What was your first belly dance costume? - Page 5

RioDancerCO · 01-31-2008, 05:39 PM

Thanks Shanazel

The picture was indeed taken at Marjorie's studio. That was my first cabaret performance. Chani, if you are willing to invest the time in hand work (beading, embroidery) then you don't have to spend much on fabric. Depending on what style of costume you are wanting, a belt and bra usually require less than 2 yards of fabric. Just a quick tip that saved me a lot of costuming grief~ use something called cotton buckram as a middle layer on the belt. That first costume that I posted a pic of had to be completely redesigned because I left that out and it ended up crumpling with wear.

Mya · 01-31-2008, 05:59 PM

ok so my first costume - i hated it - i still find it looks like mucus. it was horrible and it showed every lump and bump - even on the skinny girls! i was 20 pounds heavier then than i am now and i still wouldn't put that back on.

Ranya · 01-31-2008, 07:44 PM

Ok I managed to find a pic of my very first costume (I spoke about it earlier in this thread and I found a CD with pics when I was in Slovakia during Christmas holidays).
Sorry I cut off my head but believe it's me. I just had a few isssues with my photos used by other people, so I am very prudent now (just this morning my ex-boyfriend called me that a girl is using my pic - the one I have as my avatar btw - in her profile in a university network...I have the same pic on my blog which is run by a slovak newspaper so it is quite public and known).

So voila, here comes my first costume. I still use it btw, with a few alternations.

maariku · 01-31-2008, 08:30 PM

Ranya, your first costume is gorgeous! I am not sure I even dare to post pics of my first costumes - yours is like the rolls royce next to my old bicycles

. And I am sorry about your bad experience with photos. I have never really understood people who use photos of others to present themself on line

Mya, I don't think there is anything wrong with your costume!

Ok, so I went through old pics and realised that I actually have two first costumes. One of them was supposed to replace a baladi dress - it was just a velvet dress (with an open back) and a hip scarf tied on it. The other one was a sort of a two-piece costume, but I was desperately trying to hide my stomach back then, so it is a bit odd. On top of it all, it was pink. And I really don't like pink, it is so not my colour.

Farasha Hanem · 01-31-2008, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ranya

Ok I managed to find a pic of my very first costume (I spoke about it earlier in this thread and I found a CD with pics when I was in Slovakia during Christmas holidays).
Sorry I cut off my head but believe it's me. I just had a few isssues with my photos used by other people, so I am very prudent now (just this morning my ex-boyfriend called me that a girl is using my pic - the one I have as my avatar btw - in her profile in a university network...I have the same pic on my blog which is run by a slovak newspaper so it is quite public and known).

So voila, here comes my first costume. I still use it btw, with a few alternations.

WHAT?!? *is so incredulous she leaves to go to the off-topic forum to post a thread*

kayshier · 07-04-2008, 06:42 PM

My first costume was a simple skirt with slit and godets all around
the bra and belt were hand made by my instructor and was gold and silver.
very tastefully done

since the cost costumes are prohibitive, especially to ship to trinidad, i have been looking at designing and making my own costumes.

Knitting Jo · 07-05-2008, 01:52 AM

Mm I can't find any old costume photos, but I do remember all too vividly that in my second ever bellydance class we were given a handout of likely costumes a bellydancer would wear. Well I loved the idea of pantaloons and rushed out to buy some fabric on sale - peach/pink bemsilk! And some fake georgette to use as a veil that had as much drape as a sheet of wood!
I was sooooo eager to make my first bellydance costume that I hand sewed the pantaloons.

After wearing them about 3 times in class I realised that they were actually flesh colour and that from a distance it looked like I was dancing naked bellow the waist and that I had severe elephantisis of both legs!

My advice to anyone trying their hand at making a costume - stay away from flesh colour fabrics!!!!!!!

Phoebedances · 07-06-2008, 06:23 PM

My first costume was made rather quickly because almost as soon as I started dancing I got put into a troope number for a show that we danced in Kansas City.

I did a 3 panel circle skirt with a triangle panel overskirt over top of that. The circle skirt was aqua chiffon and the over skirt was panels of teal and aqua. I put silver sequins on the aqua panels and gold sequins on the teal.

The belt and bra I made from gold lame. I'd bought cups from sugar petals and constructed my own bra and made my own belt form to cover as well. I found some fringe - though I don't think it was glass bead at first and used some of the teal chiffon to sew over the edge of that, caught up with some gold beads every two inches or so. The cup of the bra and the belt I used multicolored acrylic jewels to make a fan type design on the front of the belt in teal and purple and then put large acrylic jewels on the tops of the bra cups in teal and purple too. I scattered smaller acrylic jewels over the rest of the belt. Then I strung gold beads and sewed them serpentine style around the jewels in a random pattern.

Only problem is.. the jewels and the gold beads on gold lame didn't show up well on stage. I think that's one thing with costuming. what looks good up close may not even 'read' on stage.

nightdancer · 07-07-2008, 01:29 AM

This was my first costume in a long time.

Incidently, I did find a way around it being too narrow on top. I took the veil that came with it wrapped it around my chest to cover my breasts a little better and let the ends trail out. Think Wings of Isis, on a small scale.

Farasha Hanem · 07-07-2008, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ligeia

Eh, am I the only one who dares to post a pick of The First Costume

Nope!

Yeah, when I first got it, I was a "bellydance nerd." For a time, I freaked about my C-Section scar, so I would pull my pants over it to hide it. I've gotten over that.

01-31-2008, 05:39 PM	#41 (permalink)
RioDancerCO Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 70	Thanks Shanazel The picture was indeed taken at Marjorie's studio. That was my first cabaret performance. Chani, if you are willing to invest the time in hand work (beading, embroidery) then you don't have to spend much on fabric. Depending on what style of costume you are wanting, a belt and bra usually require less than 2 yards of fabric. Just a quick tip that saved me a lot of costuming grief~ use something called cotton buckram as a middle layer on the belt. That first costume that I posted a pic of had to be completely redesigned because I left that out and it ended up crumpling with wear. __________________ Rio

01-31-2008, 05:59 PM	#42 (permalink)
Mya Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Trinidad Posts: 510	ok so my first costume - i hated it - i still find it looks like mucus. it was horrible and it showed every lump and bump - even on the skinny girls! i was 20 pounds heavier then than i am now and i still wouldn't put that back on. Attached Images

01-31-2008, 07:44 PM	#43 (permalink)
Ranya Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Menton "the lemon town", FRANCE Posts: 523	Ok I managed to find a pic of my very first costume (I spoke about it earlier in this thread and I found a CD with pics when I was in Slovakia during Christmas holidays). Sorry I cut off my head but believe it's me. I just had a few isssues with my photos used by other people, so I am very prudent now (just this morning my ex-boyfriend called me that a girl is using my pic - the one I have as my avatar btw - in her profile in a university network...I have the same pic on my blog which is run by a slovak newspaper so it is quite public and known). So voila, here comes my first costume. I still use it btw, with a few alternations. Attached Thumbnails

01-31-2008, 08:30 PM	#44 (permalink)
maariku Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Estonia Posts: 1,132	Ranya, your first costume is gorgeous! I am not sure I even dare to post pics of my first costumes - yours is like the rolls royce next to my old bicycles . And I am sorry about your bad experience with photos. I have never really understood people who use photos of others to present themself on line Mya, I don't think there is anything wrong with your costume! Ok, so I went through old pics and realised that I actually have two first costumes. One of them was supposed to replace a baladi dress - it was just a velvet dress (with an open back) and a hip scarf tied on it. The other one was a sort of a two-piece costume, but I was desperately trying to hide my stomach back then, so it is a bit odd. On top of it all, it was pink. And I really don't like pink, it is so not my colour. Attached Thumbnails __________________ "[A good bellydancer] must express life, death, happiness, sorrow, love and anger, but above all she must have dignity." -Tahia Carioca,

07-04-2008, 06:42 PM	#46 (permalink)
kayshier Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Trinidad and Tobago Posts: 135	My first costume was a simple skirt with slit and godets all around the bra and belt were hand made by my instructor and was gold and silver. very tastefully done since the cost costumes are prohibitive, especially to ship to trinidad, i have been looking at designing and making my own costumes. Last edited by kayshier; 07-04-2008 at 07:22 PM.

07-05-2008, 01:52 AM	#47 (permalink)
Knitting Jo Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Canberra Posts: 22	Mm I can't find any old costume photos, but I do remember all too vividly that in my second ever bellydance class we were given a handout of likely costumes a bellydancer would wear. Well I loved the idea of pantaloons and rushed out to buy some fabric on sale - peach/pink bemsilk! And some fake georgette to use as a veil that had as much drape as a sheet of wood! I was sooooo eager to make my first bellydance costume that I hand sewed the pantaloons. After wearing them about 3 times in class I realised that they were actually flesh colour and that from a distance it looked like I was dancing naked bellow the waist and that I had severe elephantisis of both legs! My advice to anyone trying their hand at making a costume - stay away from flesh colour fabrics!!!!!!!

07-06-2008, 06:23 PM	#48 (permalink)
Phoebedances Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tennessee Posts: 175	My first costume was made rather quickly because almost as soon as I started dancing I got put into a troope number for a show that we danced in Kansas City. I did a 3 panel circle skirt with a triangle panel overskirt over top of that. The circle skirt was aqua chiffon and the over skirt was panels of teal and aqua. I put silver sequins on the aqua panels and gold sequins on the teal. The belt and bra I made from gold lame. I'd bought cups from sugar petals and constructed my own bra and made my own belt form to cover as well. I found some fringe - though I don't think it was glass bead at first and used some of the teal chiffon to sew over the edge of that, caught up with some gold beads every two inches or so. The cup of the bra and the belt I used multicolored acrylic jewels to make a fan type design on the front of the belt in teal and purple and then put large acrylic jewels on the tops of the bra cups in teal and purple too. I scattered smaller acrylic jewels over the rest of the belt. Then I strung gold beads and sewed them serpentine style around the jewels in a random pattern. Only problem is.. the jewels and the gold beads on gold lame didn't show up well on stage. I think that's one thing with costuming. what looks good up close may not even 'read' on stage.

07-07-2008, 01:29 AM	#49 (permalink)
nightdancer Moderator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Below the Mason-Dixon Posts: 219	This was my first costume in a long time. Incidently, I did find a way around it being too narrow on top. I took the veil that came with it wrapped it around my chest to cover my breasts a little better and let the ends trail out. Think Wings of Isis, on a small scale. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by nightdancer; 07-07-2008 at 01:36 AM. Reason: I'm a moron sometimes...