Best Tutus of 2008: A Practical Buying Guide

Tutus are simply fabulous. They are colofrul, fluffy and just make you feel like a princess. Tutus, once used only for serious ballet and performances are now thriving as one of the most sought-after dress up items on the market. Tutus aren't just for little girls anymore, adults are scooping up the frilly garments for themselves in droves! We have taken it upon ourselves to find some of the greatest tutu designers and manufacturers out there. We started out by using our handy-dandy Google search engine to find several makers, even purchased a few to compare!

Our first recommendation is to go for sewn tutus as opposed to the hand-tied tutus that are so frequently sold. Sewn tutus are much fuller, fluffier and known to last longer than anything that is 'tied' or 'looped'. Sewn tutus are also less likely to come unraveled or have the waistband turn over on you. We noticed right away that though there are thousands of places to find a tutu there are very few places to buy a sewn tutu! After an exhausting search through the Google Search Engine, we found a great site that just recently converted their, once tied, tutus to sewn. Enchanted Tutu was our pick for the best tutu site online. They have incredible designs and the ability to create a tutu in any size from their Signature Newborn Half-Wraps to their adult sizes.

Enchanted Tutu does a lot of custom work, making just about anything you can imagine. The site boasts the usage of only the most premium tulle on the market, which is another point to consider when purchasing such a garment. Some tutus we tested were scratchy and irritating to the skin, not the ideal product we want on our children. Enchanted Tutu's garment was very soft and fluffy, which made us feel even MORE like the princess we are! Out of the 8 sites we tested from, Enchanted Tutu's colors were the most vibrant and their tutus were simple the fullest. Ideally, you want a tutu that is so packed full of luscious material that you can not see through it. 2 of the tutus we tried fit the bill, but Enchanted Tutu's was the fullest of the bunch.

Another reason we picked Enchanted Tutu is because of their extensive side-shows. They do a lot of tutu designing and making for many non-profits. We love businesses that help others. Enchanted Tutu currently boasts non-profit contracts with several noteworthy organizations such as Breast Impressions, Inc, the ASPCA, The Yellow Ribbon Fund, The Child Abuse Prevention Center and the TOMA Foundation for Burned Children. Enchanted Tutu works in collaboration with the organizations to create a tutu just for them. Every time the tutu sells the organizations receive 40% of the proceeds from each sale. Enchanted Tutu is currently donating hundreds of dollars per month to these fine Non-Profits and we think that's just grande! Did we mention that Enchanted Tutu is also the Founder of Operation Sea of Support? Operation Sea of Support is program devised by the company in February of 2008 that grants thei 'Yellow Ribbon Tutu' design to the daughters of military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The big idea is for each military installation to host the event and have all the girls wear their Yellow Ribbon Tutu on the day their mother/father come home from deployment. It's yet another way to show our military men and women just how much they are appreciated and not forgotten, at least by this fine company. Enchanted Tutu's work with Operation Sea of Support has gained them National Media Coverage as well as celebrity support and endorsements from the likes of Country Music Star, Darryl Worley.

As far as pricing goes, we only think it is fair to pay between $15-$40 on a regular tutu. You are, after all, what you spend your money on and we all know that you pay for quality, or lack thereof in some circumstances. There are the occasions when you'll want to pay more for a specialty tutu such as a Tutu Dress. Enchanted Tutu has a Lady Bug Tutu Dress that sells for $49.99, a fair price to pay, we think, for such an elaborate design. Enchanted Tutu has also partnered with some other great businesses (run by Moms, we might add) such as Simply Sweet Diaper Cakes and Mama Amanda Blankets.

In closing, we feel that if you're going to buy a tutu for yourself, a friend or loved one that you should not settle for anything but the best. We believe that Enchanted Tutu takes the cake when it comes to tutu making and awesome designs. Their customer service was fabulous and their service was lighting fast.