Dancewear trend: patterned leotards

Leotards with patterns on them (or areas of patterned fabric) are currently popular choices for ballet and jazz.  If you attend a dance school with a relaxed dress code, patterned leotards can be a great way to show your colorful personality while wearing tight fitting attire that makes it easy to see the lines of your body.  Pieces with patterns tend to be a little pricier than their plainer counterparts, so make sure you love the leo before you buy it.  More subdued patterns (like those from Mirella and Ashley Bouder) tend to keep their fashionable status for longer periods of time than brighter ones that may be "out" next season.

If your studio has a stricter dress code, you can still get the patterned look by choosing leotards with embroidered or mesh burnout patterns in black or solid colors.  You can also pair a patterned skirt or top with your plain leo for a milder dip into the patterned trend.

Dancewear Trend: Yumiko-like sporty style

Yumiko has been an industry leader is fashionable, quality dancewear for years.  Now, a few other brands, notably those owned by discountdance.com, have been coming out with styles that are almost exact replicas of well-loved Yumiko styles.  The sporty looks often feature bright colors with contrasting trim, unique cuts, and special touches like zips and mesh.  These styles are flattering and usually work well for different styles of dance.

There is a little controversy concerning discount dance and it's related companies creating designs that are nearly identical to designs Yumiko has been selling for years.  I personally prefer to support Yumiko because the company was the original producer of the designs in question.  I also know and love the quality of Yumiko products.  The leotards available from discount dance are cheaper than those from Yumiko, so they seem like a great option for dancers who want a similar style for a cheaper price.

Dancewear Trend: Mesh detail leotards

Leotards with mesh detail have been on the scene for a long time, but they have never been more popular than they are right now.  Eleve leotards, available from http://www.elevedancewear.com/, are customizable and allow dancers to choose various combinations of color and mesh detail.  You can pick brights and patterns like in the leotard pictured above, or go for more conservative options.  

Yumiko, another major custom dancewear brand available at http://global.yumiko-online.com/, recently introduced mesh as an option for some of their leotard styles.  At this time, mesh is only available in black and white.  

Body Wrappers debuted the Tiler Peck collection last spring, and since its debut, the line has rolled out many leos with mesh sleeves and other details.  This pick, available from discount dance and some local dance retailers, features a polka dot design on the mesh sleeves.

Dancewear trend: warm up booties

This slipper-like boot from Bloch is all the rage as the weather cools down.  Dancers of all styles know it's important to have warm, supple feet before hitting the studio or the stage.  The swishy polyester outer, nylon inner lining, and fluffy poly filling work together to keep the feet toasty in the same way a down quilt works to keep you warm in bed.

Warm up booties can be worn over bare feet, socks, or any dance shoes without heels (including pointe shoes).  In addition to keeping the feet warm, they protect the shoes and the floor from damage like scratches and scrapes.

In general, these boots come in red, purple, dark blue, and gray.  Some special edition colors like the light pink shown above are available, but they won't be around for long.  The warm up booties retail for between $36 and $45 for adult sizes (sometimes children's sizes are available too, they start at $31).

If you can't shell out that much for a warm-up bootie, thick socks or boot-like house slippers can work too.  They provide warmth and coverage in the same manner.  However, fabric socks and slippers don't last as long as the polyester boots.

Dancewear to show your style

Feel like your usual dancewear doesn't show your street style?  Get ready to revolutionize your dance wardrobe.  I've put together some looks to fit some popular styles: classic, glam, sporty, and rocker.  Every look starts with a leotard base (you can absolutely sub your class uniform leo for the ones I'm showing) and can be tailored with warm-ups and accessories.  All these items are available from discountdance.com!

 Classic Style

The classic style uses basic colors like black, pink, blue, and white.  This look is soft and sophisticated.

Items: Svetlana 3/4 sleeve leotard (Mariia), chiffon wrap skirt (Capezio), 36" stirrup legwarmers (Body Wrappers), Carmen wrap sweater (Wear Moi), 2" rhinestone wave bobby pins (Go Girl!), Mademoiselle nail polish (Essie)


Rocker Style

The rocker style utilizes mostly black and red.  This look also incorporates leather, lace, and animal prints!

Items: Faux leather Magdalene high neck leotard (Bloch), short lace skirt (Natalie), zebra legwarmers (Dasha), cropped knit sweater (Natalie), booties (Bloch), cosmic black glitter nail polish (China Glaze)


Glam Style

This look features bright pinks, purples, and blues, as well as more subdued accents.  Stylish cutouts and fun sparkle bring everything together.

Items: Halter leotard (Bloch), pull on skirt (Mirella),  Idra skinny full length multi color legwarmers (Wear Moi), knit sweater (Grishko), 17MM Swarovski crystal earrings (Dasha), Sparkle-icious nail polish (OPI)


Sporty Style

The sporty style includes athletic cuts.  The colors are mostly neutral gray and black with some bright accents.

Items: Racer back tank leotard (Natalie), full circle roll down waist skirt (Body Wrappers), bright stirrup legwarmers (Sansha), 3/4 sleeve sweatshirt (Natalie), ripstop dance short (Body Wrappers), playa del platinum nail polish (Essie)

Which look is your favorite?  Do you have a different style that 's all your own?  Leave a comment!

Dancewear trend: high-waisted shorts

For styles like modern, jazz, and tap, these high-waisted spandex shorts are super stylish.  They can be worn "up" like in the photo on the right, or rolled down like in the photo on the left.  

If you wear bra tops with your shorts, wearing the high waisted shorts "up" can be a little more modest.  It's also a good option for dancers with more in the tummy area; wearing them "up" can cut down on muffin top.  Dancers with long torsos can wear the shorts "up" to make the torso look shorter and the legs look longer.

Rolling the shorts down is also an option.  This looks super cute paired with a tank or t-shirt that hits between the waist and hips.

Do you like wearing high-waisted shorts to class?  Leave a comment!

Dancewear trend: warm up overalls

The warm up overall (or jumper) trend has been on the rise for about two years now, and it just keeps getting hotter!  Literally.  These garments, which resemble cuddly pants with an attached tank top, keep dancers cozy on cold mornings in the studio.  

Warm up overalls come from many brands and in many fabrics and styles.  The ones pictured are from Sansha and are a fleece fabric.  Body Wrappers makes one in their ripstop fabric.  I have one from Grishko that is knit.  The major unifying factors are a long pant leg and a top with straps (some options have shorts or a long sleeved top, but those styles seem less popular).

A feature of this style is that the top part can be worn "up" as shown in the photo or "down," folded around the waist.  In general, wearing the jumper "down" is more stylish.  Also, having a double layer of fabric around the hips helps keep them warmer.  If you wear low-back leotards, wearing the top "up" can cover your back and keep that area warmer.  

These warm up overalls are excellent for a cold studio.  They can look a little goofy, especially if you wear them out after class.  To make a jumper a little more fashionable, fold down the top and pair it with a long , non-bulky sweater to balance your proportions.  

Do you like warm-up overalls or jumpers?  Leave a comment!

Dancewear trend: trash bag shorts and pants

It seems like just about every ballet dancer has a trash bag short, pant, or both.  At my studio, they are popular in modern dance as well.  Juliet Doherty, dancer at the San Francisco Ballet School, YAGP winner, and Discount Dance model named trash bag shorts as one of her top "insider picks" for Discountdance.com's blog for August 2014.  Google pictures of professional dancers in class, and you will find pics of everyone from Polina Semionova to Beckanne Sisk wearing these swishy pants.

Also called ripstop pants or sauna pants, these loose and somewhat goofy looking garments have been going in and out of style forever.  The technology behind them is nothing new: wear fabric that is not breathable, and your body will get warmer and sweat more.  There is no doubt that it works.  Wearing trash bag pants during warm up or backstage before a performance will ensure that the legs (especially the hips) are warmed up enough to dance without injury.  

When I first saw these shorts and pants, I thought the were a little funny looking, but now I use them regularly to warm up my body.  As far as fashion goes, these garments can sometimes make wide hips look wider, and their baggy style can swallow up tiny dancers, so be aware if this concerns you.  However, since the main goal is function, don't worry too much about how you look.  Be more concerned about how the non breathable fabric warms the body like nothing else.  

Check out style numbers BW764 (shorts) and BW701 (pants)

Do you like trash bag pants?  Leave a comment!

Dancewear trend: graphic T-shirts (plus update)

San Francisco Ballet School's Juliet Doherty named graphic T-shirts like this one as one of her Insider Picks for Discount Dance for August 2014.  Shirts like this one are appearing everywhere; my local dancewear store recently brought in a huge shipment.  

Cute T-shrits with dance graphics are popular right now because cooler fall weather hasn't set in quite yet.  It isn't time for super snuggly warm ups quite yet; a T-shirt is enough to keep the AC from being too cold during warm up.  

These shirts are also awesome form transitioning from studio to street.  Throw on a graphic T and some yoga pants over your leotard, and you're ready to run for a latte.  

Do you like T-shirts with dance graphics?  Leave a comment!

Update on my social media presence:  I am now on YouTube and Instagram, so please follow me on both!  I am starting a new photo journal on Instagram, #dailydancewear.  Every day I go to dance, I will post a photo of the dancewear that I wore, along with the brands of the products.  My goal is just to show what I like and wear often and give dancers ideas for outfits to put together.  I hope you find it informative and fun!