To Train or Not to Train? That Is the Question

Warning: This is not a blog post pitting fitness buffs vs. couch potatoes. This is a fashion blog, after all, so this post will be discussing what to expect if you want to feature a train on your formal dress.
The train has long been a feature of bridal gowns, but other formal dresses also are enhanced with mostly shorter trains.

The History of Bridal Gown Trains

Bridal gown trains date back to the Middle Ages when the length of a train reflected rank within the court of royalty. A bride could prove she was worthy to marry into another royal family if her family could afford the yards and yards of expensive fabric that went into creating the train. Queen Victoria is credited with starting the tradition of having her bridesmaids carry her train into the cathedral.
Naturally, these styles found appeal among the non-royal classes and the wedding dress train became a tradition throughout western society. During the 20th century, trains fell out of favor as brides sought to show only the latest fashions, but they have returned to prominence again as brides strive to reflect traditional values.
The train and its length set the tone for the formality of the wedding, as well.

Train Styles

Traditionally, the train is merely an extension of the hemline in the back of the dress. Again, the length will be determined by how formal you want your wedding to be. A brush or sweep train will extend only 6-12 inches onto the floor or you can opt for a cathedral style that will extend more than a yard onto the floor. 
You also have other options. A Watteau train is one that attaches at the shoulders. You also can consider a detachable train that fastens at the waistline, either in a belt style that can easily be unfastened or one that snaps or buttons across the back. These styles are considered slightly less formal.
Many other formal dresses also feature a train these days, typically more the brush style. The advantage with a formal dress is the sweeping look it provides, especially as you enter an event, letting you "announce" your presence. 

What to Do with the Train

Once you've decided on a train, you'll also be concerned about how you are going to navigate through your evening with all that extra fabric.
A wedding gown often will feature a bustle, whereby you gather up the train and attach it to the back of the dress, creating a beautiful look with the extra fabric.
With a smaller train and a simpler fabric, you can add a loop to the train that you can hook to your wrist or finger so you can carry the extra fabric and not have to worry about others stepping on it.
Of course, if you opted for a detachable train, you simply detach it and put it in a safe place.
If dealing with a train seems like too much of a hassle, your best options are to choose a dress with no train or pay your seamstress to cut off the train while hemming the dress.

7 Advantages of Buying a Tuxedo

Whether you're planning a wedding, thinking ahead to prom, eyeing a cruise or dreading going to your wife's club's formal dinner, you likely think you're in the market to rent a tuxedo. But have you ever considered the advantages of purchasing a tuxedo?
You might think purchasing a tuxedo is too cost prohibitive, but we'll go over that and some of the other advantages of owning your own tuxedo:
• Not Too Costly: Based on the costs of suits in many men's stores, you certainly could get the impression that owning a tuxedo would be a major investment. Would you change your mind if we told you that you could get tuxedo pants and jacket for as little as $200? Add in the cost of a shirt, vest and tie and you could own your tuxedo for less than the cost of two rentals. Even if you're just thinking about for prom, you'll probably go your junior and senior years. Of course, if you're a performer, you've already done this math and made the decision to own a tux.
• Get a Tailored Look: With a rental tux, we'll do our best to get you just the look you want, but it is a rental tuxedo with adjustable parts. If you purchase a tuxedo, you can get it tailored to fit your body and your preferred style.

• Reflect Your Personality: While you can't go wrong with a basic black tux, you can find tuxedos in a rainbow of colors and even, new this year, paisley tuxedo jackets.
• Change Your Look: If you're involved in different events and want to keep matching your date's/spouse's/significant other's look, you can easily rent or buy a new vest and tie to match the occasion.
• No Time Constraints: If you're heading out of town for a wedding or other event, there's no rush to return your own tuxedo. With a rental, you have to return by the following business day or make other arrangement. And even though our provider offers a two-week rental special price, you're still going to be approaching the purchase cost.

• You're Ready to Rock 'n' Roll: With a tux hanging in your closet, you're ready to go, even if you receive a late invitation. Or maybe you just want to be the best-dressed guy at a New Year's Eve party.
• Incentive to Stay in Shape: Imagine if 20 years down the road you can say you still fit in your high school tux. (OK, maybe that's not much of an incentive, but every little bit helps.)
If any of these advantages applies to you, we're happy to help you get into your brand-new tuxedo. Of course, we're still pleased to help you with a rental if that's what you prefer — after all, we understand that each of your friends is going to want a different color or style of tuxedo for his/her wedding and you might want to shake up your look for prom.
You can take a peek at some of the options at our tuxedo rental company, Jim's Formalwear, but we have more options as well.

What the Heck Is Brocade? And Why Is It Gaining Popularity in Formal Dresses?

If you don't have a vision of what brocade fabric might be, you could think back to your grandmother's or maybe your great-grandmother's house, and those heavy but soft to the touch drapes.
When floral prints became popular in prom dresses a few years back, designers took notice and realized they could create an even richer experience by turning to brocade fabrics.

What Is Brocade?

Brocade fabric actually has been around for centuries, but originally was worn only by royalty and the wealthy because it was expensive to make.
The original brocade was woven by hand, primarily from silk, both factors in driving up the cost. But the invention of the jacquard loom made the process simpler and improving fabrics expanded options, all bringing the price in line with more common consumer styles.
The good news in all of these changes is that brocade did not lose the rich colors and texture that made it look like only royalty could afford it, meaning you can wear brocade and look like the queen you want to be.

Features of Brocade

The shuttle weave used to create brocade gives it an embossed or embroidered look, but with a smooth, soft finish. Floating yarns appear on the back side of the cloth, meaning the fabric cannot be reversible.
Metallic fibers frequently are woven into the pattern, adding to the luxuriousness of the look. Beading can be added, but the fabric normally has its own glow, so it's not really necessary to create a stunning look.
Tissura fabric company describes the two categories brocade normally falls in:
• Continuous Brocade: This is where weft threads (the horizontal threads that weave in and out of the straight vertical threads, aka warp threads) are left floating on the back or cut off.
• Discontinuous Brocade: In this style, extra yarns are woven into the fabric to create a distinctive pattern.
All of this may be more information than you want to know about your prom or formal dress, but what's important to know is that if you choose a brocade dress for your event, you'll be following in the footsteps of royalty and wowing those around you.

Like Visiting with an Old Friend

When ETC boutique began cultivating the formal wear business many years ago, we were determined to meet a few criteria when deciding which lines of dresses to bring to Central Kansas.

First, the styles needed to be unique as we wanted to promise our customers we would not sell the same dress to someone in the same event and then have the dress show up from another store nearby.
Second, the quality of the dresses must be what our customers deserve. With a trained seamstress on board, we could determine right away whether the dresses would stand up to alterations and the rigors of a busy and fun special event, be that prom, a wedding, a quinceañera, a military ball or whatever.
Third, the price must be suitable for our Kansas consumers. With awards shows on TV, the Internet and Pinterest, it's pretty easy for ladies to spot the perfect dress, but it's another matter whether they can afford to spend money on that dress for one night. Of course, money isn't everything when it comes to making memories, but it certainly can be a factor.

A Favorite Line of Formal Dresses

One of the first companies we worked with because it met all of those criteria was Karishma Creations, based in Texas. They had a number of wonderful staff members with many years in the business and created great lines of dresses that could wow our customers and still be within reach for our Kansas folks. When we attended their fashion shows, they would direct the models to our table so we could touch and feel the fabrics and examine the quality of the construction.
As sometimes happens though in business, their prices began to creep higher, eventually exceeding what we felt the Kansas market would withstand. The quality and uniqueness never waned, so we stayed in touch but had to bring in other lines of dresses.

However, for 2019, we are excited to bring Karishma Creations back to Kansas, with the quality, uniqueness and price that our customers deserve. The Envious Couture and Zasa Chic lines will be represented in our store, and customers also will have access to their Camila Q quineañera and Adagio bridal and bridesmaids lines through special order.
We are eagerly awaiting our first shipment of Envious and Zasa dresses, but, in the meantime, you can access their website or visit our store and see the Spring 2019 catalogs.