Clothing & Shoes

Please choose a link for information on: School Dresses & Headbands Championship Dresses Boys Costumes Dance Shoes Culkin School Gear Dress Exchange

Beginners Costumes

The Culkin School Beginner Costume consists of an embroidered t-shirt, an embroidered shawl, a skirt with built-in trunks, and tights. The skirt is worn by all levels as the summer and performance costume, so your dancer will likely use it quite a bit. The shawl can be returned for a full refund once your dancer moves into the school dress and no longer needs the shawl. The order form for the beginner costumes, including size charts for all items, is available in the Files section of the Culkin School Yahoo! Group. (You must be a group member and signed in to access the files.)

SKIRT SIZES

The following sizes are available:

- Child Small (fits waist 23-25, skirt length 10" from waist)
- Child Medium (fits waist 24-26, skirt length 14" from waist)
- Adult Small (fits waist 24-26,skirt length 15" from waist)
- Adult Medium (fits waist 26-29, skirt length 16" from waist)
- Adult Large (fits waist 29-32, skirt 16" from waist)

Please provide your dancer's waist measurement to BJ (measured at the belly button or widest point) and waist to knee measurement (measured from the belly button to the top of the kneecap where it joins the leg). If you would prefer, BJ can measure your dancer.

School Dress
The Culkin school dress was design by Sean and Maire McArdle and is elegant in its simplicity. All level II dancers and above are allowed to purchase the school dress if they wish.

View Close Up Photo of Costume Front and Costume Back

The current cost of school dresses is $335. The cost of the dress paid by the dancer/parent is $235.  The remaining cost is subsidized by the Culkin School.  Please contact our seamstress,  BJ Mason at bjandrick @ earthlink.net to schedule a fitting.  You may "trade-in" your used Culkin dress, provided it is in good condition, for a $100 credit on a new dress.

Instructions for cleaning your Culkin School dress are now available.  Follow this link to download the instructions (Word Document). Need help measuring your child for a dress? Follow this link to download the instructions. (Word Document)

NEW!! Alterations to school dresses are handled by Alison Mrohs. To schedule a fitting and for a alterations pricing list, please email Alison.

Championship Dresses

Championship level dancers compete in custom made elaborate costumes. Each dancer may choose a design that they particularly like and have a dress made for them.

There are many online resources available to find the exact dress you are seeking. The list of dressmakers at Ann's Place is a good starting points for a web search or check out our Links page for dressmakers previously used by Culkin School students.  Quality pre-owned dresses are also available for sale at area feiseanna and on the internet.  Visit Dance Again or the Culkin School Dress Exchange to view some of these dresses.

Links to local dressmakers and others who have worked with dancers from the Culkin School are available on our Links page.

Boys Costumes

The Culkin School boys costume consists of black pants with a long-sleeved black shirt dress shirt and the Culkin vest. The boy's vest has a black front and white back with the Culkin claddaugh design embroidered on the back. It is $55 and is available from our seamstress. Boys also wear white ties.

At the championships levels, dancers often wear cummerbunds with Celtic designs and may wear colored shirts. 

Adult Costumes

The adult dancers at the Culkin School wear a simple black, long sleeve stretch velvet dress which can be made or purchased commercially, though there is not a specific vendor at this time. A black, embroidered kite shaped shawl is also part of the adult costume and must be purchased for $40 from our seamstress.

For major ceili competitions, the adults wear a white shawl and white cuffs.

Summer Costumes

The Culkin School's summer performance costume is the same for all levels of dancers. Girls are asked to purchase the "beginner" skirt (also called the "performance/summer costume skirt" and the Culkin School white cap sleeve t-shirt. Boys may choose a Culkin School t-shirt to wear with black pants.

Adult students should purchase the adult version of the summer performance skirt and a Culkin Adults ring neck t-shirt. Contact your instructor for ordering information.

Dance Shoes

Irish Hard Shoe

The school uses three styles of shoes for the boy and girl dancers. Both use the traditional hard shoe with the heel and toe areas raised for the distinctive "sound" of the Irish Dance. Girls use ghillies for other dances, while boys use soft dance shoes (similar to jazz dance shoes).

The school organizes shoe exchanges at the beginning of the school year so that gently used footwear that has been outgrown finds new enthusiastic owners. Watch this website for more details on this year's program.

Girls Ghillies

New shoes are available locally at The Irish Walk, King Street, Alexandria (VA) 703-548-0118 and at Repeat Performance, 5050 Nicholson Lane, Rockville (MD) 301-881-0800. Also try Les Gals Activewear, Silver Spring, 301-608-3237. Area feiseanna are also a resource where you can view and try on dance shoes.

Other resources are: Irish and Celtic Treasures 410-933-6700, Rutherford Shoes 716-392-7707, and Fay's Shoes 914-237-1435. There is also a list of vendors available at  Ann's Place.  Check out our Links page for a complete list

Shoe repair can be performed locally at Stern's, 1046 Ripley St., Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-588-2986 FAX 301-588-4922. They have good turn around time and even done emergency work on occasion.

Culkin School Logo Gear

Culkin sweatshirts are the "uniform" for the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.

The Culkin school offers numerous high quality items embroidered with the Culkin logo to identify our dancers and their families!

While the individual items are subject to change here is a price and item list. Please contact the school for ordering and delivery information. Orders can be placed at any of the classes also.

Download an order form:

• Culkin Gear Order Form (12/02) ~ PDF File