Choosing a ballet tutu is exciting because usually, buying a real tutu means you have reached a landmark in your ballet career. It may be as simple as your first school performance, or as special as your first dance competition or ballet school tryout. Or perhaps you've just reached the stage in your ballet training where you're ready to wear a tutu in class.

Whatever the reason, congratulations!

In this article, I'm going to concentrate on the Classical tutu, not the long Romantic tutu. There are two main Classical styles - the wide, flat Russian version and the smaller, softer American (Balanchine) powderpuff - but there are many variations in between.

It's likely your first real tutu will be for use in practice. The practice tutu has no bodice - it looks rather like ruffles stitched on to a panty.

In fact, the cheaper versions are just that: a pair of stretchy pull-on "granny pants" with a frill attached. It can be difficult to get a good fit with this type of tutu and the ruffles are often quite floppy.

Be careful - some very cheap practice tutus have a soft basque and no panty underneath, which means the frill can lift and bounce around when you're dancing. Not only is that unattractive, it's very distracting!

In more expensive versions, the panty is made up of two sections. The top section - the part that's visible above the tutu frille - is called the basque. It's firm and fitted, which gives the frill more support so you get a better shape to the tutu. If you can afford it, this style is worth the investment, because you can also use it for performance by buying a separate bodice.

In fact, some of the top-class tutu makers sell all their tutu skirts and bodices separately because they feel this offers dancers the maximum flexibility to customise their costume.

If you're in the market for a serious tutu - perhaps you've made a competition final, or have a big audition - be prepared to spend serious money. A good custom-made tutu will cost you about $500 and take several weeks to make.

If you can sew, you can save money by

• buying a standard size and altering it to fit and/or
• buying a plain tutu and sewing on your own beading

You could even sew your decoration on a separate overskirt and bodice trim - or (cheat!) make an overskirt and trim from material that's already beaded. That way, you can create several different looks with the same tutu. It also makes cleaning much, much easier.

If you can't sew, most tutu makers will also make removable skirts and trims for you, though it will probably cost extra.

Boring though it may be, a plain white tutu is the best choice for your first professional tutu, because it will work for any of the classics and can also be used for other roles by adding embellishments. Once again, here's where the overskirt idea comes into its own as a great way to add colour to a white tutu.

If you have to carry your tutu in a bag, pick it up by the crotch so it hangs upside down. You'll find you can compress it in this position without spoiling the lift of the ruffles. If you pack it right way up with the frill pointing down, you'll flatten the frill and ruin the tutu.

Practice tutus or separate tutu skirts are also best stored hanging upside-down. Peg them by the sides of the panty, not the crotch, to avoid stretching. If the tutu has a bodice, it won't get much air circulation in this position so make sure it's cleaned, or at least well aired, before storing.

You can store Russian-style ("pancake") tutus flat on a shelf, but ideally you should use special tutu hangers so the air can circulate around them.

If you have to pack your tutus away, put a dessicant in with them.  You don't have to buy dessicant - just save up all those little packets you get when you buy vitamins, shoes and stuff (you know, the litle paper packets that say "do not eat"). 

You can clean a plain tutu by washing it in lukewarm water with a small quantity of mild detergent. To avoid crushing, wash it in the bath!

If your tutu is beaded, or if it has a metal hoop, cleaning is more of a headache. The hoop will rust, so it has to be removed before washing. If beads are glued not sewn, they may come off in the wash, and colors can run. Unfortunately, dry cleaning isn't a solution, as the chemicals can ruin the frill.

This is another good reason for designing your tutu so the embellishments can be removed before washing! You can also reduce the need for washing by wearing a camisole and panties under your tutu, but not everyone is comfortable wearing an extra layer.

Some dancers just don't wash their tutus. Instead, they spot-clean the areas most affected by sweat, and keep the rest fresh with odor-removing sprays such as Febreze. Not washing your tutu will certainly shorten its life because sweat, body oils and make-up will eventually rot the fabric - but in some cases, that's preferable to the risk of losing the whole tutu if it doesn't survive washing!

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All text copyright Marisa Wright.

Baby ballerina photo thanks to Parksy. Tutu photos by Dalbera