Types of leotards

[YPK]

I am taking DD shopping for new leotards this month. In the past, I had always bought online, but decided this time to take her to an actual store, hoping for a better fit. She has very strong opinions about clothes in general. The new school does not have a strict dress code in terms of style, just color. Obviously, no fancy cuts and sequins are allowed, but there are still alot of variations out there. Between sleeveless, cap sleeves, etc, I am wondering if I should just let her pick out whatever she wants. Is one more comfortable than the other when dancing ? What are your favoriite brands ? I do not like to handwash anything and plan on throwing everything in the washing machine. I remember buying a long sleeve leotard for her once when she was little and she only wore it once. Do most kids wear the same style leotards all year round or do they vary by season ? If your DD is taking lessons 2X a week, how many leotards would you get? There are lockers for rental but I am thinking we won't need it at this stage. I hope I am not overthinking this. Any advice appreciated. Thanks !

[Albini]

Our SO makes all our leos so i never have bought any. I would buy 2 at least

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Check and see if long sleeves are allowed at her age. Some studios dont like the longer sleeves on older girls.

[buzzandmoo]

I have always bought leotards to match the number of days DD has class in a week. For tights, plus one. This way if the laundry piles up ( a weekly occurrence in my house!) she always have something clean. I like to wash her leotards frequently and find that the cotton blend fade and pill . We stick to the synthetics now and she is very happy.

[dkd]

My DD has only ever had one leo at a time (until this past year). I just let her wear the same one for a week and then washed it.

The same with tights. She is more comfy in the tank or camisole type leotards. She never liked the long sleeved ones either.

Go with what she thinks is comfortable.

 

Good luck with your shopping!

[momtofour]

I like Bloch if you want a cotten leo. They never pilled. She wears motionwear leos now. I have ordered online to get the color she needed. She has one camisole and one halter style leo. Sizing is so funny so I do like to buy from the local store if I'm unsure of sizing. She goes two days/week and has two leos. I like to "baby" her leo and tights and they are washed on delicate and hung to dry!

[dancingjet]

My DD prefers camisole leos now, though when she was younger (7'ish) she had short sleeved leos and tank leos if I recall. Until recently I always bought her the same number of leos as classes per week. This summer though she had class five days a week and I only bought three leos. She would rinse a couple out early in the week to wear again, and then all got a good washing that weekend. Tights, however, are another story. I've always made sure she had at least as many pairs in a week as she had class. Can't imagine wearing tights twice! Yuck. I machine wash dance clothes (our front loading washer isn't as hard on things as those with agitators) but line dry it all.

[YPK]

Thanks everyone for your input. DD was very excited to have her pick of leotards at the store today. She has never seen so many different styles before. We bought three leotards in three different styles (sometimes the laundry pile up !). I plan on always leaving one in the locker, just in case. Locker rental is $30 for the whole year so I think it is worth not having the stress of forgetting something. We did not get any long sleeved ones. DD corrected me that in the past, she had worn her long sleeved leotard more than once, as the studio in her former school can get quite cold (some girls would actually wear sweaters).

 

I am very happy we went to an actual store for dancewear, DD was properly fitted this time for the shoes as well. I always thought she wears 'wide', turns out she is a 'narrow'. I was waaaay off ! The salesperson is a dancer and carefully inspected DD's feet in various positions. DD has been doing pre-ballet since 3 years old but none of her former teachers has ever mentioned anything about getting a better shoe-fit. Were they suppose to or perhaps it is not so important when they are young ?

Edited August 9, 2011 by YPK

[Albini]

I am very happy we went to an actual store for dancewear, DD was properly fitted this time for the shoes as well. I always thought she wears 'wide', turns out she is a 'narrow'. I was waaaay off ! The salesperson is a dancer and carefully inspected DD's feet in various positions. DD has been doing pre-ballet since 3 years old but none of her former teachers has ever mentioned anything about getting a better shoe-fit. Were they suppose to or perhaps it is not so important when they are young ?

 

The first thing we were told was to get a good shoe. We were told to get the full sole in black canvas fitted by the store when both kids started dancing.

 

This past year DD went into a pink leather split sole that had to be fitted at the store, and DS had his white canvas ballet shoes fitted at the NBS.

 

Shoes should always fit well. Its unsafe to have improper fitting shoes IMO.

[YPK]

Hi Albini, curious to know what NBS stands for. How old is your DD ? Is there an advantage to split sole vs full sole? We were asked by the school specifically to get full sole, and DD is 7. I just got a pair for myself in split sole because the salesperson reccomended it. She said it is easier to 'point'. I don't really dance, ( just a class here and there as I enjoy barre work and it helps with my back ) so I went with whatever she recommended.

 

What is the main difference between canvas and leather from your DC's experience? Thanks !

[dkd]

My dd's teacher says that full sole shoes help the foot to work harder to point, so she prefers them, especially for the younger students.

 

Most of the 10 yr old + girls wear split soles at our school.

DD has a nice arch and she prefers the look of the split sole.

 

Our school has recently changed the dress code to leather shoes for her age vs. canvas. I'm not sure why that changed???

[Albini]

Hi Albini, curious to know what NBS stands for. How old is your DD ? Is there an advantage to split sole vs full sole? We were asked by the school specifically to get full sole, and DD is 7. I just got a pair for myself in split sole because the salesperson reccomended it. She said it is easier to 'point'. I don't really dance, ( just a class here and there as I enjoy barre work and it helps with my back ) so I went with whatever she recommended.

 

What is the main difference between canvas and leather from your DC's experience? Thanks !

 

Sorry, NBS is the national ballet school in Toronto.

 

I think full sole is thought to help promote strengthening of the foot moreso then split soles and they are more likened to pointe shoes. The split soles make nice lines and pointes, esp if you have a lower arch that can get visually lost in the full sole.

 

Leather vs canvas for my dd who is also 7 is just a school preference for the company and pre pro kids.

 

My niece is 7 and has to wear black full sole as she is just beginning dance this fall.

 

 

 

However for my son, he wears canvas. A lot of men do bc they are heavier and leather can rub and stick to the floor.