Where to find good boys ballet costumes

[sk8jdgca]

My son is doing a ballet solo to the Toreador song from Carmen-I've been searching for places to purchase young boys costumes for ballet and have been coming up short- has anyone out there found anyplace good- we are in Canada but I'm willing to go to the states if needed

[Thyme]

Hi sk8jdgca- with my13yo DS we have all his costumes hand made (in fact all the costumes for every child at the studio are hand made). I cant even start to think about where I would go to buy a costume... tomorrow he is performing a Spanish dance to Nutcracker music and is wearing black tights and a cream/red bolero. The whole outfit was made for about $150 and designed to be let out as he grows. Basically I printed off a picture (actually from Mao's Last Dancer) of the kind of thing we wanted and she worked from there. It will go on to be worn by other boys in the future through the studio (we have abit of a costume library). It seems to me that seamstresses who make wedding dresses take on this work and use their fancy trimmings. There are also costumiers around here who do work for the Royal Ballet (amazing thought given I live in Australia!) and make tutus- they do this work also. good luck!

[dancemaven]

Oops! someone other than a Parent of a Boy dancer wandered in and a post was removed.

[slhogan]

There are some basic pieces at www.curtaincallcostumes.com. Go to "Guys" then "View All". On page 4, there is a lace-up shirt as well as a vest/shirt combination.

[dancemaven]

Moderator hat on: sk8dgca, you might get more information and options if this thread were moved to the Pro Shop Forum where the costumer folks could respond with some suggestions.

 

If you would prefer to leave the thread here for Parents of Boys only responses, that's perfectly fine. Just let us know.

[expat123]

I am also having a difficult time finding a boy's costume for sale/rent! Need leads!

Thanks!

[Clara 76]

I agree. Try the Pro shop forum, and try calling some ballet companies to see if you can rent costumes!!!

[its the mom]

I have used Benefis for my son, and I know of others who have used it. Some ballet companies and larger schools will rent. Theatre Ballet costumes does rentals, but I think it's expensive. If it's a simple bolero, it may be easier to just have it made by a seamstress. You could also call tutu.com.

[Albini]

Ours are also handmade by the SO.

 

Maybe find a local steamstress?

[ballerinomom]

You can try calling Malabar in Toronto - they have many costumes for rent/purchase. I might have a black and gold "Spanish looking" vest somewhere in my house. I seem to recall that it is on the small side but I will take a look for it and let you know if I find it.

[expat123]

Cheers! I know that something will "materialize" for us! This search is very educational- I guess boy's ballet costumes are almost as rare as boys in ballet...!

[Tylersmom]

I've had to learn how to sew. My mom is a seamstress, but lives on the other side of the country, but she gave me some great ideas becuase I'm creatively lacking. I made his red nutcracker jacket by getting a red jacket (women's, cause they are fitted) from Goodwill for $3. and then just tailored it to him and added trim and sparkle. Until this year, he refused to wear tights on stage (he's 13) so I scoured the thrift stores and found some white ladies stirrup pants that were fitted for a couple bucks and not see thru. It takes time, but it's worth it. I shop all year for the different shows.

Thankfully, there's now another boy at our studio who's 6 and he's getting hand-me-down costumes

[Albini]

My son uses the black strech pants from Walmart, they cost $7 a pair and are thick enough that the dance belt is hidden, but tight enough down the legs that his muscle movement shows clearly. It was a great compromise. Now he refuses to wear anything else to dance...even Hip Hop where he could wear jazz pants. He says he can feel his body move better in these pants.

[sk8jdgca]

What are the Walmart pats called- for the longest time they had a nice jazz one in the girls' department but he is on to me now. He wears a size 10 boys-so I would be interested in the vest if you found it-I may go the way of a local seamstress-I don't want to use the one our competition studio uses as she is expensive and the costumes don't seem to hold up too long. I was watching Dancing with the satrs last week and Val had on a great jacket for his Paso-my son says though that he refuses to spray tan

[dancemaven]

Just a note: Unless the local seamstress if familiar with the special needs of dance or skaters, the costume may look beautifully made, but the dancer may not be able to move adequately in it. There are some significant differences that dancers need in the cut of their costume.