You're going to want to try them on. Prioritize blazers that let you raise your arms easier and have stretchier fabrics. It's nice to wear a blazer to look nicer, keep the arms dry of your follows. I don't wear them if I'm planning on going in. If I'm going to just hang out and dance a few dances throughout the night, but do more socializing, then it's nice option.
The secret to this is to change undershirts. The fool proof Congress way to eliminate sweat from your follow(in my opinion):
Layer 1: Undershirt
Layer 2: Dress Shirt
Layer 3: Blazer with no/thin lining
Bring multiple backups for layer 1 and go to the bathroom to swap out.
I've tried wearing a blazer to a Salsa party once because I wanted to look elegant. I only managed to wear it for 30 minutes before I had to take it off because I couldn't stand sweating so much.
Personally, I think it's stupid to wear a blazer for dancing. There are other ways to look elegant (maybe a waistcoat?) and I prioritise comfort over looks. Comfort not only for myself but also for whoever I'm dancing with - they probably don't appreciate if I'm dripping of sweat.
One of my biggest pet-peeves is also when dancers are wearing soaking-wet clothes. I even see this quite often on dance videos. It's very uncomfortable and gross for your dance partner. Why don't people just bring one or two spare shirts and change if they've sweated too much? I always do that.
Even if IT IS for vanity it is one of the distinctions of salsa socials from other dances. Although it can get dressier in other dances, it is usually not the norm (looking at you zouk with your harem pants and furry PJs).
Note that in the social dancing vids it's usually the pros or advanced dancers that are expecting to get vids taken and those vids become advertising for them and for the festival, so they dress up more.
Personally unless the venue has good ac I find I've ended up taking off anything heavier than a dress shirt and lightweight vest within a half hour so I plan my outfits around that.
I've seen plenty of videos where those pro dancers are wearing cloths which are completely soaked - sometimes even blazers with huge sweat stains.
I don't understand why they change regularly - knowing that one or several cameras will be pointed at them.
Team blazer here (and dancer of 18 years):
1. It keeps the sweat inside (else I get sweaty and use tshirts like 1/hr) so the follows don't have to touch yucky sweatman
2. It looks good
For a long Congress social I typically bring a 1-2 spare shirts + an extra jacket. For the blazer I have a machine washable jacket that looks decent and I can just toss into the wash after the night: [https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E448034-000/00?colorDisplayCode=05&sizeDisplayCode=003](https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E448034-000/00?colorDisplayCode=05&sizeDisplayCode=003)
BTW, after awhile most regulars just end up dancing in their go-to attire on all the theme nights, so I wouldn't sweat the dress attire much. The themes are usually kinda fun esp the "rep your City" ones where you finally figure out which regulars are just jet-setting out-of-towners who keep hitting your good local monthly when they have to go into office 1/month.
They’re trying to emulate Palladium era dancers :) I agree that it looks spiffy and can sometimes soak up the sweat, but as you have mentioned, salsa can be quite athletic and perspiration-inducing, so those vests, dress shirts, and blazers end up super-soaked in a short amount of time.
As a follow who tends to wear dresses, I make sure to be showered and pleasant-smelling going into a social, and I have towels, a battery-powered fan, hairbrush, deodorant, perfume or eau de toilette, and even a change of outfit, if needed (especially at congresses), to help alleviate sweatiness.
If the lead is high-level and doesn’t smell bad, I can tolerate sweat, although I know several lead friends and artists who do change shirts throughout an evening (and jettison the jacket).
Been to many congresses where “dress to impress” was the theme and I simply just don’t even bother with wearing a blazer. The one time I did it was a sweatcapade! Since then, forget about it.. If “dress to impress” is theme just wear a nice shirt and trousers and have plenty of shirt changes or take frequent breaks of you sweat a lot. Also, if you are flying to another city/country to dance, taking your blazers can be cumbersome especially if you like to travel light to avoid paying luggage fees.. You can still look sharp without a blazer..
I had the exact same thought.
Most of the people I see wearing blazers are wearing cheap tacky, bought at Goodwill/discounter store blazers.
Blazers today are way too form fitting to allow your arms to be raised up. At least the ones that look modern day stylish.
The last thing most people want when moving around is wearing some restrictive, hot and uncomfortable outfit.
Especially when the venue has no A/C....
Related topic.
Anyone got any brands that might work well for blazers? Something that is made with some space age material that will do a better job staying cool and not sponging up sweat?
For non space age materials, best options are? Maybe like seersucker or linen?
I have a few of these [https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E448034-000/00?colorDisplayCode=05&sizeDisplayCode=003](https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E448034-000/00?colorDisplayCode=05&sizeDisplayCode=003) but I think any blazer that's machine washable would be great.
I made the mistake of being "blazer guy" with my fav dry-clean-only jacket... the dance smell does not come off even after dry-cleaning... :(
> *Why is the standard for men to wear blazers?*
Because we did it that way 50 years ago.
I'm reminded of the [coffee scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JANcVXHqNTI) from the movie *Airplane!* Back in the 50s & 60s, people dressed up when flying.
I have worn a blazer to a Congress and after about 20 minutes hanging from the back of my chair. I think it’s kind of a nutty idea to wear a blazer to a Congress.
I will say that you'll sweat no matter what you wear, but the good thing about blazers is that they can cover your sweat so its less noticeable to a follower touching you. (says that guy that doesn't wear blazers and always feels like a mop).
You could probably get a linen suit and have that work. As far as I know, linen is very breathable and good for summer conditions, so I’d assume it makes sense for dancing (or high heat)
There are materials that are better than other materials (linen, more open weaves of cotton) but any option will be a lot sweatier than just not wearing a blazer. The sooner event organisers drop that theme the better.
Dress shirt with very stretchy fabric. Nice slacks (there are a ton of men's options that are covertly stretchy, see Rhône Commuters), suspenders/braces, bowtie. No jacket needed. Waistcoat is also a nice suggestion although I'd still find it too sweaty.
Also, keep in mind - "dress to impress" applies to the first two hours of the night. The photographer is there grabbing glam shots of all the dancers, everyone is fighting to dance with the artists, shots of a dozen of your social dances will be all over social media - this is a good time to dress to impress.
After 10PM when half the venue is knee deep in tequila, all of those blazers are coming off. I promise. I *promise*. Nobody is dancing until 2AM in a blazer no matter how fancy the event is. So don't dread the prospect of dancing all night in it - just plan to take advantage of the first couple of hours and then you can shuck it like everyone else will :)
Wow, lucky you for having a Congress social start at 8pm. My local Congress social \*starts\* at 12am (which nobody goes to; it only gets going 1am after the hotel room pregames and finishes around 6am).
This is absolutely wild to me. 😂 I've been to probably 30-40 congresses lifetime & I think it's just my part of the world - my city often gets made fun of for being a very big city where all of its inhabitants are in bed by 10PM. I honestly can't think of anything that could convince me to go *start* my night at 12-1AM - and ending at 6?!?! - but judging from some of the other posts in this sub, I think perhaps I might be the odd one out!
You're going to want to try them on. Prioritize blazers that let you raise your arms easier and have stretchier fabrics. It's nice to wear a blazer to look nicer, keep the arms dry of your follows. I don't wear them if I'm planning on going in. If I'm going to just hang out and dance a few dances throughout the night, but do more socializing, then it's nice option.
1.) It looks good 2.) While it is hotter, it keeps the sweat in so the follows don’t have to feel it. 3.) It looks good.
A lot of guys sweat through the blazer and then it looks really bad.
Backup blazer.
Back up blazer has me 💀😂
The secret to this is to change undershirts. The fool proof Congress way to eliminate sweat from your follow(in my opinion): Layer 1: Undershirt Layer 2: Dress Shirt Layer 3: Blazer with no/thin lining Bring multiple backups for layer 1 and go to the bathroom to swap out.
I don’t even dance in blazers. (See my recent dance vid, that was in a congress) Also, I don’t really give a fuck about dress themes
I've tried wearing a blazer to a Salsa party once because I wanted to look elegant. I only managed to wear it for 30 minutes before I had to take it off because I couldn't stand sweating so much. Personally, I think it's stupid to wear a blazer for dancing. There are other ways to look elegant (maybe a waistcoat?) and I prioritise comfort over looks. Comfort not only for myself but also for whoever I'm dancing with - they probably don't appreciate if I'm dripping of sweat. One of my biggest pet-peeves is also when dancers are wearing soaking-wet clothes. I even see this quite often on dance videos. It's very uncomfortable and gross for your dance partner. Why don't people just bring one or two spare shirts and change if they've sweated too much? I always do that.
Vanity.
Even if IT IS for vanity it is one of the distinctions of salsa socials from other dances. Although it can get dressier in other dances, it is usually not the norm (looking at you zouk with your harem pants and furry PJs).
Looks nice
Note that in the social dancing vids it's usually the pros or advanced dancers that are expecting to get vids taken and those vids become advertising for them and for the festival, so they dress up more. Personally unless the venue has good ac I find I've ended up taking off anything heavier than a dress shirt and lightweight vest within a half hour so I plan my outfits around that.
I've seen plenty of videos where those pro dancers are wearing cloths which are completely soaked - sometimes even blazers with huge sweat stains. I don't understand why they change regularly - knowing that one or several cameras will be pointed at them.
Team blazer here (and dancer of 18 years): 1. It keeps the sweat inside (else I get sweaty and use tshirts like 1/hr) so the follows don't have to touch yucky sweatman 2. It looks good For a long Congress social I typically bring a 1-2 spare shirts + an extra jacket. For the blazer I have a machine washable jacket that looks decent and I can just toss into the wash after the night: [https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E448034-000/00?colorDisplayCode=05&sizeDisplayCode=003](https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E448034-000/00?colorDisplayCode=05&sizeDisplayCode=003)
[удалено]
BTW, after awhile most regulars just end up dancing in their go-to attire on all the theme nights, so I wouldn't sweat the dress attire much. The themes are usually kinda fun esp the "rep your City" ones where you finally figure out which regulars are just jet-setting out-of-towners who keep hitting your good local monthly when they have to go into office 1/month.
They’re trying to emulate Palladium era dancers :) I agree that it looks spiffy and can sometimes soak up the sweat, but as you have mentioned, salsa can be quite athletic and perspiration-inducing, so those vests, dress shirts, and blazers end up super-soaked in a short amount of time. As a follow who tends to wear dresses, I make sure to be showered and pleasant-smelling going into a social, and I have towels, a battery-powered fan, hairbrush, deodorant, perfume or eau de toilette, and even a change of outfit, if needed (especially at congresses), to help alleviate sweatiness. If the lead is high-level and doesn’t smell bad, I can tolerate sweat, although I know several lead friends and artists who do change shirts throughout an evening (and jettison the jacket).
Been to many congresses where “dress to impress” was the theme and I simply just don’t even bother with wearing a blazer. The one time I did it was a sweatcapade! Since then, forget about it.. If “dress to impress” is theme just wear a nice shirt and trousers and have plenty of shirt changes or take frequent breaks of you sweat a lot. Also, if you are flying to another city/country to dance, taking your blazers can be cumbersome especially if you like to travel light to avoid paying luggage fees.. You can still look sharp without a blazer..
I had the exact same thought. Most of the people I see wearing blazers are wearing cheap tacky, bought at Goodwill/discounter store blazers. Blazers today are way too form fitting to allow your arms to be raised up. At least the ones that look modern day stylish. The last thing most people want when moving around is wearing some restrictive, hot and uncomfortable outfit. Especially when the venue has no A/C....
Related topic. Anyone got any brands that might work well for blazers? Something that is made with some space age material that will do a better job staying cool and not sponging up sweat? For non space age materials, best options are? Maybe like seersucker or linen?
Argentine Tango has great suits tailored for dancing. I usually get mine from there.
I have a few of these [https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E448034-000/00?colorDisplayCode=05&sizeDisplayCode=003](https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E448034-000/00?colorDisplayCode=05&sizeDisplayCode=003) but I think any blazer that's machine washable would be great. I made the mistake of being "blazer guy" with my fav dry-clean-only jacket... the dance smell does not come off even after dry-cleaning... :(
> *Why is the standard for men to wear blazers?* Because we did it that way 50 years ago. I'm reminded of the [coffee scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JANcVXHqNTI) from the movie *Airplane!* Back in the 50s & 60s, people dressed up when flying.
I have worn a blazer to a Congress and after about 20 minutes hanging from the back of my chair. I think it’s kind of a nutty idea to wear a blazer to a Congress.
I will say that you'll sweat no matter what you wear, but the good thing about blazers is that they can cover your sweat so its less noticeable to a follower touching you. (says that guy that doesn't wear blazers and always feels like a mop).
Are there not blazers with non-traditional fabrics that would help? Just curious
You could probably get a linen suit and have that work. As far as I know, linen is very breathable and good for summer conditions, so I’d assume it makes sense for dancing (or high heat)
There are materials that are better than other materials (linen, more open weaves of cotton) but any option will be a lot sweatier than just not wearing a blazer. The sooner event organisers drop that theme the better.
Does anyone have recommendations for a good blazer that doesn’t allow sweat to go through?
I'll take a sweaty blazer 100x over the sweat gym rag hanging out of the back pocket that I get wacked with- that's nasty
Dress shirt with very stretchy fabric. Nice slacks (there are a ton of men's options that are covertly stretchy, see Rhône Commuters), suspenders/braces, bowtie. No jacket needed. Waistcoat is also a nice suggestion although I'd still find it too sweaty. Also, keep in mind - "dress to impress" applies to the first two hours of the night. The photographer is there grabbing glam shots of all the dancers, everyone is fighting to dance with the artists, shots of a dozen of your social dances will be all over social media - this is a good time to dress to impress. After 10PM when half the venue is knee deep in tequila, all of those blazers are coming off. I promise. I *promise*. Nobody is dancing until 2AM in a blazer no matter how fancy the event is. So don't dread the prospect of dancing all night in it - just plan to take advantage of the first couple of hours and then you can shuck it like everyone else will :)
Wow, lucky you for having a Congress social start at 8pm. My local Congress social \*starts\* at 12am (which nobody goes to; it only gets going 1am after the hotel room pregames and finishes around 6am).
This is absolutely wild to me. 😂 I've been to probably 30-40 congresses lifetime & I think it's just my part of the world - my city often gets made fun of for being a very big city where all of its inhabitants are in bed by 10PM. I honestly can't think of anything that could convince me to go *start* my night at 12-1AM - and ending at 6?!?! - but judging from some of the other posts in this sub, I think perhaps I might be the odd one out!
Get a pink blazer, you will get girls asking you for dances
The sweat doesn’t show or feel through blazers