Making your own flamenco skirt is tempting, but it’s not that easy.  The multiple panels and long hem mean you’ll be sewing for hours!   For practice and student recitals, a skirt like the Bal Togs flamenco skirt is perfect and only costs around $40 (see picture on right), so it’s hard to see why you [...]
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I’ve been lucky to have access to a specialist flamenco dressmaker for most of my flamenco outfits – but once or twice, I’ve had to resort to an ordinary dressmaker, with mixed results.  Don’t get me wrong, a good bridal dressmaker will know exactly how to go about making you a beautiful flamenco dress, given a few photos [...]
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Flamenco skirts and dresses require a lot of material – allow 2 metres (2.5 yards) for a simple skirt and 3 or 4 metres for a dress.    That much fabric is heavy!   Bear that in mind when buying fabric to make a flamenco dress, and  look for materials that are on the lighter side. Don’t [...]
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Thanks to the many Californians who’ve told me that Mexican Folklorico shoes are a good – and economical – substitute for flamenco shoes, for those on a budget. Although I’ve never examined a pair of Mexican dance shoes, I can understand why they would stand up well to the rigours of flamenco. I remember some years [...]
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As we all know,  flamenco dresses are horribly expensive.   Of course, we offer some good value flamenco dresses here on Dress for Flamenco, but what if you don’t like buying online? One option is to go to Spain.  I know that sounds like an expensive solution, but what a marvellous excuse to take a flamenco holiday!   If you [...]
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I’ve had several enquiries about adding tacks to character shoes – including a couple from people who were sold character shoes as flamenco shoes, and didn’t discover their mistake until too late. I have bad news, I’m afraid – you can’t add nails to character shoes, or any other normal shoe for that matter. The [...]
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Flamenco skirts can be cut several different ways.   The best skirts for flamenco are slim-fitting around the hips and flare generously towards the hem.  This is usually achieved by using panels, which are very narrow near the waist and get wider as they go down to the hem. Some skirts have more v-shaped panels (called …
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I just came across this article in the New York Times . I like Eva Yerbabuena’s comment about good shoes making her feet feel as if she’s not wearing any shoes!  [...]
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Traditionally, female flamenco dancers wear their hair long – and that’s one tradition that doesn’t appear to have changed in nuevo flamenco.  It’s rare to see a flamenca with a short hair style! Also traditional is the use of hair ornamentation.  The stereotypical image of a flamenco dancer is a women with a red rose [...]
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Flamenco costumes can be expensive, and if you’re just taking your first class, you probably aren’t ready to invest in a genuine flamenco skirt. Unfortunately, High Street gypsy-style or Boho tiered skirt may look suitable for flamenco, but they often don’t have enough material (unless they’re a circle skirt, in which case they’ll have that [...]
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