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Anonymous
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Date Posted: 13:11:11 03/14/02 Thu
I am in need of ideas for school dresses. Two of the students are in a wheel chair. So I was thinking an A-line style dress would be easier for them. Would it look to old for the rest of the children- ages 9 on up? This is a non competitive group. What colors?
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-Our dancing school uses the A-line type, you can see some of them here. We like them a lot, they are light, easy to care for, and contempory.
http://www.geocities.com/joann_knot/knot_site/knot_home.html
-My opinion is that A-line dresses are preferable for younger dancers as two-piece outfits (skirts and blouses/vests, etc.) tend to come undone on so many of them. However, a modified A-line (one that flares so it is nice and wide at the hem) will be better. A school near us has an A-line type dress that is too narrow at the hem, and rides up or seems to bind when the dancers kick. The wider skirt also looks more graceful, from my point of view. A narrower dress will also tend to ride up on the girls in wheelchairs. One thing that will make this look seem graceful, is if you use a more stretchy fabric rather than cotton. One of my favorite looks is from some school in the states that has an A-line type beginner dress with a shawl that hangs down from both shoulders - a sort of loop from shoulder to shoulder in back. Very pretty and graceful and not in the dancers' way. (Having watched their dancers, though, I do feel the skirt is too narrow - when the kids kick you see more than you want to of their undies.)
-My opinion is that this sort of dress will only look too "old" if it is too short. One caveat, if you have any dancers who are heavy, the A-line is far less flattering than a dress with a waist. In fact, if you aren't careful the dancers can end up looking like stuffed sausages - and I speak as a mom with a heavier child. If someone suggested she have to wear one of these styles I'd probably cry.
--...And If your child is heavy this style can look nice if it fits properly. A princess line dress or jumper with a full skirt is flattering on most children, provided it is not too tight and the waistline shaping falls in the right place. Too often people look at only the circumference measurements, ignore the back waist length measurement, and end up with the waistline shaping at high hip level.This is especially common with a heavier child (I have 2) who may need a size 14 around but only a 10 for length. Make sure of the fit and you'll be OK. By checking the finished skirt width on any pattern you are considering you will be able to get the fullness you need. In regards to fitting children who use wheelchairs, you will need to fit the dress to the child while she is seated in her chair for graceful coverage and comfort. The dress might look different on a hanger, but will fit the child when seated.
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