Making Costumes Vs. Buying

[BehindTheSun]

For awhile now, I've been considering making my own costumes mainly because it's less expensive than buying and I can create my costume to look exactly how I want to. A friend and I were talking about this, and she mentioned that when you consider the amount of time and effort that goes into making a costume, the prices are worth every penny. I'm wondering where you ladies (and men) stand on this. Does anyone have experience with creating their own costumes?


(P.S. Sorry if I posted in the wrong category, I'm new here and still trying to get familiar with the site! :lol

 

[Ariadne]

It doesn't actually cost any less to make your own. Even buying my beads wholesale I spent the same amount on materials as I would have buying one already made. The only reason to make your own is for the complete customization and quality. Maybe you're a size that is hard to find. Maybe you just have a very specific design in mind. Maybe you really want a work horse and this way you can guarantee quality. All very good reasons. Trying to save money, not so much.

 

[Darshiva]

It's only when you start getting into the larger sizes where costumes need to be custom-made that you really start to see any savings. But yeah, my cheapest costume cost me AU$200 to make, not including my time.

 

[Jane]

I only make my folkloric and historical costumes these days. I gave up on doing the sharqi ones, I just don't have the patience for the beading.

 

[Zumarrad]

Due to my height and size, I cannot buy costumes off the peg (and it's kind of ironic because while I am tall, I'm only 5'8, and while I am The Obesity Epidemic Writ Large, I am still able to buy clothing in mainstream shops without difficulty, unlike many other obese people), so making them is my only option. I also don't feel comfortable ordering things and having them shipped to me unless they are really affordable, in case they don't work out. I am considering ordering the odd L-Rose skirt, because those should work. But something that involves a bra? A huge risk.

Unless you are buying designer costumes, I question whether it is really as good to buy as it is to make. If you make your own you get colours you like, a fit you like, and GASP a costume that doesn't look like any other person's costume. I can guarantee that if I made a costume using the nicest of fabrics and quality crystals, it would not cost me $1000. If I boiught one it would cost at least that including shipping (and blah blah Chinese blah blah affordable mid-range options, don't even GO there, because I have already explained that due to my size and height, buying these things would be like throwing money down the toilet).

It's only when you start getting into the larger sizes where costumes need to be custom-made that you really start to see any savings. But yeah, my cheapest costume cost me AU$200 to make, not including my time.

That's cheap.

 

[walladah]

Making your own costumes is not cheaper than buying

... a good costume, because you will need a lot of time and effort and patience to prepare a costume - i can tell. Sometimes it might be even more expensive because you might destroy the fabric in case you are inexperienced in sewing and clothe decoration.

THe best question is not about cheap and expensive, but about the resources you have:

if you have cash available, better to buy a costume by a good provider.
if you are short of cash but you have plenty of time to spend, you will just make your own.
in case you are both short of cash and money, i would recommend to work on some of the very modern shaqui costumes with no or light beading and better fabric design.

personally, i usually opt for the the second and third option due to... restricted budget, however if i had money i would also buy.

There is one more reason to make your own costumes: they will be design unique, if you want (i have seen "my design costumes" which are just silly copies of famous ones, actually, do not do this) and if you are eager to experiment. Of course, if you take the time to work on your own, better to make something unique...

 

[Darshiva]

That's cheap.

I often source my fabrics from either the bargain bin at spotlight or an op shop.

 

[Zumarrad]

Yeah, I think what I am trying to say is, $200 is not a lot of money to pay for a costume whether you make or buy. And one can't buy a good one for that.

 

[Daimona]

For awhile now, I've been considering making my own costumes mainly because it's less expensive than buying and I can create my costume to look exactly how I want to. A friend and I were talking about this, and she mentioned that when you consider the amount of time and effort that goes into making a costume, the prices are worth every penny. I'm wondering where you ladies (and men) stand on this. Does anyone have experience with creating their own costumes?

(P.S. Sorry if I posted in the wrong category, I'm new here and still trying to get familiar with the site! :lol

Don't worry, you've posted in the right category. And while your at it, do drop by the Meet and Greet section to present yourself so we can get to know you better. Welcome to the forum, btw.


Whether it is less expensive or not making a costume depends on the costume you are thinking about.
Minimalistic designs where the main design element is the fabric itself with only a few decoration items I may make myself (if I find the right fabric).
On the other side, I wouldn't even considering making highly decorated costumes with a lot of beads and paliettes myself. Quality beads and paliettes at a reasonable price are hard to come by in my area, I hate sewing by hand and I would use an eternity to finish it and most likely not be happy with the result if I tried beading it myself (but I may also try it if I can find anyone who are willing to make me beaded appliques).

Good reasons to make costumes yourself are unique design, the possibility to change the design during the process, custom made to your measurements, the fun of it (if you like to do things yourself), .
Good reasons to buy the costumes are cost of time, cost of materials etc.


I've both bought expensive custom made costumes and made my own costumes. My cheapest costumes so far (hours spent are not included in the cost, but I've mentioned how long time I used):

• skirt and top (student grade, all I need to add is a belt) in velour and chiffon: app. USD 25 (as an inexperienced seamstress I used app. 10h, doing it again I would use app. 5h on an ordinary sewing machine and 3h with a serger).
• galabeya (dress) in spandex app. USD 30 (time spent: 2h including making the pattern, making it again from the same pattern <1h with a serger)

I would need to add a belt to both these costumes, but making/buying versatile costumes previously I could either use a practice belt (coined/beaded hip scarf) for a student-grade performance or reuse a belt from a bedlah for more professional venues (the galabeya was designed to be used with the bedlah itself).


I've also made several of my chiffon veils myself to get them my preferred size, and used scraps of the veil fabrics to make matching hip wraps (by adding beads and strings of beads).

 

[Jane]

There is always the option of buying gently used costumes.

 

[Kashmir]

Unless you are very skilled at dressmaking and sewing beads, sequins, appliques etc - and enjoy it. I would think twice before doing this except at student level. (My students make their own but they are low use and usually used on stage where problems may not be immediately apparent).

The cost of materials is likely to be similiar to a costume of the same quality - and then you have your labour. As a student you can get away with using sparkly fabrics with minimal bling - but up close that is how they will look. Add difficulties in creating and fittinga bra and you will have heartache.

 

[Dunyah]

I've made a few successful costumes fairly cheaply - well under $200 - by converting items from thrift stores and adding purchased items like a skirt or Egyptian beaded fringe to them. One was based on a silk dress dyed in the most gorgeous rainbow pattern, paired with silver appliques I made from a beaded shirt. The theme was rainbows and dewdrops. The rainbow dress became a skirt and arm drapes that I paired with a bra and belt that I made and decorated with the silver appliques and some silver fringe. I wore it for a festival in a very large room with a very large raised stage. It was effective in that environment because it read well from a distance.

I also made a black and gold bedlah out of a beaded sweater, again making appliques out of the beaded motifs and applying them to a bra and belt base. I added gold fringe and a black trumpet skirt.

And I converted an elaborately beaded dress into a bra and skirt by cutting the dress in half and using the beaded sleeves to cover a bra base. The bottom half of the dress, which was heavily beaded over the hip area and had an extremely full skirt, became the skirt/belt part of the costume. I added some fringe and some velvet gauntlets.

I have this odd desire to turn thrift store finds into costumes, every now and then. I try to resist, because it is always more time consuming than I think it's going to be. But I like to have new costumes and I don't have a lot of money to spend. So every once in awhile I find something, have the vision of the costume it could become, and go for it.

I also stalk the swap meet on Bhuz and on Facebook when I have money to buy a gently used costume. If you are patient you can find some great deals.

There's just no way I'm going to spend $800-1000 on a costume, or even $500.

Right now I am pining for a beledi dress from L Rose Designs. I want a stretch lace dress with a bra and shorts or a mini skirt underneath, peeking through the lace. I could probably get what I need for well under $200 but I need to sell something first.

If you are on Facebook, there is a new belly dance costumers group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/411188905626825/

and there are on-line tutorials, Shushanna is very good: Shushanna Designs: How to Make Costumes

 

[nitewindz]

At the risk of sounding older than dirt, I remember the days before ebay when almost all dancers made their own (or paid costumers to do it for them).

Today I think about three things when deciding to make/buy: 1. How much will it cost to buy vs make? 2. Do I realistically have the skills/time/resources to tackle this project?

I love to remake thrift store finds, like Dunyah does. It's fun and easy. If you need more ideas, Dina Lydia, the Costume Goddess, has a book Thrifty Chic for Belly Dancers with lots of examples. Disclaimer: I am one of the examples

I buy most plain, basic pieces. For example I wanted a cotton 25 yd skirt. I was able to buy the skirt, made to my specifications, a choli and 1/2 circle veil from India Bazaar for less than the cost of fabric alone at my local store. Obviously, it made no sense for me to make my own and I am still very happy with that set.

I make quirky folklorelike pieces, like Turkish coats in brocades or coarse woven stripes.

I make pieces if I want something completely custom. For example I could have purchased tie dye chiffon wave pants, instead, I made a silk set in black & tie dyed that I dyed myself with a matching top. It cost more and took more effort, but it's OOAK.

Most Tribal Fusion pieces, flair pants, panel skirts, halter tops, are easy and inexpensive to make.

Cabaret costumes often involve a lot of hand beading. That's where the questions get tricky. A cab costume with lots of cut outs and hand beading is a time consuming and difficult project.

A minimalist costume, made with beautiful fabric and two or three rhinestone appliques is an easy project. Ebay has lots of sparkly rhinestone trims and appliques, and Spandex House and Spandex World carry fabulous fabrics. The end result will be uniquely yours.

 

[Shanazel]

Well, I'm hardly older than dirt but I do recall meeting the Dead Sea when it only had the sniffles.

Let's see... I bought a tiered skirt and harem pants from Gia, Lydia sent me a khaleeji dress from Dubai, and I've purchased hip scarves. Other than that, I think I've made all my costumes. :think:

I started dancing during the "make your own or have them made" days Nitewindz mentioned. My dance income was (and is) needed for household expenses so I couldn't plow much of it back into my business. Fortunately I inherited thrifty Scots-Irish blood and learned to haunt fabric stores and thrift shops for unappreciated treasures. Of course, it helps to know what you're looking at: I once found ten yards of excellent silk for $2 a yard on a flatfold table. I suspect most people assumed it was a polyester blend and passed it over.

For me the bottom line is: will I enjoy the process? I'd about as soon be nibbled to death by ducks in December as sew spandex or glitterdot but I am serenely happy sewing on thousands of sequins and beads. I see things I like in catalogs but confess the first thought in my mind after, "Ooooooo, aaaaaaaah" is usually "I can make that." Heaven knows I have amassed enough exotic fabric to last until the sky falls but...

I really did want a new beledi dress and that sparkly red fabric was on sale and the sequin trim was 90% off, so...

 

[Ariadne]

I see things I like in catalogs but confess the first thought in my mind after, "Ooooooo, aaaaaaaah" is usually "I can make that." Heaven knows I have amassed enough exotic fabric to last until the sky falls but...

I really did want a new beledi dress and that sparkly red fabric was on sale and the sequin trim was 90% off, so...

Oh tell me about it! That one phrase is the bane of my existence. I have so many projects just sitting around that started with those words. :redface:

 

[Farasha Hanem]

Oh tell me about it! That one phrase is the bane of my existence. I have so many projects just sitting around that started with those words. :redface:

:shok: Whaaaa??? *throws a blanket over her pile of unfinished projects*

 

[Aniseteph]

That is a good reason to buy - it's there and ready(ish) to go and you don't need to add to the stash. Or spend a long time making something that turns out to be not-so-great.

I can't resist the sparkly charity shop bargain though. And I'm making a circle skirt (I said I wouldn't on account of the hem, but the fabric was interesting and cheap, and in the words of Lydia Bennet I thought I might as well buy it as not*.)

 

[Shanazel]

"Need?" What is this "need" you speak of? :think:

 

[gisela]

"need" I understand, it's the concept of "don't need" I'm having trouble with...

I just made a very nice costume out of fabric I bought 3 (or more) years ago. Sometimes the ideas just need time to grow and when they are ready, the fabric is right there waiting.

Aniseteph, 200 anniversary?! I didn't know and I spent all last week reading pride and prejudice, sense and sensibility and now Emma I must have felt it somehow.

 

[Zumarrad]

I have to alert the Austenites here to the amazing Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which you can view on Youtube. It is updated to a contemporary US setting and it is *enthralling*. Lizzie has a vlog. So, crucially at the moment, does Lydia. It has reached a *very exciting and nailbiting point*.

Go and find it at once and watch ALL OF IT from the beginning. It's absolutely brilliant.