The dress used for Irish dancing in competitions is usually that men wear a white shirt, vest and black trousers. Women wear decorated dresses (usually embroidered with celtic designs). In the past the appropriate dress for a competition or social dancing was simply Sunday best (clothes one would wear to church). Irish Dance schools generally have school dresses, worn by lower-level competitors and in public performances. As dancers advance in competition or are given starring roles in public performances, they may get a solo dress of their own design and colours. In the 1970s and 1980s, ornately embroidered dresses became popular.
