Stress-Free Costume Ordering

fter 20 years of late orders, last-minute alterations and eleventh-hour calls to manufacturers, Jean Stelter has learned a thing or two about ordering recital costumes. The most important, in her mind, is setting a timeline and sticking to it. “I inform my parents of the estimated costs by September, even before I receive catalogs in October,” says Stelter, owner of Jean Stelter Dance

Studio in Baldwinsville, New York. “Their money is due in full by the end of November and I have all the costumes selected by December. It’s important to collect all the money before you place the order. And the sooner you place it, the more likely you’ll get everything on time.”

Stelter, who orders before the end of the year, notes that an early order can save more than headaches—it can also help your budget. “Most companies offer discounts before the first week of January,” she says. “And if you order a certain amount, many companies offer an 8 to 15 percent discount. So it’s a good idea to order as much as you can from one company and before January.” She adds that a pre-January order will assure delivery by April.

But while cost is important, it shouldn’t be the only factor taken into consideration when selecting costumes. “Costumes should be affordable for students, but also be in good taste and appropriate for the age group you’re ordering for,” Stelter counsels. “Keep in mind the body shapes of the kids in each class and select something that is flattering. And you don’t want to pick something that’s made for a teenager or adult for a little girl,” she says, adding that she maintains overall continuity by selecting every costume herself. “The only class I give a choice to is my senior advanced. They’ve been dancing a long time and I trust their judgment, so I select two or three costumes for them to vote on.” 

Suzanne Sheppard of the Alabama Dance Theatre in Montgomery, AL agrees that the opinions of only a select few should be heard during the costume selection process. “I’ve worked with the same teachers for years, so I’ve learned their preferences,” Sheppard notes. “I go through all of the catalogs and, based on each teacher’s music and theme, I select two or three costumes for them to choose from. The teachers are happy because it saves them time.”

To make the process more efficient, Sheppard suggests taking the responsibility of measuring each student yourself. “In late November, I make a chart for each class with each student’s name and a space to record bust, waist, hips and girth measurements,” says Sheppard, who maintains that leaving this particular task to parents can be asking for trouble. “I take one of the older dancers to each class with me and I personally measure each child while she writes the measurements down. If one person takes measurements, you know they are consistent, there is less room for error and no one is late turning in their measurements. The better prepared you are, the less time you will take away from the classes.”

Once you take measurements, they must be compared to sizing charts that, according to Sheppard, often differ from company to company. “Everyone has their own sizing criteria, so what is a ‘small’ for one company may not be for another,” she attests. “It’s likely that your measurements won’t correspond exactly to the charts. If there is any doubt, go with the girth measurement. I can’t stress this enough: If there is any doubt about the child’s size, always go [a size] up. It’s much easier to alter a uniform to be smaller than to make it larger.” Stelter agrees: “The biggest mistake a teacher can make is not leaving children enough room to grow. You should allow for at least an inch in every direction, especially when you’re ordering for young children.”

When mistakes are made, Sheppard advises calling the company and asking for help. “I’ve found that if you just call and talk to someone in customer service, more times than not they can help you. Of course, it helps if you are calling to correct an order you’ve already placed instead of calling in March and asking them to rush 60 costumes to you,” she says. “But either way, it never hurts to try. They want to keep your business.”

Costume companies aren’t the only people you can turn to for assistance, says Crissy Arnold, costume director for Illinois Ballet and the Central Illinois Dance School in Peoria, IL. Arnold enlists help at a parents’ meeting she holds at the beginning of each school year. “It’s so important to communicate with parents,” she emphasizes. “Don’t get bogged down and try to do everything yourself. At the meeting, I ask what the parents can do to help out. We have a small school, so we save money by making a lot of our own costumes and reusing those that we buy. Even if parents can’t sew, they can volunteer to shop or do the trimming.”

Arnold also stresses that knowing your inventory is just as important a money saver as making your own costumes. “We’ve built up a good costume base, so every time I place an order, I think about what we already have and build on that,” she says. “And if you do it right, you can save a lot of money. But if something with your costumes doesn’t go perfectly, remember—everything looks great when they’re watching from 40 feet away.”  DT