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Thanks to the many Californians who've told me that Mexican Folklorico shoes are a good - and economical - substitute for flamenco shoes, for those on a budget.
Although I've never examined a pair of Mexican dance shoes, I can understand why they would stand up well to the rigours of flamenco.
I remember some years ago, a native of Mexico joined our flamenco school and I was amazed how quickly he mastered the steps - until he gave us a short demonstration of Mexican dance, and I realized he was already accustomed to stamping his feet at high speed!
As we all know, flamenco dresses are horribly expensive. Of course, we offer some good value flamenco dresses here on Dress for Flamenco, but what if you don't like buying online?
One option is to go to Spain. I know that sounds like an expensive solution, but what a marvellous excuse to take a flamenco holiday! If you book yourself into a course at one of the flamenco schools, you can kill two birds with one stone, so you can still say you saved money 
Schedule your visit to just after the Feria de Abril in Sevilla, and you'll find some bargains in the flamenco stores in Andalusia. Flamenco dancers follow fashion as much as the rest of us, and the stores sell off this season's styles at a discount. Back home in your own country, no one will know you're wearing last year's style, and you'll have an authentic flamenco dress at a fraction of the price.
Incidentally, if you decide to go to Seville for the Feria and stay for the sales, make sure you have accommodation before you go. During the Feria, hotels book out far in advance (and are very expensive).
I've had several enquiries about adding tacks to character shoes - including a couple from people who were sold character shoes as flamenco shoes, and didn't discover their mistake until too late.
I have bad news, I'm afraid - you can't add nails to character shoes, or any other normal shoe for that matter.
The soles of most shoes are too thin to take tacks - the points will eventually poke right through and into your foot. If the shoemaker uses smaller tacks to avoid that problem, they're unlikely to stay in the shoe for long! The average sole isn't strong enough to take the stress of all that extra metal, either.
You might get away with adding nails to tap shoes or Irish dancing shoes, both of which have stronger soles to support the weight of metal plates. However, finding a cobbler who understands how to layer flamenco tacks is another challenge altogether!
If you want to make a flamenco sound with your feet, there really is no substitute for proper flamenco shoes.
Flamenco skirts can be cut several different ways. The best skirts for flamenco are slim-fitting around the hips and flare generously towards the hem. This is usually achieved by using panels, which are very narrow near the waist and get wider as they go down to the hem.
Some skirts have more v-shaped panels (called godets) added round the hem for even more width. A nice touch is to have the godets in a different fabric, which accentuates the movement to the hem. A popular combination is a plain fabric for the skirt, with toning polka-dotted godets (or vice versa).
Another option is a circle skirt, but avoid styles where the circle starts at the waist - the bulk of fabric around the waistline isn't flattering, and it's not a flamenco look!. Instead, choose a skirt that starts on the hip (rociera), or one with a tight-fitting basque around the hips and the circle starting from the bottom edge of the basque.
I just came across this article in the New York Times .
I like Eva Yerbabuena's comment about good shoes making her feet feel as if she's not wearing any shoes! Next time I'm in Alicante, I must check out her shoemaker - I'd love to find a pair of flamenco shoes like that!
Photo by eschipul
Traditionally, female flamenco dancers wear their hair long - and that's one tradition that doesn't appear to have changed in nuevo flamenco. It's rare to see a flamenca with a short hair style!
Also traditional is the use of hair ornamentation. The stereotypical image of a flamenco dancer is a women with a red rose and an ornate comb in her hair. Contemporary dancers may wear no ornaments at all, but if you're in a more traditional school, chances are you will still be expected to put your hair up and decorate it appropriately.
The simplest decoration is a beautiful fake rose - or perhaps two or three in a cluster. Make sure they're well secured by several pins!
I don't recommend using hair combs unless you can be sure they're anchored securely - I've seen too many of them fall out on stage, causing a hazard for other performers. If you're dancing up on a stage, they're not that visible anyway.
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Photo credit: Hair comb by iliturgitana, flamenco roses by Elliott Moore
Flamenco costumes can be expensive, and if you're just taking your first class, you probably aren't ready to invest in a genuine flamenco skirt.
Unfortunately, High Street gypsy-style or Boho tiered skirt may look suitable for flamenco, but they often don't have enough material (unless they're a circle skirt, in which case they'll have that bulky-round-the-waist look).
As you progress in flamenco, you'll discover that the skirt isn't just something that hangs down around you - you'll be asked to pick up an edge of the skirt in each hand and move it around as you dance. While holding the skirt, you may have to put your hands on your hips, or swing one hand in front of you and one behind at waist level. If the skirt doesn't have enough fabric, these moves will reveal all of your thighs and, quite likely, more of your butt than you'd like! In fact, even proper flamenco skirts tend to lift up with the momentum of the movement in fast dances - I've been surprised how much leg I've shown in pictures of performances! So dancing in a skirt that doesn't cover your legs, even when you're moving slowly, isn't a good idea.
A compromise is to wear a pair of leggings under a boho skirt for practice, so it doesn't matter if your legs are on display when you lift the hem - in fact, quite a few teachers use this option. Personally I don't like this idea unless you're into nuevo flamenco (where the skirt is lighter and isn't used so much). If you get too used to dancing in pants, it's quite an adjustment to get used to dancing in a heavy skirt.
So when buying an ordinary skirt to use for flamenco, remember to pick up the hem and move it around when you try it on. Look in the mirror and make sure you're not revealing more than you want to!
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Photo credit: Nessa Land
The flamenco skirt isn't just a piece of clothing, it's a prop. Watch any flamenco dancer and you'll see how she uses her hands and sometimes her legs to throw the skirt around, adding an extra dimension to the drama and movement of the dance.
In the old days, flamenco skirts were made of heavy cotton and a dancer would never be seen dead without at least one petticoat underneath. Dancing in so much fabric was an endurance test because of the weight, and it was essential to practice in costume because you had to learn to pace your movements so the dress could catch up with you! Not to mention that the ironing took hours.
These days, petticoats are rarely worn and skirts are much less voluminous. Nuevo flamenco dancers wear streamlined, simple skirts with no frills, giving a sleek silhouette. The fabric most commonly used is polyester jersey, which moves with the body and doesn't fly up easily. In some ways I feel that's a shame - the older-style heavy skirts often seemed to be doing a dance of their own, which magnified and enhanced the dancer's movements.
All my flamenco skirts are 100% polyester, preferably microfibre. It's comfortable, has a nice sheen, and moves well. Best of all, it can be thrown in the washing machine when I get home from a performance, and come out good as new! However, if you're going to use a lightweight material with no frills and no petticoat, get your legs waxed and buy a nice pair of knickers - it's safe to assume your audience will be getting a good view of both!
Please don't wear your skirt floor-skimming, like an evening dress - it may look nice, but you'll only end up catching your shoe in the hem. It's much safer to have the skirt finish at ankle level. Remember your shoes have tacks in them which can cause a lot more damage than an ordinary high heel!
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Photo credits: Pink skirt by A. www.viajar24h.com; green skirt by Imaji
When you first start getting confident in flamenco, you want to dress the part. It's tempting to rush out and buy yourself a beautiful flamenco dress, to make yourself look like a real flamenca.
Wait! Take a deep breath and let's be realistic here. It's likely to be a few years before you're good enough to dance solo. In the meantime, if you get a chance to perform, it will be in a group. Your teacher will want the group to look like a troupe, which means all of you must be wearing similar costumes.
If she's sympathetic to the financial circumstances of dance students, she'll try to use outfits that students already have - but it's very difficult to make a coherent group out of a bunch of dancers who've all bought dresses separately.
Flamenco dresses come in many different colors and patterns, with sleeves vary from extremely frilly, to tight, to none. The skirts of a flamenco dress may have several frills and multiple petticoats, or be tight and sleek around the hips with no frills at all. The chances of your dress matching what others have chosen is pretty slim.
That's why a flamenco shawl (worn as a top) and skirt combo is the best bet for your first costume: no matter where you buy your shawl and skirt, or what colour you choose, the style is similar enough that it will fit it with everyone else's shawl and skirt.
Look at this photo of a flamenco performance at the Feria in Seville, and notice the dancer on the left is wearing a purple leotard as a top, with a matching skirt. She looks just as good as her partner who's wearing a dress.
Photo by A. www.viajar24h.com
The benefit of using separates is the same as in real life - you can mix and match to suit your needs. You can also wear the skirt or leotard separately in class, and use the shawl as your working shawl. If you buy a multi-colored shawl, you can even buy two or three skirts which pick up the colors from the shawl - and probably still have spent less money than if you'd bought a dress!
In any case, your first step should be to ask other students how costumes are arranged for your school performances. At some schools, the teacher will insist that every troupe member wears exactly the same costume (and probably makes them pay to have it made). If that's the case, you may as well be patient - no matter how beautiful a flamenco outfit you buy, you're not going to get a chance to wear it on stage until you're a solo artist.
When we think of a flamenco dancer, we think of her wearing something very colourful, very spotty and very frilly. This little cutie is wearing a perfect example - unfortunately, she hasn't quite got the steps yet...
In fact, this style of dress is rarely worn by flamenco dancers these days. You'll still see it in tourist venues and at the annual Feria in Seville, where it's traditional.
If you're in Seville and tempted to buy one, make sure you buy a dress for dancing and not just a Feria (or vestida de gitana) dress. Feria dresses are tight way down past the knees with just a few frills at the bottom, and there's not enough freedom of movement to dance properly.
Photo by qgil on Flickr
A dress designed for professional dancers may look very similar, but it will only be tight to about mid-thigh. You'll also see full-skirted styles.
You can see some examples in this video:
