There's nothing better than a fresh box of apparel, and since it only happens a couple times a year, celebrate it! Make the most out of your purchase by opening your box and checking your order right away. If something isn't quite right, the last thing you want to do is scramble to fix it the day before competition. Here are five tips for what to do when your dance costumes arrive.
Open your costumes well in advance of your performance date, just in case you have an unexpected problem. You never know if a size is wrong, if you're (eek!) missing a costume, or if something isn't fitting quite right. It's been known to happen to the best of us!
We like to think that there's nothing better than a fresh box of apparel, and since it only happens a couple times a year, it seems like something to celebrate! Make an event out of it with a uniform reveal for your dancers if they haven't seen their costume, or a special try-on night. Which leads us too...
Be sure to have each dancer try on their costume before you add any finishing details like rhinestones or appliques. If fit is an issue or one or two garments need alterations, you'll save yourself time and energy. Add the rhinestones AFTER the fit concerns are addressed.
No matter how big or small the issue, it can take a little time to coordinate fixes, so be sure to call your costume company right away with any concerns. Give them your timeline so they know how quickly things need to get fixed and back to you for your performance date.
Add each dancer's name (or a letter/number that corresponds with your roster), to the inside tag of each costume. Be sure to use a permanent marker to avoid any ink stains later during washing. Labeling each costume will avoid confusion with who's costume is who's! With 30 identical outfits, it's bound to happen.
Even before you get your costumes, ask your costume company to put each dancer's names on the tag or bag of the garment, so that it's easy to distribute the costumes when you get them. It'll save you time and hassle on costume night!