Swing Style

So on this blog, I’ve already talked about how I got into swing dancing, and where to find dances, now I want to show you an idea of what to wear, so you’ll have even more tools for when you get to go.

For Ladies:

I wear skirts, and dresses 90% of the time I go swing dancing, I think it’s more fun, and usually more practical. Though sometimes it gets a little cold, especially on route to an event. I usually go with a more fitted top, with short or long sleeves and a crew or collared neckline. The shirt shown here is from Target.

Keep jewelery minimal especially on your wrists, because you’ll use those while dancing, the exception here is a watch. For necklaces, keep these rather short as well, you don’t want your necklace to fall off, or hit your lead it the face while dancing.

For skirts, I like bell shaped or circle skirts because they’re so fun to spin in. That being said, black spandex shorts are your next purchase it you go this route, for obvious reason, but it bears reminding. My Mom actually has a sewing business, and made this skirt for me, it’s a great length and so perfect, I can pair it with other shirts.

Shoes are tricky and I’m still experimenting, usually I wear crisp Chuck Taylor’s, but recently I tried wearing these heeled booties, and it worked for the most part, because these zipper on and therefore stay on really well, I wouldn’t recommend open pumps though, and a chunky heel is better from my experiences – if you want a heel. Otherwise TOMS can work, as well as booties in general.

I’ll add that you want some grip in your shoe, but not much. I like finding shoes that don’t have much grip under the toe-box, so I can spin bette.r

For Gentlemen:

First things first ,if you’re going to wear a tie, which I recommend, wear a bow tie, unless you plan to wear a vest with a straight tie. This is important, a botie is stuck on your neeck and a vest holds the other down so it won’t fly in your follower’s face. For nicer events wear a collared shirt, this is pretty obvious for pairing with ties, but I believe it’s a good reminder, even if you’re wearing nice jeans it’s a great choice.

That being said dress pants never go out of style, whereas for more casual settings nice jeans are perfectly acceptable.

Shoes! Chuck Taylor’s can be a great choice for men, but I’d tend to recommend dress shoes, and more specifically cap-toe oxfords, these are super sharp, and also provide most of the grip you’ll want.

Want to add more flair? Add suspenders, it’ll give a great throwback vibe to your look. Feel free to wear a nice watch, but other than that I wouldn’t recommend jewelry. You can also add fun, but matching, socks, patterns, and designs are appropriate here, and add personality.

Credits –

Models: Kaherine Glader, Zach Siebenaler

Photogrpher: Andrew Michalak; Photo Edits: Katherine Glader

Location: Wabasha Street Caves