Where can I get square dance clothing and accessories?
In Bundaberg there are not a lot of sources.
Cane Country Squares, sometimes have items donated to it by retired dancers or those of us that have collected more than we need over the years. These items are usually sold to dancers for a small donation, to go back to club events.
To see what is currently available click here.
Occasionally at our club, some of our dancers offer pre loved gear directly to other dancers to start them off.
Over the years I have purchased clothing from vendors at conventions and ordered from online stores.
I am not great at sewing but I have also made a few skirts and modified skirts I have purchased from op shops.
If you want to have a go at making your own outfits some of our members can give you some advice.
Click here for instructions for sewing your own skirts and accessories.
Bundaberg has a lot of good op shops that are worth regular visits to find full circle skirts, tops and the occasional cinch belt or half-slip. I have even managed to find a good, brand new, pair of shoes for dance at an op shop.
The skirts are very well made of good quality fabric. I have worn them many times and they are the basis I compare all other skirts to.
One advantage is, if you are in the Croydon area, you can arrange to see what they have in stock in person.
Based in Brisbane and run by a husband and wife team.
The below knee length, Hell Bunny Petticoats look good as a soft, light to medium fullness Rock and Roll or Square Dance petticoat.
At this time I have not ordered from this site so I can’t give any personal experience on ordering or the quality of the products.
Instead of frilly dance shorts or bike shorts, since 2013 I have changed to some new styles of modest underwear for dancing.
Step One, Body Shorts are ladies trunk style underwear in a huge range of colours. They are very comfortable and are my new favourites to wear under all my skirts.
Occasionally at our club, some of our dancers offer pre loved gear directly to other dancers to start them off.
Over the years I have purchased clothing from vendors at conventions and ordered from online stores.
I am not great at sewing but I have also made a few skirts and modified skirts I have purchased from op shops.
If you want to have a go at making your own outfits some of our members can give you some advice.
Click here for instructions for sewing your own skirts and accessories.
Bundaberg has a lot of good op shops that are worth regular visits to find full circle skirts, tops and the occasional cinch belt or half-slip. I have even managed to find a good, brand new, pair of shoes for dance at an op shop.
Target is the only large chain store I have found in Bundaberg to sell half-slips but I have not checked boutique stores.
Full circle skirts and layered dance petticoats are rarely found in store in Bundaberg. Shop 85, across from the Hinkler Shopping Centre in Electra St. has stocked some rockabilly style clothing, including petticoat in the past but I have not seen any in there since August 2019.
A new store called, Voodoo Lulu, opened in 2023 at 37 Woongarra St. They specialise in alternative clothing, mostly gothic but also have a small range of rockabilly. If they get enough interest they may stock some UK branded petticoats in the future.
If you are looking for shoes suitable for dancing at conventions, they can be flats or have a low heel with at least 2 ½ cm square contact with the floor. The toes should be closed but peep toe shoes may be acceptable at some conventions.
Any of the shoe stores in Bundaberg are worth a look. I have bought a couple of pairs from Matters and Williams in Bundaberg.
I found a style I liked with a wide fit that suits me. The brand, Ziera, no longer sell through those stores so I buy them online. Be aware they are not specifically designed for dance so not all styles will suit.
My favourite dance shoes came from Durrant Dance Shoes when they had stands at some of the National Conventions. They have a store in Carnegie, Victoria you can visit by appointment.
If you have had the opportunity to try their shoes and know what style and size you need, you can order via email and have them posted to you.
They also have a large range of Latin Heel dance shoes but these narrow heel types are banded from use at conventions, due to possible injuries to other dances.
Online Shopping
I prefer to buy clothing and shoes in person, to try things on and see the true colour and quality of an item. I particularly find it difficult to order well-fitting shoes online.
Sometimes, online ordering can be the only way to get hold of special items. I have been very happy with some of my online purchases.
The draw backs are that some advertised items have sold out and sizes can be difficult to judge.
Shipping costs need to be considered, particularly if your order from other countries. If you need to return an item you are often out of pocket for that as well. Check website conditions before you buy.
Australian Online Stores
Based in Croydon, Victoria, they sell American made Square Dance clothing and accessories.
Their range includes traditional American Style Blouses, Skirts, Stretch Belts, Petti Pants, Petticoats, Men's Shirts and Accessories.
I ordered two skirts from them just after Christmas 2014 as my first square dance items. The email response to that order was quick and polite.
The colour I originally ordered for one skirt was no longer available from the supplier. I could choose a different colour or change to a different style in the colour I wanted.
The final order was very slow to get to me. I contacted them after a month to see what was happening and told the delay was due to the Christmas break and hopefully I would get them in two weeks. This was the case and I received the skirts early to mid February 2015.
The skirts are very well made of good quality fabric. I have worn them many times and they are the basis I compare all other skirts to.
One advantage is, if you are in the Croydon area, you can arrange to see what they have in stock in person.
Based in Brisbane and run by a husband and wife team.
They sell imported retro, rockabilly and vintage inspired clothing, accessories for men and women.
The site has a great range and some of this is suitable for square dancing.
The below knee length, Hell Bunny Petticoats look good as a soft, light to medium fullness Rock and Roll or Square Dance petticoat.
On 16/3/24 it was priced at $55.
At this time I have not ordered from this site so I can’t give any personal experience on ordering or the quality of the products.
Based in Valley View, SA, selling Retro Vintage 50's Rock 'n' Roll, Swing, Lindy Hop and Rockabilly inspired clothing and accessories.
Some of these items are suitable for square dance. I have made a couple of online purchases from them and will do so again.
They did have a shop front but are now online only, with some pop up shops at Rock and Roll Festivals.
On 16/3/24 they had 1 layer petticoats in a range of lengths and colours for $59.95. I have not tried this 'Super Soft' brand myself but their variety of colours is great.
They used to stock Malco Modes Petticoats which are soft, 2 layer medium fullness petticoats, made in America.
I have a number of petticoats made by this company and love them all. Most I have purchased from vendors at National Conventions.
To order these directly from America will cost you close to the price of the skirt again in postage.
Two years ago I ordered a few colours of their frilly dance shorts. I have a different style of Malco Mode Petti Pants purchased at a convention. Those where made of Nylon and I really like them.
Style difference is hard to judge when ordering online.
The ones available here were a poly cotton blend with a much higher waist and not as soft to wear. They have held their colour better than the nylon ones.
One colour was no longer available but the rest of the order was sent quickly.
Unfortunately a mistake was made their end on the size delivered. They apologised, had me send them back for replacement and refunded the postage.
In 2018 I ordered a Petticoat and a short sleeve Bolero from them. I had a delayed response of a week to my order, they apologised, as they were away for a weekend at a Rock and Roll Festival. Both items had been sold out at the festival and they could no longer get the petticoat I wanted.
The bolero was put on a two week back order and I received it in that time frame. This was the first bolero I had been able to get hold of and very happy with it.
I have since found a number of very nice little jackets from my regular visits to op shops.
Instead of frilly dance shorts or bike shorts, since 2013 I have changed to some new styles of modest underwear for dancing.
Bfree Australia have Anti-Chafing Shorts in a few colours. I like the ones with the lace trim best.
Based in NSW.
Manufacturers of 50's Vintage Inspired Petticoats, Clothing and Dance Accessories. Specialising in Swing, Rock n Roll & Vintage Styles.
The site shows lots of their products but if you want to order anything go here -
As of 16/3/24 they had Vintage Demure Ribbon 55cm long Petticoats for $55 each
Satin top within the combined 3 tiers and 2 layers of soft micro-netting fabric and ribbon trim on both layers
Spin Dance 55cm long Petticoat $69
Constructed in high quality Organza fabric for maximum fullness and finished with ribbon edging on all layers.
Flirtn Betty 55cm long Petticoat $74
This 2 layer petticoat featuring a ruffle trim has a satin topped tier with 3 additional tiers below of high quality soft Chiffon.
The Extra Full Flirtn Betty 55cm long Petticoat $109
The Extra Full Flirtn Betty 55cm long Petticoat $109
As of 2024 the Twirlz brand Petticoats are no longer available on the site.
I have made a couple of orders from this site.
My first order was back in 2015 not long after I started dancing. I got a square dance, Twirls Peasant Top and a 55cm long Vintage Demure Petticoat.
I do not recommend the top. It was ordered on bust and waist size but I found the length to be very short. The length is not given on the site. You need to be able to tuck the shirt into your skirt and don’t want the shirt to pull out when you lift your arms. The top was cotton, wrinkled badly after washing and an absolute pain to iron.
I never wore it dancing and ended up giving it away.
I am very happy to recommend the petticoat. It is lovely and soft with a light fullness. I still wear it to most local weekly dances when I am not going for a poofy look. The ribbon trim is pretty and looks great with vintage fashion dresses and skirts.
My second order was in November 2018.
I ordered a 55cm Spin Dance Petticoat, a cinch belt and a full circle halter dress.
The gold petticoat I wanted was no longer available so I cancelled that part of the order rather than picking another colour. (I have purchased most of mine over the years at conventions and only after special colours now)
The cinch belt was as advertised and I am happy with this accessory.
The dress was absolutely beautiful but I was disappointed when I tried it on. I wouldn’t normally order a dress online but I believed the statement that you could shop by your waist size and the halter top would fit any bust size.
This is not the case. I am a B cup at best but even if I added padding the top was still way too big.
I was going to send it back but changed my mind and decided, with a bit of work, I could take the top in to fit me.
I am happy with the result and have now worn this dress with a bolero to a few dances, including the National Convention in Tasmania 2018.
In January 2020 I decided I wanted a petticoat with more volume.
I ordered a Twirlz 55cm Extra Full Petticoat in black. The petticoat is made of Organza fabric.
While they say the Organza is a 'comfortable' fabric, I am used to wearing petticoats made from Chiffon.
Chiffon is much softer to wear. A Chiffon petticoat can be stored folded in a loose ball and shake out to its proper shape. This makes them great for travelling.
The Organza petticoat was delivered in a tightly packed bag and the fabric was badly crushed. After washing and shaking it out it still required ironing to get it into shape. As this is not something I want to do regularly, it will need to be stored on a hanger.
The volume is good but it ended up shorter than my skirts, giving an undesirable water fall effect from the skirt falling over the edge of the petticoat.
Other, less full, 55cm petticoats I have are the correct length. Spin Dance does have a longer 65cm version but I had thought this was too long for my skirts.
Rather than try a return process to exchange for the longer one, I will be modifying it by sewing an extension to the top of the petticoat.
In January 2020 I decided I wanted a petticoat with more volume.
I ordered a Twirlz 55cm Extra Full Petticoat in black. The petticoat is made of Organza fabric.
While they say the Organza is a 'comfortable' fabric, I am used to wearing petticoats made from Chiffon.
Chiffon is much softer to wear. A Chiffon petticoat can be stored folded in a loose ball and shake out to its proper shape. This makes them great for travelling.
The Organza petticoat was delivered in a tightly packed bag and the fabric was badly crushed. After washing and shaking it out it still required ironing to get it into shape. As this is not something I want to do regularly, it will need to be stored on a hanger.
The volume is good but it ended up shorter than my skirts, giving an undesirable water fall effect from the skirt falling over the edge of the petticoat.
Other, less full, 55cm petticoats I have are the correct length. Spin Dance does have a longer 65cm version but I had thought this was too long for my skirts.
Rather than try a return process to exchange for the longer one, I will be modifying it by sewing an extension to the top of the petticoat.
