Dressing for ballroom dance is a lot like getting ready for the prom. You have to find the perfect dress (or suit and tux if you’re a guy), perfect shoes, and coordinate your hair and makeup for a complete look. However, getting ready for an evening of ballroom dance is slightly more complex than dressing for the prom. While the concept is the same, a lot of factors need to be taken into consideration when choosing ballroom dance clothing and shoes.

First of all, there is really no set dress code for ballroom dancing, which leaves you with the freedom to choose your attire to your comfort and practicality. Whether you are dancing a slow dance such as the waltz or an upbeat dance like the jive, you need to choose attire that you can move easily in and won’t get tangled up around your partner. For example, consider choosing a dress made of silk; it flows easily and doesn’t tangle.

Remember that although ballroom dancing is a formal and elite event, your dress doesn’t have to be covered in heavy sequins, jewels, or feathers. Choose a dress with a moderate amount of accents, as overbearing decorations can easily get in the way and cause discomfort to both you and your partner. Fashion is definitely an important factor, but not as important as your level of comfort while dancing.

Choosing shoes for ballroom dancing are just as important as choosing the dress. However, the shoes you wear largely depend on what type of dance you will be performing. There are special shoes for jazz dances, jive dances, swing dances, etc. Therefore, advance preparation is the key for choosing the right shoes. Most ballroom dance shoes are lightweight – heavy-soled shoes can greatly obstruct your dancing and leave you with extremely sore feet. The maximum height for ladies’ shoes is three inch heels, whereas men’s shoes are around one and a half inches.

Like choosing a dress, shoes for ballroom dancing should not be based on appearance alone. Again, you will have to jump, twirl, and kick in these shoes, so you need them to be comfortable and supportive of your feet. Most ballroom dance shoes are open-toed, although this may not be the best choice. This easily exposes your toes to be stepped on, so consider going with a close-toed shoe. If you find that the heel is too uncomfortable, you can purchase insoles designed specifically for women’s high heel shoes. The last thing you want to do is damage your feet, legs, or back because your shoes did not fit properly.

Finally, beware of shoes with tight back straps or are heavily decorated. This can cause undue rubbing on your feet, which in turn leads to nasty blisters. Shoes that are too busy could easily damage during dancing, so try to keep accents to a minimum when choosing your ballroom dance shoes.

By following these tips to choosing your ballroom dance dress and shoes, you will not only be fashionable but comfortable – the most important factor in any type of dancing!

Kids grow fast and that means they go through clothing sizes rather quickly. As adults, we can wear some of the same sizes year after year if we want, though not everyone does. You can’t get away with that with kids because the clothes simply won’t fit for more than a year or two at the most until they are well into their teen years. Some grow in height into the late teens. Kids clothing and shoes can be expensive, but there are ways to save on new and almost new items if you want to spend less, keep them in good items, and even keep them in the latest fashions.

Sales are the most common ways to save money on kids clothing and shoes. You don’t have to buy what you need right now to make good on sales. You can buy for the future. This can be hard, but you can try to guess what size your child will be next summer to take advantage of end of summer deals this year. If you find a good sale on shoes that your kids like, you can buy a few sizes so that they have them as they grow in shoe size. You have saved money, you know they like them, and you won’t have to rush out and pay full price when they suddenly need a bigger size or they wear out.

Some bargains on kids clothing and shoes are always bargains. It really depends on your tastes in clothing. You may not like to buy clothing from discount stores, but this is where the savings are for the smart shopper. You can buy them play clothes and shoes while getting good clothing from other sources if you wish. If you can get a pair of shorts and a t shirt for summer play time for under ten dollars, you are saving a lot on your clothing bill. It won’t matter if they are not of the best quality because they can be play clothes, will wear out anyway, and will not fit six months from now.

Gently used kids clothing and shoes are a great deal too. If you can find the right shop, or if you find the right set on an online auction, you can save quite a bit of money. Though there are some clothing and shoes that get ruined fast, some children grow so quickly that they barely wear a lot of the clothes they have. When this happens, these items are practically brand new and sold at great savings. People find great deals on amazing kids clothing selections this way, and even get items they could not otherwise afford for designer clothes.

Don’t dismiss hand-me-downs when it comes to kids clothing and shoes either. Shoes are harder to pass down, but some go unworn. If someone offers you clothes, see what they have to offer. Some people can go years without buying items because they have been offered so many great items from relatives and friends that have children just a year or two or a size bigger than their own. Some used items are no longer any good, but if you are offered some, it never hurts to look them over. You may be surprised at what you find.

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