Costume musings

A couple of weeks ago a dance friend commented about how I always keep track of costumes (i.e. what people wear to shows and who the designer is). I love costumes and costuming, especially of the belly dance variety, but I don't want people to think it is because I am superficial or because I like to play dress-up. That's just the way I am. I always have been.

I have a distinct memory when it comes to clothing. I remember what I was wearing at important key moments in my life (first kiss, first date, graduations, etc). Even as a child I loved my clothes and attached special meanings to everything. I made clothes and costumes for Barbies and played dress up a lot. I guess that's normal...as a teenager I read high fashion magazines (along with the junk magazines) and just love fabric, textures, jewelry, etc. It was a natural fit when I learned how to sew and make jewelry. I even briefly considered a career in fashion design, but I lack skills in precision and I hate competition...plus the scene is totally not my thing. So yeah, this stuff has just been part of my world. The irony is that I do not dress fashionably at all. Never have, probably never will.

Then I found belly dancing where the costuming is just so fascinating and endless. I love it. When I was at the Mohamed Shahin workshop I honestly picked up and inspected the Eman Zaki's he had. Just so I could feel them, examine them, and know what they are like. If the actual dancing didn't make me so happy, I would start to think that I was in it just for the costuming. I can assure you I am not. BUT belly dance costuming will always have a special place in my heart. My need to create, touch, adhere meaning to clothing-like objects is enhanced where belly dancing is concerned. It is not about being superficial, artificial, judgmental or egotistical. I do not need pretty costumes to make myself feel better than others. In fact when I comment on a costume or buy one of my own, it is usually because I am responding to a visceral reaction...whether it be positive or negative...

I've been thinking a lot about my costume collection and what it consists of. I try to make strategic moves in how I fill my dance cabinet. I try to arrange things so that I am always selling one as a new one comes in (to make room and justify my habit). I also try to have enough different kinds to keep my interest: sleek/modern, solid bedlah, lavish/high end, hafla-wear, oriental dress, saidi dress, plus lots of options for mix and match. With each new costume I buy, I consider whether or not it will meet my needs, and most importantly, fit this buxom bod. Yes, I do make occasional impulse purchases, but they're generally items that will suit my needs and dance styles.

I recently bought a Pharaonics Butterfly costume, a very popular style, and it will be my 4th! Of course I am paying it off over time using my monthly income from teaching (and not my salary or credit!). I know Pharaonics are seen as generic and sometimes cheap, but I am so drawn to the styles. I don't worry about looking like a cliché, or like the rest of the other dancers. I've never had that overwhelming need to be one of a kind...I know that's because my dancing and my personality should speak for itself.

I also custom ordered a Hanan, directly from the source. This should take awhile and I wonder if I will ever get it. I picked Hanan because I think she makes great dresses for plus-sized women (giant cut-outs excluded). Oriental dresses are so hard to find, good ones that is, and I am picky and hard to fit on top of that. We'll see what my direct custom order turns out to look like in the end. It should be better than buying off the rack, but one can never know.

I am also craving an all-silver bedlah, for more versatility. I am trying my hardest to wait to purchase anything else until 2011, but I may falter on this one. I guess it depends on how many paying gigs I will get this year. I either want a Pharaonics like this or this (although that extra fringe on the side of the bra would have to go), custom ordering a Bella (yes, I said it), custom ordering from Dahab Designs, or perhaps making something of my own.

Of course my home-made and refurbished to-do pile has gotten large! I am still working on the chunky blue and gold refurb. Progress has slowed because I am doing something boring, beading the straps...After that will be my brown and pink, following that I hope to finish my pearl costume, and then the last is my gold costume (I only have fabric, no bling or beads yet). I also need to find time to make 4 double-layer chiffon skirts. I hope I get a serger for my birthday.

Yeah, so this whole costume business goes a lot deeper than just needing to look hot. Sure it's our official "uniform" and part of the job. But it's so much more than that. It's a hobby, it's an art, it's a passion and it's a dream fulfilled.

The glitter dot goddess costume

About a month ago I started making a costume from scratch using some fantastic glitter dot and mystique lycra. I was going to blog about it once it was all finished, but well I am too excited and I've been home sick so I have nothing else to do. Here is what I hope to be a run down of the events thus far.

I was inspired while at JoAnn's by this fantastical fabric. I had to have it and I knew what I wanted right away. I think all the supplies and fabric cost about $50 or $60.




First I "sketched" out the design in Photoshop using a croquis I found online.


Then, I traced my L Rose skirt on some large white craft paper as the pattern. I cut out the design and I now I have a basic skirt pattern. The skirt is three panels, one in the front and two in the back.


Next, I traced the bra shape from my Great Loop--which fits me perfectly--onto craft paper to use as a pattern. I also had a bra from a Delta Burke body suit that I bought for $6 at Ross. I used the body suit portion for a tummy cover and was able to use the bra for this part.

As a result of my diligent tracing onto craft paper, I now have nice patterns for sleek skirts and bras. :)

Next, I needed to reinforce the bra. I knew that the bra wasn't going to be too heavy because of the design, so I decided not to line the original bra. Instead, I used a couple of layers of Aleene's fabric stiffener to help them maintain their shape. And because the purple lycra glitter dot was so fragile, I decided to use fusible interfacing on it. Well, it was a pain in the butt to get that interfacing to fuse onto the fabric. Such is the nature of a 4-way stretch fabric. You live you learn!

I also needed some strong fabric for the side-straps of my bra. I decided to use the heavy-duty outdoor canvas that I had used to recover some porch furniture. I stitched neatly around the edges and then went back and sewed the allowance down on the inside



While watching "A year in provence" (it's a four-hour film), I sewed the fabric onto the cups.




At this point it was really coming together...




Then, I had to make the rouched bit. That sort of left me scratching my head, but I used the tried and true gathering/ruffling technique and it looked pretty good.


Repeat on bra:


After showing this to Adam and Seher, we decided that the rouching was too long and that the zipper didn't match...



So, ugh, I had to redo the skirt, but I think it looks much better now.

All that was left was embellishments. Taking a break from redoing the skirt, I decided to bead the bra using iridescent sequins and reddish pink seed beads.




I decided that the red blended in too much with the pink fabric, so while at JoAnn's to buy a new zipper, I took a look at the beads. To my surprise they had a new stock of bead...no more red beads, but lots of purple ones! Well that settled it. I am much happier with the new color.



I also bought this awesome cotton fabric to line the bra with:


So here we are as of yesterday at 6:00pm or so:


As I mentioned, today I was sick so I spent all day beading and watching tv. Boring, yet productive.





All I have left is to finish the fringe, attach the bra strap, add hooks and line the fabric. I will be done in no time...Now if I could just get over my cold...

More pictures at http://s708.photobucket.com/albums/ww88/andalee-oriental/pink%20dots/ (oh and the thumbnails are clickable).

Web site domain name contest!

My beloved Google pages will be no more in June. Thankfully Google is allowing a free redirect to a new URL. I can't stand Google sites, so now it is time for me to stop dragging my feet and put something new together. I will need to purchase a new and original URL for my site. 

I've put together several ideas already, but they all seem pretty boring. I've posted a poll here (above) where you can vote for your favorite. If you don't like any of them, or if you are just a creative word-smither, than I encourage you to enter my domain name contest! 

Please send ideas to me about web site URLs. Remember, it should relate to belly dance, the area or my name somehow. Domain names should be easy to remember and spell. I prefer not to use hyphens. Please check availability before entering contest. You can check availability at: http://www.startlogic.com/ or https://www.godaddy.com/ or a billion other Web sites. Just be sure not to register it, just check it to see if it is available.

The winner of the contest, decided by moi, will receive an Andalee Belly Dance tote bag: http://www.cafepress.com/Andalee.310700447(with the correct domain name on it, of course!). 

Please vote or submit before April 30, 2009. And don't worry my googlepages will work until then, and once I get the new site up, it will automatically redirect. 

Vote now or send me those entries!

New project on the horizon: Pearl Moon

Whew, I am finally done with some projects and I can get working on making some costumes. I've been obsessed with designer costumes, but then I read Sarah Skinner's blog and I was inspired to make my own. I mean I still covet the Pharonics and one on SatiCraft, but I just bought a new car, so money is an issue.

Sarah Skinner's pearl costume (above) and one I saw on the swap pages of Bhuz have inspired me to make a vintage-style pearl costume. My color palette is going to be inspired by the pearl necklaces that Adam gave me...soft ivory, pink/light peach, and light purple/pink. I'd describe it as the color of the moon at sunrise.

Now for the materials...obviously, I can't afford real pearls, but there are plenty of wedding gown pearl trims and strings available. I'm going to scour the clearance of AC Moore and Michael's for sales on pearls and I have some good online vendors to choose from. I think may also buy some AB crystals for embellishment, too. To give it that ephemeral look...

As for the base of the costume, I am smart enough this time to know that I can't make a bra and belt to save my life. Skirt: yes, bedlah: no. So I am going to buy a base set from Sugar Petals. I'll need to cover it with a nice durable fabric. My ideal would be ivory dupioni silk, but that isn't practical, so I'll pick something that drapes well and can carry heavy beads. I also need something that isn't too slippery. I've made the mistake of using slick fabric before and it gets too bulky and weird.

Anyway, stay tuned...this project will be a long time in the making!