on and watch the video!


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Top Three Tips to Store Your Dance or Skate Dress

1. Should I store my dress flat or hanging? ... Yes!

Whether you store your costume flat or hanging depends on a few things:

    • How heavy is the dress?
    • Is the dress super stretchy or not very stretchy?

If your performance costume is heavy due to a lot of rhinestones, or multiple layers of heavy skirt fabric, or beaded fringe, or something with a lot of weight, I suggest you store the dress flat.

Why?  Because the overall weight of the dress can put too much pressure on the part of the dress that keeps it on the clothes hanger.  If you leave it hanging for weeks or months between wearing it, the fabrics can be permanently damaged, or stretch out of shape and morph into something you do not want to wear.

A dress made with a super stretchy fabric, such as the crepes sold by DSI London and other purveyors of dance and skate fabrics,  should always be stored flat.

Why?  Because when a fabric has a lot of stretch going up and down, and you store it hanging up and down .... Guess what?  The fabric can get longer and longer.  So while your skirt length may have started off at the top of your knee, after a few months of hanging it can be below your knee.  Yikes!  You don't want an accidental skirt length, do you?

Conversely, if your dress is lightweight or made of non-stretch fabrics, it is often okay to hang for long periods of time.  Nevertheless, it is still wise to check it on occasion to make sure the dress is not getting misshapen because of the extended hanging.

white chainette fringe Latin dress made by sewing school member Tammy Arriola

 

For example, this white fringe Latin dance dress with blue flowers made by Tammy, a member of the Complete Latin-Skate Dressmaker Program needs to be stored flat.

Why, you may ask?  It looks tiny, how heavy can it be?  Looks are deceptive.  There is a fair amount of fringe weight on not very much fabric.  And what little fabric there exists is held together by criss cross straps.

Do you remember rule #2 above?  Never, Ever hang your dress by the shoulder elastics...  Well, criss cross straps are elastics on a different part of the body than the shoulder.  Therefore, to reduce the risk of ruining the straps, it is best to store the dress flat.

2. Use a white cotton sheet for inexpensive, breathable, long-term storage.

  • Wrap your ballgown, Latin dance dress or skate dress in a white cotton sheet - or a pillowcase - if you are going to keep it flat under the bed or in a drawer.  The cotton allows the fabric to breathe which helps prevent mildew and icky odors.
  • Use a white sheet or pillow cover whenever possible.  Alternatively, use a sheet color that matches your dress.  That way, if by some weird chance you use a bright pink sheet that fades on your yellow dress, you don't accidentally have a 1960s tie dye dress.  Ick.

3. Choose a hanging garment bag appropriate for your storage or travel needs.

  • Garment bags are not created equally and are not appropriate for every purpose.
  • Therefore, make sure the length of the bag is appropriate for the length of your dress.
    • For example, you don't want to shove a massive Dancesport ballgown into a tiny garment bad intended for a Latin or Skate dress.
  • Choose a breathable bag for long-term storage.
  • Next, consider using a plastic or water-repellent bag for traveling.
  • It's a good idea with any type of man-made material (breathable or not) to leave the zipper open when storing long-term.
  • Take heed that some materials may fade when damp from steam, water, or body sweat.
    • Feathers are very prone to fading, so you may want to pack dresses with the feathers in their own bag!
    • Some chainette fringe can also fade, especially reds.  To avoid have red fringe bleed onto a dress that is not supposed to be red,  pack and store the dresses separately.

Store your ballroom dance and skate costumes in a breathable garment bag.

Here are just a few places to find garment bags in North America:

The Container Store offers a wide variety of garment bag styles.

The Butler's Closet carries several lengths of breathable garment bags.

Amazon, of course carries, breathable garment bags.  (The Amazon links are an affiliate links.  I may make a little money if you purchase with this link.)

Learn to make competition Dancesport, figure skating, artistic roller dresses for women and teenagers. Dressmaker programs available for all skill levels.

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

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Thanks sew much,

Teresa Sigmon

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