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Check the photo pages for lots of pictures of
our class costumes! Girl’s Costumes
Costumes are needed for competitions and shows. The requirements for
class and solo costumes are listed below. For competition and
performance, beginner girls are permitted to wear a blue skirt or jumper, with
blue kick pants or cheerleader bloomers underneath, and a white shirt.
Some blue skirts are available for loan from the school in small
children’s sizes, along with coordinating blue tabards. New jumpers can
be ordered from Academic
Outfitters in Plano, or ask Kay for
details on the availability of beginner skirts. In addition, for
there are 2 performance t-shirts required. Periodic orders for
shirts will be placed. These shirts are worn with a black skirt or
skort, such as the girls knit black skorts available from Old Navy.
If you already have a black skirt or skort, Kay will be able to tell you
if it is appropriate to wear for shows.
Class Costumes
Class costumes are required for all girls and ladies. You must speak
with Kay in order to acquire one. Older students are required to
purchase a dress, as skirts are only appropriate for the smaller
children. Students MUST acquire a class dress before looking into
getting a solo dress. Class dresses are appropriate for solo levels of
beginner1, advanced beginner and novice. Class dresses are required for
figure dancing and shows. New dresses are made by Molly Bennett of
It’s Knotwork to Me. See Kay
for a measurement form and ordering info.
Class costumes (for girls) cost $425.00 and consist of:
1. A dress
2. A cape
3. Kick pants
4. Headband
The class costumes (design, color choices and pattern) are the property
of the school. If the owner of a class dress leaves the school, she may
not take the dress with her. All pieces of the costume must be sold to
the school or someone within the school. Used dresses are sometimes
available for a reduced purchase price as girls grow out of them. Check
with Kay on the availability of used dresses, or to sell your old dress.
Solo Costumes
Solo dresses are very elaborate costumes. They are highly recommended
for students at the prizewinner level, and required for dancers
competing at the championship levels. The range on prices for a new
dress right now is $800.00 (for a simple one) to $2500.00 (for a top of
the line dress). This is a considerable investment, but unfortunately,
if you really want to do well in competition at these levels, you need
one! There are a few things to keep in mind when ordering a costume,
especially from a dressmaker that you do not have experience with. Get
references from previous customers, and ask to see pictures of previous
work. All reputable dressmakers will require a deposit, both to reserve
a place in their schedule and to purchase supplies, but you should never
have to pay more than half the price of the dress upfront. Keep in
contact with the dressmaker during the process to stay informed on the
progress on your dress. Dresses should come with kick pants and a
headpiece included in the cost, but it never hurts to verify with the
dressmaker that you want these items.
There are a ton of places you can go to get a new dress. A few that
dancers in the school have had good luck with are:
1. Molly Bennett – It’s Knotwork to Me (also our class dress supplier)
2. Siope Rince
3. Lisa Gandre - Celtic Art Wear
4. Jess Knight
Please let us know of your good and bad experiences so we can recommend
or warn which ever is appropriate!!!
There are several sites on the internet where used solo costumes can be
sold or purchased. One such site is
Dance Again. If a dress is
well cared for, it generally has a fairly good resale value, but do not
expect to get what you paid for it back when you resell! Be aware that
when you purchase a used dress over the internet it may or may not be as
good as the seller represents it to be. Make sure that you get all
information on prices (including exchange rates if purchasing from
overseas!), shipping and customs costs, and return policies before you
agree to purchase the costume. Buyer beware!
A girl’s costume would not be complete without the right pair of socks!
Traditional Irish dance socks, or poodle socks, are required for girls
in competitions and shows. Poodle socks can be purchased at feiseanna,
or from a variety of online vendors. Socks should be clean and white.
Older dancers may substitute black tights for poodle socks with Kay's
permission.
Boy's Costumes
Boys, you sort of got off easy, but you shouldn’t go under done, just
because you don’t have to buy a dress! As with the girls, the school
costume is required for shows and figures, and there is a performance
shirt required. For school costumes, boys
should wear black dress pants, a royal blue shirt, and black dress
socks. If your shirt has a collar you are required to wear a tie.
Solo competition is your opportunity to be an individual! Some guys have
a small bit of embroidery put between the button-holes or on the sleeves
or cuffs. A flashy shirt always looks good on stage! Whether it is of a
flashy color or a shimmery material, remember it is a dance costume, not
something you have to show all your friends at school (think about stage
presence). Some men still wear kilts, and if you want to that’s fine as
long as you follow these guidelines:
1. A kilt should be no shorter than a half-inch above the knee and no
longer than the middle of the knee cap.
2. It should have two buckles at the waist and hip area.
3. The flap of the kilt should also be secured at the bottom by a kilt
pin (like broach for boys).
4. The shirt should be a dress shirt with a collar for a tie.
5. A tie is required.
6. Males who wear a kilt, must wear knee high socks.
7. Dress shorts must be worn under the kilt. (They should be the same
color as the kilt and considerably shorter.)
8. You should wear a cape with your jacket. It should go from your left
shoulder to your right hip.
9. The color of your socks should mach the color of your jacket.
10. The color of your cape should match the color of your kilt. Your
kilt should be a solid color.
11. Your kilt and jacket colors should be coordinated.
12. Your shirt and tie will be dependent on what colors you chose for
everything else.
There are not a whole lot of places you can go for a good Irish kilt.
They can get very pricey, like the girls solo dresses. We do not have a
list of where to or not to go, because we have not had very many people
interested.
Adult Costumes
Beginner women may wear a skirt and blouse. Be sure to get kick pants or
cheerleader bloomers to wear under your skirt. Adult women wishing
to participate in figure dances are required to purchase a school dress,
so please see above for class dress information. Performance
costumes are the same as for the girls. Solo dresses
are also appropriate for adults at the higher levels of competition.
Poodle socks or black tights are required with all women’s costumes.
Adult men have the same costume options as the boys.
ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
Please pay attention to how your costume is fitting!!! Costumes can not
be made in a couple of weeks so, you need to order it a MINIMUM of three
months before you need it!!!! If your costume is starting to get small
see if there is someone who is selling one in the size you are going to
need. If not, ORDER A NEW ONE! All too often people wear costumes that
barely fit and then one day they need it and when the put it on, it is a
disaster!!! It won’t zip up or it is so short that you can see the kick
pants hanging down. If you are lucky, you will find someone to loan you
one, but don't count on it!
DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!
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