<p>stradmom - how about a junior department? I’m not sure which major departments stores have nice junior sections but the one my daughter frequents is Macy’s:</p>
<p>[Macy’s|</a> Junior’s Clothing, Juniors Clothing, Junior Clothing, Junior Clothes, Juniors Clothes - Macy’s](<a href=“http://www1.macys.com/shop/juniors?id=16904&edge=hybrid]Macy’s|”>http://www1.macys.com/shop/juniors?id=16904&edge=hybrid)</p>
<p>She’s tall and their dresses are frequently too short on her so maybe they would be perfect for your daughters.</p>
<p>Think of a standard business pump for a shoe. Closed toe, 2-2.5 inch heel. DD got one in red to go with her back dress. It is one way to stand out. She has other colors for other dresses. And practice in them since musicamusica is right about it changing your body positioning. Also practice walking on and off so it is clean and easy.</p>
<p>I just unsubscribed to Guilt, Rue la la and My Habit. No need right now and I never found anything on them. Still have Idelli.</p>
<p>Stradmom—I live in an area with a huge Asian population and our petite departments at Nordstrom have fantastic clothes that “big boned” Swedes like myself drool over(I would imagine you can get the same online?) Plenty of selections for young women under 5 feet tall.</p>
<p>D’s dress for her upcoming junior recital was bought in December of her freshman year at Macy’s- great sale plus a store coupon, so we just put it away until needed. This one is red and she’s already bought THE senior recital dress too- BCBG and expensive even on sale, but drop-dead gorgeous and great for later competitions too. She always sings wearing heels, 3+ inches seem to be the ideal height for her. I’ve even found designer gowns on eBay at terrific prices and had them custom tailored. Always make sure that there is enough room to breathe- my D will sing in the dressing room too!
As for looking for a classic, knee length dress in black: check out the American Living collection at Penney’s…</p>
<p>We have two resale shops called “Savers” near us… the quality is great (proceeds to go big brothers big sisters). Whenever I’m nearby, I just stop in to check the gowns. Most look absolutely brand new – they were probably worn only once! I’ve picked up some great ones for only $20, leaving plenty of $$ for any necessary alterations.</p>
<p>You can start your own “what not to wear” by just looking at recitals on YouTube. Many of the dresses are just outright inappropriate. Others may have looked okay in a dressing room while standing stick straight with stomach sucked in tight, but once the singing starts, tightness across the abs is not attractive. The videos also demonstrate that the right undergarments mean a lot. If you find yourself looking at the dress rather than listening, then the choice is probably not right.</p>
<p>Thank you Mezzo’sMama for the JC Penny tip. I completely forgot about them. The problem with some of the other stores is that the dresses are either too short or too sexy! I wish that there was actually a “uniform” for these kids. I’ve looked at some back YouTube’s and it just looks sloppy with everyone dressed all different ways. JCP had a few appropriate dresses in the woman’s area and we’ll cross our fingers and hope they fit! At least I can return them locally. Not sure if she’s a 2 or 4. Depends on the dress since she’s more of a junior fit.</p>
<p>Some possibilities for black dresses on this site. I’m not familiar with the quality here, but with the coupon that is available for an extra 20% off, you can’t beat some of the prices. Check out the “Little Black Dress” section. </p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.bonton.com/]Bon-Ton[/url”>http://www.bonton.com/]Bon-Ton[/url</a>]</p>
<p>D recently had one of her first big A-house auditions . She wore this: [Adrianna</a> Papell Shimmer Crepe Jacket | Nordstrom](<a href=“http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/adrianna-papell-shimmer-crepe-jacket/3179256?origin=category]Adrianna”>http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/adrianna-papell-shimmer-crepe-jacket/3179256?origin=category) With her lucky closed toed black pumps.
<a href=“http://www.adriannapapell.com/collections?collection=fall_2011_evening[/url]”>www.adriannapapell.com/collections?collection=fall_2011_evening</a>
Adriana Papell is another great source for conservative concert and audition wear. Also nice and light weight for travel! I wanted to post these since I noticed several on sale at Nordies yesterday.</p>
<p>Those are awesome dresses. I’ve been reading this thread with a little envy, and an initial dose of sticker shock–until I took S shopping last week for his recital/audition/graduation suit and dropped 5 bills on it (a very nice Joseph Aboud on after-Christmas sale at Nordstrom :P).</p>
<p>My D (only 13) is a writer, not a musician, so I will likely never have the pleasure of shopping for a recital dress for her. Plus she really prefers to dress like a boy anyway :P…ah, 13 is such a great age!</p>
<p>I got this dress for D in a royal blue, no longer on the site. I didn’t realize it had a panel in the front that offers some tummy control. Fortunately, she is so thin, the panel doesn’t even touch her abdomen. It is very “non wrinkle” and could easily survive being packed in a carry on and look fine with a shake. She needed several dresses along these lines for her summer program this past summer. </p>
<p>[Elementz</a> B-Slim Dress, Three Quarter Sleeve V-Neck A-Line - Dresses - Women’s - Macy’s](<a href=“http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/elementz-b-slim-dress-three-quarter-sleeve-v-neck-a-line?ID=607889&PartnerID=EMAIL2&BannerID=240]Elementz”>http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/elementz-b-slim-dress-three-quarter-sleeve-v-neck-a-line?ID=607889&PartnerID=EMAIL2&BannerID=240)</p>
<p>This is the dress she may use for the MT part of her recital. She can be a little more daring for that portion of the program. The classical dress is more conservative, with shoulders covered. The dress is not as low cut on her as it is in the picture. She wanted one that “flows” a bit since she’ll be moving around a bit. </p>
<p>[Aidan</a> Mattox Beaded-Bodice Chiffon Gown, Blue - Neiman Marcus](<a href=“http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod133510060]Aidan”>http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod133510060)</p>
<p>Spanx can be a girl’s best friend! Since they provide a smooth line and support, a lot of singers love them. Another good thing to keep in the make-up kit is some “Hollywood Tape” which can be used to stick an errant strap in place or keep a neckline from gapping.</p>
<p>If any of you have curvier daughters, check out the UK store Pepperberry, <a href=“http://www.bravissimo.com/pepperberry/[/url]”>http://www.bravissimo.com/pepperberry/</a>. Each dress/blouse size comes in three bust sizes (curvy, really curvy and super curvy). We haven’t bought a recital dress yet, but we have bought a number of tops and casual dresses that are very flattering because they fit so well. If anyone needs information about comparing US and UK dress sizes, PM me. For another daughter, we were lucky enough to buy a Tadashi dress at a thrift store for $20! That was a real find.</p>
<p>Ditto on the Hollywood Tape - a must have. D has never used Spanx but she doesn’t like anything restrictive at all across her stomach when she sings so I don’t think she would like the feel.</p>