Conquering Costumes
By Charlotte Klein

A veteran studio owner's foolproof guide to managing costumes

My husband and I own two schools in Worcester and Westborough, MA, with a total of four recitals between both schools. Fifty years of experience has taught me a few things about how to be organized, efficient, and cost-effective with my costume orders.

I used to spend many hours researching a theme and music to go along with it; then I would order one or two backdrops that related to that theme. Then I attended my daughter’s third-grade play, and I realized that parents are interested only in watching their children perform, regardless of the theme of the play or the size of their child’s part. That was a revelation for me. Now I feel that the purpose of a recital is to show what the children have accomplished, and I let the dance speak for itself.

That means no backdrops, scenery, or props—just beautiful lighting, perhaps with some gobos, on a light blue or white cyc to enhance the colors of the costumes. Instead of doing all that research, I use my time and energy to listen to and approve of the music that my teachers select for their classes and offer suggestions to help them with their choreography.

Planning ahead for costumes allows you to take advantage of quantity discounts and assures you of early deliveries, so that there’s plenty of time to make exchanges if necessary. Costume catalogs arrive earlier than they used to, beginning in September or October. My planning starts as soon as they appear in my mailbox. I get some ideas by browsing through them and marking those that I might want to order. I encourage my faculty to help me by selecting their classes’ costumes (with my approval on the final choices). Sometimes we order costumes before we’ve selected music; since so many of them are generic, especially for the little ones, they’ll go well with any music. I try to mail the majority of my costume orders before the Christmas break. (Most companies’ discounts are applicable until January 15.)

To get organized, you need to have information at your fingertips. I find that creating a spreadsheet is the best way to keep the details available in a quick-reference format, and it’s easy to update. I happen to use Quattro Pro, but any spreadsheet program should work.

List all your classes by levels from the youngest to the oldest students, combining all classes from all schools, if you have more than one.

Identify each location; for example, I use a T to denote the Worcester studio (because it’s in Tatnuck Square) and a W for the Westborough location. When there are multiple classes of the same level and type, I list them one right after the other on the spreadsheet. For example, when I have four creative movement classes I place each one in a different recital so that I can order the same costume for all of them. It saves time, creates fewer costume decisions, results in fewer orders to prepare, and the costume companies love it. It’s a “win-win” for all involved.

I include the following categories on the spreadsheet (abbreviated on the sheets): Class Code; Class/Level; Day/Time/Studio; Location (T or W); Teacher; Student Count; Recital 1, 2, 3, or 4; Costume Company; Page #; Style #; Description; Color; Cost Child; Cost Adult (these are our costs); Price (may be separated for Child and Adult sizes if I don’t charge a flat price for them).

Also leave a column for “Additional Notes”, to include tights or other accessories.

My spreadsheet is large, about six pages. I print it in landscape format on six legal-size sheets, then I tape them together and cut off the excess paper to make them easier to handle. This way I have all the information for each class on one line, and all the classes from both studios (approximately 100) combined on the three horizontal sheets. All my costume information is available to me at a glance.

We buy lots of tights at a quantity discount, ordering several extra dozen in various sizes to allow for exchanges, and pack them in with the costumes before they are sent home. (The store that supplies us allows us to return unused tights for credit after the recitals.) We require that all families pay for costumes and tights in full before they can take them home and before they can purchase recital tickets.

We request a $50 deposit per class or a $200 deposit for four or more costumes per child, due by November 15. Balances, if any, for costumes, tights, or accessories are billed in March. We charge no more than $50 for many of the young children’s costumes (ages 2 to 8). We may charge an extra $5 for some classes and up to $30 per costume above the deposit for older students’ recital costumes, if they will wear them for competitions and performances for the next season.

When you’re juggling multiple schools and recitals, efficiency is essential. By keeping production elements simple, planning ahead, and using top-notch organizational skills, you’ll find that the process of choosing and ordering costumes is easily conquered.
 

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