- Why are our prices so low?
- Why are our prices so high?
- New gown prices
- Consignment gowns
- Menswear
Why are our prices so low?
We hear this question a lot from seasoned dancers accustomed to the high prices of other ballroom couture designers. Many of these other designers operate large shops with extensive, and expensive, inventories. They spend thousands of dollars on advertising and slick catalogues. They travel extensively, hold trunk shows in large expensive hotel suites, pay commissions to a large number of people, and even pay big kickbacks to dance teachers who send students to them. Some will spend thousands of dollars to sponsor a competition, and thus guarantee a prime vendor location or even block other vendors out of the event.
At DanceSport Ballgowns, we operate on the philosophy that dance competition should be enjoyed by everyone, even people on limited incomes. We use the same quality fabrics, rhinestones and trims as the other top designers, and our workmanship is just as good. And yet a quick internet search will show that our prices are about half that of many other ballroom costume designers. How do we do it?
We market directly to the dancers, concentrate on internet advertising and word of mouth, and showcase our gowns at dance competitions and studios. We don't sponsor competitions, we don't produce slick print catalogues, we don't give big kickbacks to dance teachers, and our dresses don't come in expensive packaging. This allows us to keep our overhead low, and our prices reasonable.
Why are our prices so high?
New dancers -- or their parents -- often suffer sticker shock when they first shop for a custom ballgown. They try to compare the cost of a hand-made, personalized, one-of-a-kind costume to the prices they're accustomed to paying for an off-the-rack dress at a discount department store. But there's a big difference. Those discount store dresses are usually mass produced in foreign factories by poorly paid workers using inferior products. It's really unfair to compare those dresses to ours.
We're heard stories about companies in Asia that make inexpensive knockoffs of designer dance gowns, using cheap fabrics and fake rhinestones, and little attention to fit and detail. We can't possibly compete with their prices, and we don't try. Our gowns are simply better.
Seasoned dancers learn to think of their costumes as works of art. You can either pay the price for an original, or you can buy a cheap copy. It doesn't take a trained eye to see the difference.
For everyday streetwear, quality and originality may not matter. But in competition, where presentation can make the difference between winning and losing, you need the best gown you can get. And that is what you'll get from us.
New gown prices:
Our prices for new gowns, including both custom gowns and ready-to-wear, are based on cost of materials plus $40-an-hour labor. We don't negotiate on these already low prices, because otherwise we would be working at a loss and wouldn't be able to stay in business. Since a basic Latin dress can require more than $200 in materials and at least 30 hours of labor without even including rhinestoning, you can easily understand why ballroom costumes seem so expensive. Basically, here's how it breaks down:
Latin dresses: From $1,000 to $1,500 without rhinestoning, depending on fabrics and complexity.
Ballgowns: From $1,500 to $2,500 without rhinestoning, depending on fabrics and complexity.
Rhinestoning: This price can vary depending on the going price of rhinestones, which changes on a daily basis due to the fluctuating exchange rate of the U.S. dollar. But you can expect to pay approximately $25 per gross (144) for rhinestones, which includes the stones plus the labor to apply them.
Consignment gowns:
Prices for consignment gowns are set by their owners. Sometimes they're willing to negotiate on the price, sometimes not. It often depends on how long the dress has been up for sale, and how much they paid for it in the first place. But it never hurts to ask.
Menswear:
Latin shirts: Starting at $225. Price can increase depending on fabric and complexity. Rhinestoning is extra.
Latin pants: From $250 for high-waisted pants made of black polyester stretch gabardine. Price can change if you require a different style, or a color fabric that we don't keep in stock..
