Costume Care
Phone orders taken M-F, 9:30 am- 5:30 pm. Central Time.Designers available. Mail, and fax orders accepted.
The first time wearing
Put on your show-off costume. The suit will not fit unless the leg elastic and straps are adjusted properly.
Adjust your leg elastic by pulling firmly. Sew elastic in new place. Tuck in excess elastic in buttonhole. In the future, as suit gets tight, let elastic out ¼" for grow room.
If your costume has straps, adjust them so they fit firmly. Stitch them in place. We don't recommend hook and eyes. Adjust only in the back. Do not cut off too much of the excess straps. As you grow, you may want to let them out.
If we have sewn on your trim, you may hear stitches pop the first time you wear it - always check trim after each wearing. This is essential because of the stretch fabric.
Cleaning
Laundering or dry cleaning a trimmed costume is NOT RECOMMENDED. To keep the costume fresh - spot clean trouble areas after each wearing using Ivory Liquid Dish Soap, cold water, and a clean white towel for sponging and blotting.
Sequin fabric
Please be aware that sequin fabric is delicate. It is made by sewing strands of sequins onto the fabric in lines with a single thread. If one of the threads break, the strands will come away from the fabric. If that happens, the sequins should be hand stitched right away so that whole garment doesn't unravel. After stitching the sequins back down, the loose threads can be cut off to keep your garment looking nice.
Sequin fabric is great looking so a little care of your costume will go a long way and if the time is taken to care for the costume it will last a long time.
Zippers
In all show-off costumes we use zippers from one of the world's largest manufacturers. We use the invisible zipper because it looks the best.
Zippers are fragile. If handled roughly or pulled too hard, the fabric on the sides of the zipper feet can get a snag. If this happens, the zipper foot can get hooked inside the snag and make it too hard to zip properly.
All you have to do is to look close and as you are zipping, don't allow the foot to catch in the side fabric of the zipper.
If you zippers break they can be replaced.
Alteration
We offer alterations services for our costumes when they begin to get too small. Alterations can extend the life of your costume. Please re-measure your child according to our directions and enclose a note with the new measurements and information on what does not fit. Please include a daytime phone number for estimate and address for where the suit is to be returned. It is advisable that you phone our offices BEFORE shipping the costume back for alterations, as extra measurements and photos may be needed. If costumes are sent without prior notice return ship dates can not be guaranteed.
Enjoy your Show-Off costumes!