Why are Irsh dresses so expensive?

[Reese]

Wasn't sure where to put this. I was just wondering why are irish dresses so expensive.

Is it because of the material, how long it takes to make the dress. Or are the dresses hard to make?

It costs so much money, so I just wondered.

[Irishismylife]

It is mostly the cost of all those beautiful fabrics

[worldchampion]

I think it's because the fabrics being used now are more expensive than the simple ones used a while ago... we have lots of sparkles and prints and custom dyed fabrics just for our dresses. we also have stiffener... i was going to make a dress and that was one of the MOST EXPENSIVE things on the list of stuff for a dress... it was like 50$ for a yard of it.

[treblemaker62]

I think it's because of the fabrics and the intricate (sp?) designs. A lot of it is hand done and they can be very elaborate.

[anam_mor]

The designs are so tricky, and the fabric and sparkles are very expensive.

[Eire _ girl]

Allot of the fabric is imported from overseas,as well as the dress maker's over head cost and ofcourse the time all go into play aswell.

[sparebutton]

Yes they are so expensive and when you get one made it will only last till you grow out of it as there is room for alteration but the dress never looks the same after the alteration and depending what knid of material it is it also might mark the costume..

[Sweetpea]

I would say the main reason is that the dresses are so labour-intensive to make. They are not mass-produced like dresses we buy in shops (that means the factory makes thousands of the same ones on machines), but each dance dress is made by hand, and all the decorations sewn on by hand. That takes many, many hours. I do think the dresses (as well as the wigs and make-up) have gone totally overboard, and I feel very sorry for girls whose parents cannot afford the whole "look".

[sparebutton]

I would say the main reason is that the dresses are so labour-intensive to make. They are not mass-produced like dresses we buy in shops (that means the factory makes thousands of the same ones on machines), but each dance dress is made by hand, and all the decorations sewn on by hand. That takes many, many hours. I do think the dresses (as well as the wigs and make-up) have gone totally overboard, and I feel very sorry for girls whose parents cannot afford the whole "look".

Well siad sweetpea!!1

[reeltreble4287]

i think it is the fabric and time and labor that go into making them. like sweetpea said they are all of one of a kind.

[dancingdollsmam]

Well siad sweetpea!!1

I have to agree with sweetpea, we've just paid for a new costume and still have to sell the old one, plus she needs new lights and wig for All-irelands I have to admit its a real struggle to keep up sometimes, Dancingdoll would much rather dance in her leotard and wrap skirt, no wig, no tan, shes not allowed make-up in her age yet.

[treblegirl]

I think it's the fabric. The "big" designers don't take too long to make them, my last one took them 6 days, but I think that they might charge for their name too.

[fantastic-dancer]

I would say the main reason is that the dresses are so labour-intensive to make. They are not mass-produced like dresses we buy in shops (that means the factory makes thousands of the same ones on machines), but each dance dress is made by hand, and all the decorations sewn on by hand. That takes many, many hours. I do think the dresses (as well as the wigs and make-up) have gone totally overboard, and I feel very sorry for girls whose parents cannot afford the whole "look".

Well said Sweepea. You surely are judged on you dancing not the dress so why the expence.

[Shamrocksthename]

I think a lot of the cost comes from the fact that a lot of the work on the dresses has to be done by hand. There isn't a machine that can just sew a solo dress if you give it fabric and measurements, it takes a lot more work than that. Plus your dress is custom made for you so you have to pay for the design as well as the fabric and labor time. Its a very expensive process...

[reelbigmouth]

I can't even begin to imagine how long it would take to embroider a solo dress, it must be so over whelming. Think of it like this: cost of materials + lots of hard work and time= $
I think they are priced appropriatley. The thing that's costly is the rest of the ID accesories!!

[Xx-Heels-of-flame-xX]

Its the materials and fabrics and also the demand for dresses. Everyone wants a nice one.:)

[Heidegger]

Also, there is the supply and demand thing. Solo dresses cost a lot because people are willing to pay a lot for them!

[CuteDancer 11]

It really depends on the fabric, how much time you put into making it,ect.

[Kasia is Irish]

Also, there is the supply and demand thing. Solo dresses cost a lot because people are willing to pay a lot for them!

Yeah! This has a LOT to do with it! Lesser known designers sell dresses for cheaper than the more popular ones.

[grainne]

Wasn't sure where to put this. I was just wondering why are irish dresses so expensive.

Is it because of the material, how long it takes to make the dress. Or are the dresses hard to make?

It costs so much money, so I just wondered.

some materials can be very expensive and if you want stiffening the good stuff is fairly expensive. After that you're paying for the labour and the pleasure of having someone make it for you. My mam is making my new dress...it's nearly ready but it was a nightmare to make because we couldn't get a decent pattern.