Thread: Do you have a costume you will NEVER sell?

We all have at least one costume that we will never let go. You know the one, the costume you could be married or buried in. That magical set that just makes us happy and makes us dance a bit better. Either sentimentality or sheer beauty. Post your pics here, I would love to see.

I've got 2 favorites.
The first is my "peacock" set. It's got every color imaginable, plus rhinestones. The belt curves my touchy "just so" and the skirt was custom made to match.

Then there's a gorgeous burgundy red & gold solo outfit with amazing cutouts.
This one no longer fits (well, not like it used to) but someday....

i will never sell anything hallah made for me. especially the hot pink and iridescent peach she made for me when i won bduc egyptian. she lined the belt with yellow felt and signed her name in arabic with the year...with a black sharpie :) its totally sentimental. can't find the cd with the pics right now. but here's the gold sequin one she made for me. won't ever sell that one either. [second pic on the page. please excuse the hair]
Hallah Moustafa - Custom Costumes for Belly Dancers & more.

It would be very hard to take my homemades away from me...although I've started to debate if I'll sell my first homemade....but...
The first (that survived);
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/IMG_0200.jpg

Land of homemade bedlah:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/IMG_0107.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...Ozma-49001.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/IMG_0488.jpg

Has more fringe now:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/IMG_3432.jpg

I know there's already dibs on both of them ..l;, but I'm not sure if I will ever sell this one:



or this one:

Ozma, those homemades are incredible!

I keep telling myself I'll keep certain costumes and I don't. BUT, I do have one dress I won't ever part with. It's really flattering on, and given our small community, the modesty it provides while still leaving me feel all pretty makes this one extra valuable to me. I don't have pictures yet, but do have a blurry video. ;-)

It's black with silver beading, but I added some royal blue. There were small bare diamond cutouts, but I lined them with black mesh. It was a tad too short, so I lengthened it and re beaded the bottom, as well as extended the bra to provide more modesty.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmn8TSvl6-A]YouTube - Adishakti - Wedding Performance[/ame]

Nope!

There are costumes that are very hard for me to sell, but I've learned never to say never.

I can't resist the siren call of NEW costumes, and can't afford to buy them unless I keep selling the old ones. Besides, my weight has fluctuated so widely that I'm forced to rotate. No point having a closet full of beauties that don't fit!

However, I've found myself unable to ever part with any of my Akai veils. I've *wanted* to sell a couple to raise a little money, but just couldn't do it.

I spent so many hours designing and beading this set and finding vintage rhinestones from the 1930's that I could never part with it!
[IMG][/IMG]

I don't know that there's a costume I would never part with for sentimental reasons, but between my size and my taste ( can't afford the Bellas, Emans, Hallahs, Sahars etc that are the craze) I can't sell anything of mine! So I'm thinking any costume I buy is now mine forever!

I don't have any pics in it to share yet, but I will never sell my very first custom-made piece ... conceived in my brain, with much help from MAZ and Lotus and brought to fruition, gloriously by MAZ. It is in the perfect colors for my skintone, and hugs my booty just right. It is luscious and even if it gets to the point where I can't fit it anymore, I will never part with it.

I have a gorgeous wine red Hoda Zaki that was my first "big girl costume". I have tried to sell it a few times, but I find that I just can't. At this point, it is way too big on me and I am going to do some major alterations to make it fit. I think it has too much sentimental value. I ordered it directly via email with the Zakis and I think that is part of why it just feels so special.

I have several vintage costumes which I would be very reluctant to sell. But like Lauren, I would never say never.

But, I have to be honest, I decided to train and compete at AwS because I looked at my closet full of costumes and decided that I either needed to start dancing more or sell them. Decided selling was not an option!

{{{HUGS}}}

My red bella. It is so gorgeous and so comfy, and has seen me through a 4-size weight fluctuation, with padding. (Stupid injuries...)

I too cannot part with my Akai veils-even though I prefer the heavier silk I cannot bring myself to sell my featherweight ones :) .

However, I have a new love, that I may never sell, and it is my brand new apple green/purple pharonics rings of desire from Voula. Its *magical*!

I have two that I don't think I'll ever sell - a royal blue/mint green Pharonics and a black faux leather costume with rhinestone studding. But as Lauren mentioned, it's good to never say never. In fact, I just sold several things I though I'd have forever in order to afford two new costumes that I just couldn't resist.

There is only one that I will not sell. It would be my first student costume that I debuted in for my first public performance. It just has sentimental value....

Originally Posted by AngelaDiCaprio

There is only one that I will not sell. It would be my first student costume that I debuted in for my first public performance. It just has sentimental value....

Same here. My 1st costume is definitely a student costume that my parents bought me to entice me to perform. They said, here is a costume NOW you have to perform. At that point, I had been taking classes for several years and never performed. LOL. They have a dvd of my very 1st performance which they love showing to people. I love it that my parents are so supportive of me belly dancing.

So when I actually performed with a live band for the 1st time, my mom drove 3 hours from NY to come see me.

The costumes I'm most attached to are the ones I made.Well half made. I bought bedlahs from Hanan and made skirts or trousers and sleeves to go with them.Because I made them to suit me and they are a bit quirky I feel that they express my personality more than a full costume or dress I've bought designed by someone else so I could never sell them because I designed them for me.

I have a wonderful black-and-red Madam Abla dress that jumped up and caught me at a workshop 3 years ago. It's so me, I don't see how I could ever sell it.

I couldn't sell my first self-made. But I couldn't wear it any more either, so I gave it to my stepdaughter (who was in my class at the time and performing).

I have the most beautiful pale yellow Eman. Right now I need to lose about ten pounds to look good in it. The bra is a perfect 32B and after my pregnancy I widen in my back area so I hope one day it will fit again!

This Topkapi:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/10...c61d96.jpg?v=0

Because right after that, this happened:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/44/10...4f2753.jpg?v=0

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

This Topkapi:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/10...c61d96.jpg?v=0

Because right after that, this happened:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/44/10...4f2753.jpg?v=0

WOW! I can see why you would never sell that costume! How incredible!..g.:

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

This Topkapi:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/10...c61d96.jpg?v=0

Because right after that, this happened:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/44/10...4f2753.jpg?v=0

That is so sweet!Love your pics!!

I love this costume..It was meant for my belly sister Liz & I saw it & fell in love..It has that real Exotic Bellydancer Vibe to it.Dorky pic from a freebie MM shoot.But here it is

Costumes may come and go, but when I was going to my first competition as an intermediate dancer, my mom, bless her heart, hand beaded this skirt for me and added the trim because she wanted it to stand out more. I LOVE this skirt and will never, ever part with it.

I have since sold the bedlah because the cup size grew too small, but replaced it with another gold one just so I have something to wear with this treasured skirt.

[IMG][/IMG]

no pics, but my first bhuz purchase, a black AB crystal sim moda, and my turquoise madame abla and black art deco from TanyaLV. mmmmmm

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

This Topkapi:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/10...c61d96.jpg?v=0

Because right after that, this happened:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/44/10...4f2753.jpg?v=0

Awwwwwwww!! That made me tear up a little!

Yay!

I love this thread! It is so fun to learn about everyone's most treasured costumes.

I don't see myself ever wanting to sell this one.



And another pic: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...l/Jillina2.jpg

I got it from TanyaLV, and I have photos on my computer of both Jillina and Ansuya wearing it. It's so unique--I've never seen anything like it. The bra is padded so much it could serve as a flotation device, and people comment on how nice my girls look whenever I wear it, LOL. Also, it's the most comfortable costume I own. The bra base is built from a regular bra, with stretchy straps all around, so it's one that I can wear for long periods of time or sit around in without feeling uncomfortable or constricted.

I love the shiny print on the lycra, and I love the color gradient on the fringe. I also love how the cutouts on the skirt totally remind me of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. :Abiggrin:

I don't have a costume that I would never sell. I don't get sentimental about material things. I sold off my first big girl costume, my first homemade, my first Bella. Sometimes I get a pang of guilt but why hang on to it just for sentiment? Especially if I have pictures of myself in it.