Thread: student costumes for a curvy gal?

so my mom has been belly dancing for a couple of months now and our biannual showcase is coming up and she's thinking about performing with her student class (every technique class from level 2 and up gets to perform a choreography the instructor teaches us). she's nervous and feeling a bit down since she's not sure of how she'll do and how she'll look etc. but i told her she has months to decide if she wants to do it or not and if she doesn't do it, she'll always wonder 'what if?'

so with that being said, what are some cute options for a shorter plus sized woman (i believe she's about 5'3" or so?) for a student performance?. i believe her colors are red & black with silver accents or either one of the two w/silver accents (not sure yet). i wanted to get her something or even make something for her but considering that i'm not 100% sure if she'll go through with it, not sure if i can spare all that time that it would take me to make something for her if i decided to if she won't use it.

i was thinking a sparkly belly cover would look cute since she's self conscious about showing her stomach and that way the ensemble could look more like a dress...help please? i won't push her to perform of course but i do wanna encourage her since she is thinking about it and i just feel so bad that she's having such bad thoughts about it! :( i wanna do something nice for her :) and maybe something sparkly will just boost her confidence :)

Some of my students who are older and fuller figured (and especially the shorter ones) really like a nice simple dress with good coverage.

Three of my students have dresses similar to this one:
Belly Dance Store.com

Dahlal sells a more expensive version that's also a little more durable and more heavily fringed (or at least she used to). These less expensive ones are thinner fabric, tend to be a little see through and the weight of the beads will stretch the lycra downward -- so you have to sew or pin the neckline to your bra and wear some boy shorts or something under.

Another variation one of my students has - and loves -- is this one.
http://turkish-emporium.com/moreinfo..._Dance_Costume

A sparkly belly cover sounds like a really nice idea, too!

Moondance sells costumes for every size; I know a lot of full figured women like them Belly Dance Costume & Dancing Supply with Moondance. But you do have to wait about three weeks for your order.

How about a nice trumpet skirt and tie top ensemble from L Rose with a coordinating tummy cover? I think that would look great on anyone/everyone!

What type of costuming is the class wearing?

I'm guessing more along the Oriental look and not Tribal, right?

I'm short and curvy, so I was looking through some of my pictures, but I'm more of the pants+choli bent so it wouldn't help much if your mom is gonna be wearing dresses, heh.

I think something simple would be nice and then she would have it for future use as well if she bows out of this one.

Good luck to your mom!

I happen to like these:
King Of The Nile



They come fast and they are 60% off.
You can still wear a belly cover with them and you get to wear your own bra. I had to redo the elastic on my skirt, but over all they are well-made.

Oh look I am wearing one in my avatar! Here is the full pic.



(You can see I have somewhat of a belly, but overall I find it flattering).

I have one of those King of the Nile sets too, in black and hot pink, and it's a good cut for the curves. I took out my skirt elastic and replaced it with non-stretch cotton tape and put in a zip to help stop the muffin top, and it looks great. (in my humble opinion of course!)

yes it is more of an oriental look yaalini.
thank u so much ladies! she was saying how she wanted to decorate and fringe up a sparkly bra (kind of liek the ones u see on sharifwear) but i think i found something similar to what andalee is wearing. now i just need to wait and see if she needs both red and black or just one of the two with silver accents. this way i can find something relatively inexpensive to surprise her with in case she decides to do it (she's still not sure lol)

where can one find a sparkly belly cover? i know there was a thread about this somewhere..

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

I happen to like these:
King Of The Nile



They come fast and they are 60% off.
You can still wear a belly cover with them and you get to wear your own bra. I had to redo the elastic on my skirt, but over all they are well-made.

are the prices listed before or after the 60% off?

I have sparkly fishnets that I have used as a belly cover before - they stretched all the way up to my boobs! Something like that might work in a pinch, just cut off the legs if you don't want 'em and pin the waistband to the bra.

Andalee's costume idea is cute and a great choice!

Samia Sets

These are here in the UK but I love them and I think they'd good on many bodyshapes

Congratulations on having your mom join you in the sisterhood of this dance! How fun for both of you!

-Devora

Originally Posted by zfejzic

are the prices listed before or after the 60% off?

I paid $140 for mine, including shipping, so I guess before.

Originally Posted by valeskah

I have one of those King of the Nile sets too, in black and hot pink, and it's a good cut for the curves. I took out my skirt elastic and replaced it with non-stretch cotton tape and put in a zip to help stop the muffin top, and it looks great. (in my humble opinion of course!)

Great idea! You can see, even with the new elastic, I have a little muffin. .w.:

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

Great idea! You can see, even with the new elastic, I have a little muffin. .w.:

Andalee, I can see no such thing! You look fab! ..g.:
I find the cotton tape helps me feel a little more secure - elastic just doesn't always feel like it will stay in the right place...

Originally Posted by lizajuk

Samia Sets

These are here in the UK but I love them and I think they'd good on many bodyshapes

i love these!!

for now i'm getting her just a black mermaid skirt (hope she wanted something more fitting instead of flowy ..c::) since she wanted to try and decorate that bra herself. that way she has something to go with and if she does decide to perform she could just get a red hipscarf or belt or soemthing
i'm thinking of just reworking my red bra and belt set that i have up for sale. just buying some silver fringe adding that on to the belt (taking off the gold parts) and finding a matching bra (since the bra i have wouldn't fit her but the belt should). i'll see tho :)
thanks ladies!

ooh i think i figured out a perfect little combo:
the black mermaid skirt (which i'm buying from valeskah hehe)
the rhinestony bra she wanted to embroider
a red choli u-top from l.rose
and a red fringey sash from l.rose

this way she can wear the sash to class and everythin else is relatively inexpensive and she has both red and black colors :)

oh and maybe a sparkly belly cover if she wanted one in the end.

Sounds cute! Tell her we'd love to see pics when she's done! :)

alright change of plans, we (mostly me lol) are going to be making a costume for her. she likes the prof. look and it's better than ordering one and this way we know it will suit her body style :)
so she sketched up something and i shall create it
she wanted a sleeker trumpet skirt so i'm hoping i'll still be able to salvage the skirt i just bought from valeskah hehe
it's going to look awesome but now i have something else to do at to my to do list for costuming so my stuff will just have to be on the backburner for now
but i'm glad we're doin this since it will obviously make her wanna perform after all the hard work! :)