Ballet tights - recommendations please!

[4KookieKids]

So I'm starting to get the idea that I should take out stock in a tights company. DD5 started ballet this year, and we're going through tights like crazy, but she's not being careless - just young and doing normal things for her age.

 

So I'm looking for *either* quality tights that will be more durable OR cheap tights that I won't mind replacing frequently. I'm completely new to everything ballet and have made a lot of dumb mistakes so far (e.g., signing her up at the nearest dance school instead of researching it, and having her spend her first month of "ballet/tap instruction" learning how to twerk before moving her to a different school....) so I'd just like to figure out what I need to do and know about tights while we're still pretty early in the game! :)

[edelweiss]

We have had good luck with Prima Soft tights and Capezio Professional Mesh tights. Both of those brands typically last my daughter a whole year.

[amsunshine]

My vote would be for the Body Wrappers or Capezio mesh tights.  Mesh tights tend to be a bit thicker and have lasted longer for my dds than the others.  However, in general they prefer to wear the Capezio ultra soft tights.  They are fairly durable and very comfortable.  My dds are older now, but have been dancing since they were 4/5 yrs old.  These are the tights they've preferred through the years.

[Storygirl]

At that age, we just used tights from Target. They were inexpensive to replace. We switched to ballet tights from a dance store around grade three. DD14 has never been particularly hard on tights, but she does have a huge collection now (she dances ballet five to six days a week).

 

You might be able to help her preserve them. Have her put on a pair of sweats or warm up pants as soon as she is dressed in her tights and leo. Keep them covered until she is ready to go into her ballet class, and have her put her pants back over them as soon as she is done with class.

 

Also, make sure she is careful when putting them on. She should gather one leg of the tights into her hand, until she can just put her toes in (the rest of the "leg" will be bunched up in her hand). Slide the toes in, then slowly unroll the tights up to her knee. Then do the same for the other leg. Once both sides are at knee level, slowly shimmy them up over her hips. If she needs to hike them up, pull gently from the ankle or the knees (wherever it is baggy) and slowly pull them up. Never yank. Never stick the fingers hard into the fabric.

 

When my girls were little, I helped them with their tights, because it's hard to do it gently.

[Miss Tick]

You perhaps already know that most runs and holes can be stopped from growing by painting the edge (or the short side of a run) with clear nail polish. Do this before she takes them off. At our dance school tights with holes it runs are not a problem in class (or rehearsal).

[Forget-Me-Not]

When my DD was in dance around that age, I found the Bloch tights lasted forever. I think they ran $10-12/pair at the local dance place, but they stayed nice for a very long time. I would machine wash them on gentle in a lingerie bag and hang them to dry.

[kitten18]

When my DD was in dance around that age, I found the Bloch tights lasted forever. I think they ran $10-12/pair at the local dance place, but they stayed nice for a very long time. I would machine wash them on gentle in a lingerie bag and hang them to dry.

Yes, at that age, the Bloch Endura tights lasted forever.

 

When she switched to convertible tights, the Bloch tights weren't nearly as durable as the footed tights.

Now DD wears Theatricals (from discount dance or all about dance) convertible tights, they're around $6/pair and we think they're great.

[Rebel Yell]

Size up. The tights will still fit, but won't be stretched so thin that they'll be prone to rips.

 

Capezio mesh last forever, but aren't as stretchy. I had a single pair last two years each through three girls.

 

Balera, the "Generic" brand from dancewearsolutions are great quality at a decent price.

 

Always have her change into and out of tights at the studio if possible, and wear a warmup or coverup to protect tights in the waiting room. Rips rarely happen during the actual class itself.

 

If your studio requires a specific brand and color of tights for the recital I size up, and they ONLY wear them for recital and pictures. My girls hated our studios preferred brand, so I washed and reused the same tights for at least 8 years when they were teens and no longer growing.

[Lady Marmalade]

Echoing the recommendations for Bloch Endura.  Every year I would buy all new tights for the Nutcracker performances in December, and those tights would literally last us all year until I needed to buy new ones for the next Nutcracker- and that was dancing several days a week even at the age of 7.  

 

If we needed tights for anything outside of dance, DD still wore dance tights because they are so crazy durable, AND they stay up, unlike cheap box store tights that need to be hiked up all day long.  No special protection was required, they just lasted.  I also bought them a size up, and that in itself made them more comfortable for her. 

 

Now she wears Capezios and they don't last quite as long, but our studio prefers them. 

[Suzanne115]

I would recommend Body Wrappers.  They always seem to last very well for us.  We are at a studio now that requires we use a different brand and they aren't nearly as nice.  You can order tights much cheaper at Discount Dance than I could buy locally.  I would buy one pair locally to test the fit and then order the rest.

 

Suzanne

[Ali in OR]

We use Body Wrappers also--buy one pair for recital and they last until the next year's recital.

[Caclcoca]

We used Bloch tights too. I would buy a pair for my daughter for recital, and then that pair would be her class pair for the next year.  We always had to size up because she was long and thin.

[4KookieKids]

Thanks, all! I already told her I'm going to help her put them on in the future, because I know she was just yanking them too hard. She loves wearing her ballet outfit, that it may take me some time to get her to warm up to the idea of wearing pants over her tights, but that's a great idea. Thanks so much!

[ktgrok]

ugh, you guys are making me sad that my daughter dropped dance this year. (we have church and American heritage girls this year, both new, and three nights in a row of activities was too much for her and I)

[TCB]

We always buy Bloch too. They are the best we've found and really last a long time.

[Guest]

I only use capezio, they're much harder to put a hole in. And I do not let the girls walk around in them without shoes or ballet slippers on, which prevents a lot of damage as well.

[magnificent_baby]

Capezio ultra soft. They last the longest for us and are my picky DD's first preference. I get them from Amazon, which seems to be the best deal and so easy to order. They are never out of her size or color that she needs at the time. When in doubt order the bigger size! I really think this helps them last longer when there's a little more give.