Thread: looking for dress inspiration - favorite designs?

I want to sew myself a belly dance dress for a shamadan performance and I'm looking for inspiration. What are your favorite/glamous dress, or dress-like costumes? They can be traditional or non-traditional. Photos you've saved, links to photos on other dancers sites or links to videos are welcome. I just want to get some ideas.

Thanks for anything you might share in advance.

I'm posting my own first ones, just so I can collect the ideas all in the same place:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWx_YqcQe5E&feature=related]YouTube - Orit in Eilat festival of bellydance 2008[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqu9P8FeOJo]YouTube - Dina long black dress[/ame]

yes, I'm having a conversation with myself on bhuz...

These two combined

I like the dagged sleeves on the first dress--it seems like you'd need a design element like that to balance yourself with the shamadan (not literally, lol).

You can SEW dresses like that? I'm impressed! You really seem to like the "naked" dresses. When I saw your post I was thinking along the lines of the L Rose velvet dresses.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1ehYH3iYRw]YouTube - Egyptian - Belly Dancer - Katie[/ame]

..l;,

Originally Posted by shems

yes, I'm having a conversation with myself on bhuz...

I'm glad you started this thread. I saw some great fabric recently that is stretch fine mesh with metallic embroidery and sequins on it - it is begging to be made into a dress! I need inspiration.

I need inspiration too! A fab costumer will be starting on a custom dress for me soon. Thanks for starting the thread, Shems.

I remember seeing a youtube clip once with Saida in a beautiful drapey dress, I think it was red. Does anybody know the clip I'm talking about?

Originally Posted by dunyah

You can SEW dresses like that? I'm impressed! You really seem to like the "naked" dresses. When I saw your post I was thinking along the lines of the L Rose velvet dresses.

If it can be sewn, I can figure out how, at least I think I can. I've been pretty successful so far. It is just a matter of if I have the time to do it.

I do like "naked" dresses, but others as well, I just like some of the more unique designs.

I am a gigantic Orit Maftsir costuming fan.
"naked dress" on her clip page.

×�ורית מפציר - ריקוד ×”× ×©×ž×”

I love the melaya-esque dress in the clip from Korea - the style is simple ad cute and could be made longer.

I also love the Red Allure on Dahlal's site, but it's not quite right for shemadan due to the skirt's fullness perhaps. I dunno, having never performed shamadan (you don't want me near balancing or candles)

I've always been fond of the look of a dancer really rocking a plain, white, cotton galabeya. Of course, depending on your venue, that probably won't work for a shamadan performance (unless you've been hired to dance at a wedding in the poorest village in Egypt or something...). While wearing a plain white dress looks really sort of shabby and uninteresting to Americans, I've heard it carries a different connotation for Arabs. For them, it's sort of like their equivalent of an American woman getting out of bed the morning after and putting on the guy's white cotton dress shirt with nothing else. I guess it's kind of a sexy cliche to them. At any rate, there should be a lot of really nice, fancy, white wedding fabrics on the market that you could use to make a beledi dress to work this vibe without looking like you should be plowing a field on the banks of the Nile.

On the other hand, I'm intrigued by the possibilities that one could make with Simplicity 3501 (Design Viewer), particularly the variation with the little cutout under the bust.

I have to confess that I don't get Orit's dress, though. I find the fabric really distracting. There's a certain way that you can pull off using a sheer fabric because when it wrinkles it can accentuate the movement, but in this case, I don't think it works--too much wrinkle, too much sheer. Orit's costume is basically a rip off of Jennifer Lopez's green Versace dress, rendered in fabric that vaguely resembles black, plastic garbage bags. Sorry, but I just hate it. I think it makes her look like a metallic sausage of ill repute.

Definitely, Orit's taste is not for everyone. She wears or did wear a lot of Sahar designs as I recall - or perhaps I'm remembering incorrectly. She has a male designer, right? I forget his name - it's not the Argentinian is it? And I've forgot his name too!

okay I've drawn myself a design. Don't have a way to post it right now, but I'm trying to decide what colors to make it. It seems like red, mint green, blue, gold and white are popular at zeffas. I'm trying to think what I'd like the most. Maybe purple....

Originally Posted by danidance

Definitely, Orit's taste is not for everyone. She wears or did wear a lot of Sahar designs as I recall - or perhaps I'm remembering incorrectly. She has a male designer, right? I forget his name - it's not the Argentinian is it? And I've forgot his name too!

Her designer is/was Asi Haskel (sp?) in Isreal.

Hi
Not wanting to spoil things but if you are doing shamadan with lit candles you need a costume that won't break your heart if candlewax spills on it because it always does, at some point if not the first performance or the second but it will happen. I have a few Hannan galabeas that I bought from her for around £25 and blinged up.candlewax splashes don't break my heart too much on those!!!!

Here is a design I drew after watching a YouTube video of Fifi dancing wearing something like it. It is a fancey gallabyia with nude net shoulders and top of upper arms, bell sleeves, self-fabric sash. Rhinestones scattered at the edge of the sleeve hem, around the bust, and bottom hem of dress. I plan to make this someday, just haven't gotten to it yet.

Souzan

http://www.bhuz.com/file/pic/gallery/16123.jpg

I've posted this link before, asking if others thought it would make a nice belly dance dress. Bhuzzers gave me some really good advice to make it. I just haven't had the time yet.

I love this dress!:

Belly dance dress? - tribe.net

Thank you for starting this thread, there are so many beautiful, inspiring dresses here!!! :-)

Wow! beautiful drawing Souzan. I think I remember the dress you are referring to. I like!

I like this one too...



I hope you don't mind my linking the photos right into the thread, that way I can scroll through the thread and just look at all the wonderful ideas.

I'll upload a couple of my drawings too soon.

Here's the Simplicity one:


I would also do Orit's but it is flash embedded, and I don't feel like messing with that.

Thank you for your contributions. These are beautiful.

And older drawing of mine I found...I'm still looking for some of my other designs I stashed somewhere. I had another really great dress design I loved. sorry for the crappy scan, it was a really light pencil drawing.





The dress I just drew yesterday, with symmetrical or asymmetrical options. Not necessarily to be made in these colors:

Oh Shems,

I love that first drawing you did. The back is exquisit. Really, they are both wonderful.

I agree with Michelle - the drawings are lovely and so is the sketch posted above.

I was tooling around Vogue Patterns and I like the corset like design of this dress (I would change the straps to halter and probably modify the skirt).

VoguePatterns - V8288 - MISSES' DRESS - 8288

And, I love the top detail/neckline treatment on this dress - really pretty.
VoguePatterns - V1078 - MISSES' DRESS - 1078

But today -I'm buying this pattern because it is so cute in the short style (reminds me a little of that dress Michelle Obama wore on "The View". looks like it would be fun to make:

VoguePatterns - V8494 - MISSES' DRESS - 8494

I can see some possibilities there.

Originally Posted by danidance

I agree with Michelle - the drawings are lovely and so is the sketch posted above.

I was tooling around Vogue Patterns and I like the corset like design of this dress (I would change the straps to halter and probably modify the skirt).

VoguePatterns - V8288 - MISSES' DRESS - 8288

And, I love the top detail/neckline treatment on this dress - really pretty.
VoguePatterns - V1078 - MISSES' DRESS - 1078

But today -I'm buying this pattern because it is so cute in the short style (reminds me a little of that dress Michelle Obama wore on "The View". looks like it would be fun to make:

VoguePatterns - V8494 - MISSES' DRESS - 8494