How Long Does It Take to Get A Custom Costume?

Commissioned Custom

Remote Customers

Allow for 4 weeks if no customers are ahead of you. This is dependent upon your prompt responses and return of the fitting, your place in the queue, and that we have all supplies needed in-house.

Your costume fitting is mailed to you, we assist with the fitting via video chat, and you mail it back, so that can add 4-10 days depending upon the mail service that you want to use. 

We recently tracked our timeline of a custom ContenderWear™ costume that was out-of-state, and it was completed in 2 weeks, fitting and all.  Another out-of-state instance had the costume in 7 days without a fitting.

Multiple Costumes & Bases

Please check with us for time availability. Studios with 60+ costumes can take 30+ days.  Since we open our bookings at the beginning of a given year, there may not be time blocks to accommodate studio wide costuming.

Ready-Made Products RTS

Ship after payment has been confirmed, which is immediately with Cash/Same-As-Cash or PayPal; optionally, you may pick them up. Other processes for payments can take 2-9 days to confirm payment.   We have even had people send their currier and in some instances arrange for their UPS/FedEx account to pick-up. 

Locals – S. California

A solo costume can be ready within 3 days if we have all supplies needed in-house.  This of course depends on how quickly the customer makes the appointment and comes for the fitting, and it also depends on how many people are ahead of you.

Iris ContenderWear Custom Costume on Shy

ContenderWear™ Custom “Iris” Lyrical Costume 

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When in doubt, contact us for a quote

or 

Download a sample quote
to view how our quotes are structured  CLICK HERE

Do You Create Recital Costumes & Holiday Costumes?

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

HotMess Dance Apparel™ Custom “Itsy Bitsy Polka-dot Bikini”

When in doubt, contact us for a quote

or 

Download a sample quote
to view how our quotes are structured  CLICK HERE

Recital Costumes

While we cut our teeth on hundreds, if not thousands, of recital costumes, we currently limit our services to “add-ons” for limited-use costumes.  What that means is that we add on to customer provided pre-fab bases or separates for a cohesive look for the dance number, and this is usually something that can be done on more limited recital costume budgets.

Another consideration is that performance fabrics are expensive, and that is why some of our images of our fully custom recital costumes include fabrics of limited stretch.  

Holiday Costumes

Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and other special occasion costumes and garments are bid in the same manner as any other project: Line Item.  

 

What Sizes of Costumes Do You Make?

We make your size.  Specific to your given measurements.

Custom Costume General Sizing vs Measurements

Soloist Custom Dance Costumes

The pattern for your order is best if it is made to your precise measurements. We are all about the fit; so if you have to pay for a pattern to be created, we do that to your specific size & measurements.

Multiple Custom Dance Costumes

In order to cut costs on group, trio, or duet costumes, you may want to order by standardized or averaged sizing whenever possible.  There is a pattern charge for each size of the pattern and each variance. When possible, we have averaged group sizing so that similar measurements can be held to a single pattern for a number of dancers.

We Make Your Size!

Standardized sizing

Ready-Made Products In Our Stores

RTS products are made to standardized sizing, shown here, & measurements of current customers. Products made to other than standardized sizing will have exact specs noted.  

More FAQs

Sand Custo Unitard for Dance Snake

ContenderWear™ Custom “Sand” Costume

When in doubt, contact us for a quote

or 

Download a sample quote
to view how our quotes are structured  CLICK HERE

Do you provide extra stones?

Yes, we try to always set aside extra stones to ship with our custom ContenderWear™ & Plain Brown Label™ brand stage-ready costumes. Certain brands cannot be sent loose, but a substitute will be provided.

We do use sufficient glue to hold the stones in place.  It is our belief that they should remain on the costume and not on the stage, back-stage, or restroom floors.  Given that, we suggest that you do inspect your stones before and after performances as they can become loose with quick-changes and floor work. Best methods for checking stones and resetting can be sent with your order.

Some Quick Q&As

How does your first-come-first-served work?

Each January we offer Early Bird bookings for our ContenderWear™ Brand, where customers schedule their production month for $150 non-refundable reservation fee. Early birds take precedence over other later scheduled costumes/bookings. However, if you are not ready at the time of  your month booked, we cannot guarantee your costume by a later date, when we may be busier. While we will do our best to produce your costume with a new date in mind, please note that other booking times have already been filled, usually booked solid.

Do you communicate with both parents and choreographer/studio owner?

Our point of contact is whomever is paying for the order.  Mostly we deal with the legal guardian of the dancer, but when a studio orders from us, they have a designated person that we communicate with.  It is up to the contact person to get approval (if needed) from the choreographer/studio owner, costume department, or costume Gestapo…whoever says yay or nay on costuming.  

Can we create our own design?

Absolutely.  We can work with your design, but please note that we do not create duplicates of other costumers designs.  Additionally, we offer many options for our clients, and we consider each costume a collaboration between us and the client.

Fabrics, etc.

Can I supply my soloist’s fabrics?

Yes & No.  Yes you can. Fabrics provided must work with our pattern methodology and be ample enough to possibly provide alternate options. For our full customs, there is no perk or discount for customer provided fabrics.

Are there people or types that you won’t work with?

Absolutely. While bending over backwards to please each and every customer, we realize that we cannot be everything to everyone, resulting in a Costumer black-list. Please contact your Costumer to see if you are mentioned. Remember, this is a hobby for us; so let’s keep it pleasant, productive, and inspiring. 

What puts a customer on a black list?

In short, bad behaviour. 

The best thing to do is just ask.

There are multiple ways to contact us & it’s posted all over our site. 

Our current “customer base” dates back to 2013!

Custom Dance Costume Into The Deep for tap jazz musical theater or contemporary lyrical

Ready-Made Products In Our Stores

Our stores’ products are made to both standardized general sizing, shown at right, and measurements that are equivalent to current customers.  If the costume was made to measurements other than our standardized general sizing, exact specifications will be listed on the product listings.