Vivacious Jeannie dances on the other side of the Twin Cities from ourstudio, at The Tropical Ballroom. Although I doubt she set out to get a gown that would represent herstudio, our results call to mind a tropical paradise for me, both because of theprofusion of pink blossoms and the lushness of the deep spruce green velvet fabric.Pretty, dark-haired Jeannie did the homework I alwaysrequest of my clients, and brought with her to her design meeting severalinspiration images.  Some wereillustrations of style silhouettes she liked, and a couple were ideas for skirtfinishes and details.  She carried in arich suede jacket that represented the color of her dream gown, and she alsobrought a friend, but that is another blog post entirely!I knew from the moment I saw the jacket that I would be doing some hunting to find the color she wanted, in four fabrics: a lycra for the bodysuit, soft sheer ...

WOW!  That is the word that best describes what I saw when I watched my client Ed dance at the Snow Ball.  I could use some other words.  Like fast, powerful, controlled, and expressive, but this is supposed to be a blog about costumes. I really need to spend more energy featuring the men of Made for Movement.  Since they almost always wear black, and are intended to provide both a physical and visual frame for the ladies they partner, it's very easy to let them slip away in to the background.  But they really look great.We like to try to help all of our clients, men included, find a powerful competitive image for themselves that flatters and emphasizes their movement and body, but also reveals something of their personal character.  Ed works in the banking industry, and we wanted to hint at that with his double breasted, immaculate, and ...

Made for Movement was born 25 years ago this month, in 1987, and a little celebrating is in order.We have had 4 different locations, and by my estimate, created nearly 1000 costumes for Twin Cities competitive ballroom dancers in those years.  I believe I have managed to make the things I love the most; 3 dimensional design, beautiful fabrics, all things sparkly, and dance, into a perfect career.As I finish the last of three new gowns for the Snowball this weekend, I wanted to look back a little, and look ahead as well.First, let's look ahead.  Of greatest importance, I want you to know that we are raising our rates this year.  Each year, the cost of rhinestones, fabric and notions goes up, but Made for Movement has charged the same hourly rate for our labor since 2005!  After seven years of holding the line, it's time for an increase. ...

Sometimes, a color is all important.  Patty came to my studio in search of the perfect emerald green for a new Rhythm gown.  Ballroom fabric suppliers provide a beautiful vibrantly pure (and sometimes neon) array of colors in a variety of fabrics, but greens for the last several years have been more on the yellow side of the color wheel than on the blue.  And Patty's dream color was on the blue side.  She had seen Oscar gowns in this magical but elusive color and nothing else would work. I think she was especially interested because her red hair is a new adventure for this octogenarian(!), and she really wanted to feature and flatter her spicy auburn.  Doesn't she look fantastic?Her friend Randee came to her design meeting and helped work out our design.  Digging through my sources and scraps, we found a piece of silk in the perfect color ...