Untill now I took care of my own costumes. Me and parents were busy sewing skirts and dresses in the past. I collected them and are going to sell them now. That money will be used to buy costumes from companies you all know.
I have found companies and costumes, that is not my problem.

But I see online all these shippingdates. What do I do with them?

Leosdancewear:
Approximate Ship Date - Week of: February 23, 2009
Does this mean that in that week ALL orders are ready and will be send? I can't believe that. It would make more sense to me that studio say a deadline and costumes are send before that deadline, and that could be after February 23.

Also Leosdancewear:
Availability of costumes after May 31 will be due to fabric availability and manufacturing requirements.
I understand this, but isn't there a chance when too many studios order the same costume, they run out of fabric a lot earlier?

When I read posts I understand most studios order in January. Could you advice me to order before January to avoid the crowd?

What happens when a costume is not delivered in time? Do you get a refund? 100% or just a bit?

How often is a costume badly sewed or otherwise not okay?

Any other advice is welcome for this newbie!

The ship dates are based on the assumption that you are ordering TODAY. You may check next week and find that their ship dates have changed. Typically, if you order early, you should have no issues getting your costumes on time. Once you start to order in February or later, you may find that the ship date does not meet your recital date. It's generally a 10 - 12 week turn around.

If you have the ability to order early, do so. There is no good reason to wait if you have the funds and know what costumes you are getting. There are also Early Ordering Discounts available with many costume companies if you purchase enough quantity and before a certain date.

If you are not ordering early, make sure you frequently check their current ship dates to make sure you are within your show date.

Last year, I had to wait to order from Weissman's and they had a posted ship date that was reasonable. The next week I went on-line to place the order and their ship date had moved three weeks out and I made my show date by the skin of my teeth.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE SHIP DATES!

The studio I am with now orders all of their costumes in January, and sometimes its a close call. At my former studios, and when I need costumes for my other projects, Thanksgiving week is usually the deadline. This practice has always allowed us to have our costumes by March...which is when we had our pictures and things. we never had an issue with late costumes ordering in November.

Also - the companies don't just start making your costumes when you place the order. They process them in batches. So once they reach their quota for a specific batch of costumes they put them into production.

This is why they have shipping dates. If you get your order in before that batch deadline theoretically your order should ship by that date.

Keep good records, read all the little paragraphs and charts in the costume book and pay attention to those ship dates, they change.

I always have my ordering done before Christmas vacation. I use to work for someone who waited til the end of January. The costumes were never on time for the shows, and honestly I think the stuff made later in the season is not as good of quality.

We use to order in January - the first week or two, NOT anymore. The turnaround time can be 12-16 weeks or longer that time of year. We now order middle of December, before the Holidays. Last year I ordered right after Christmas as I could not get in touch with some companies the week of Christmas and I did get them on time, but did have to switch a few costumes around as they were already "out of stock" or back ordered. That was irritating but at least the company did not promise me something and then not deliver.

You will figure out who to order from and who not to. Search the board for posts regarding this.
As far as money back, it is a gamble. Most companies now say that if they don't have your costumes on time you get your money back, but for us one year that meant me having to fork out more of the studio money to order new costumes and hope the other company would give me a refund.

Gotta love costumes!

We order around the second week of December. Many times we get the costumes in January before we even show pictures to the parents. It all depends really on the company. I will tell you that the earlier you order, the better the quality. Later on, the company is trying to make deadlines so manufacturing is done rapidly and not as closely monitored on quality as usual.

You should get a confirmation on all your orders that will indicate the approximate ship date - make sure you check these and contact the company if you need them shipped earlier. As much as companies ask for your deadlines (recital/picture dates) pretty much everything is shipped out first come, first served.

Good luck. Costume ordering can be frustrating. After 18 years I no longer panic about it.

I did not mention that my show is in late June, that's why I can order late January, BUT if you are having a May/early June show, order in December if possible.