Thank you for 50 years of keeping theatre LIVE and Beautiful.
And a heartfelt thank you to everyone that spent time with us over the last 2 months.
We loved reminiscing with you!!
Our Arlington location is permanently closed, but we'll see you at Scarborough Faire in April!!
We will be monitoring email for those clients that still have costumes to pick up.
Measuring Made Seemless
pun intended....
DO
…Use our NEW MEASURING CHART which has been updated and is more user-friendly!!
…Completely and legibly fill out your costume measuring sheet for FOR EVERY ACTOR.
…Tell us all of your dates AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE--size/item availability depends on this.
…Turn in your PO request to the district (if applicable) AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE--we will NOT select your costumes until PO's are received by our office. (WE CANNOT accept just a PO number). And if a Booster Club is paying your fees, please make sure you have filled out a Booster Club Guarantee form as well.
…Assess what your cast or costume stash can supply to contain your cost and cross them off the plot when ordering. We are happy to advise you on this on a show by show basis, just ask!
…Give us a clear vision for your show so that we can collaborate with you on the costumes and when you receive them, they are what you are expecting. We want you to have the look you want at the budget you can afford to make you show look amazing!
…READ YOUR COSTUME INVENTORY!!! There are often instructions on costume items and when they should be used in your show.
…Make sure that your costumes are dry when recovering with plastic to return them.
…Return costumes with the correct cards attached, covered in plastic following the directions on the attached yellow tags to avoid restocking fees upon arrival back at Costumes by Dusty.
…Remember that Dusty’s acquires a lot of vintage garments and the size on a tag is probably not accurate due to sizes changing and alterations. We measure every garment to get it ready for each individual actor.
…Have an iron ready at the correct temperature for each item—even though we send the items out pressed, they sometimes wrinkle in transport. Simple alterations and repairs can be done on site. You MAY NOT use adhesives on our costumes or cut them in any way.
DON'T
…Rip up the plastic when you take it off your newly arrived costumes. Take it off carefully so that you can return the costumes bagged.
…Hesitate to tell us about things that don’t fit or ask us about pieces you don’t know how to wear.
…Wait until the last minute to order. We have peak seasons in costuming and if you turn in your order late, you may be limited on specialty items for shows such as BEAUTY & THE BEAST, LITTLE SHOP, ETC...
…Eat or drink while wearing the costumes.
…Use costumes around wet paint.
…Use excessive makeup that gets on the costumes. Neck makeup is usually not necessary and can damage costumes, which may result in additional fees.
…Forget to request makeup kits and other retail items and their pricing. If we don't have them in stock, we may have to order them and need a little extra time.
…Forget that WE DO NOT provide shoes.
WAYS TO SAVE MONEY
ON YOUR RENTALS
Always share your show and budget with us so that we can advise you on the way to most successfully costume your show within that financial budget. We have a lot of experience with this and would love to help you make your show look great and not break the bank.
Have boys bring their own pants-most roles call for boys to have dark pants or khakis with specifications to the students that these are plain. If the show calls for jeans, have them bring them AND instruct them as to the correct wash on the jeans.
Have boys and girls bring their own white button up shirt if this fits with your show. Provide specifics depending on the show/time period.
Provide some pictures pulled from internet for their reference of things they can bring and feel free to share with us so that we will have an even better understanding of your vision for your show.
Measuring your own students can save fees as well-make sure to watch our video AND record the measurements correctly and legibly. Don't hesitate to ask if you are not sure how to do a specific measurement and please get height and weight from students as this is crucial to correctly fitting costumes.
Turn in materials (contracts, measurements, show vision/specifics) as EARLY as possible to Costumes by Dusty.
Take care of the costumes while they are in your care to avoid any damages and fees.
Most important, we believe the Arts are essential to a student’s success across the educational realm.
DON'T
