Thread: Can I see your Saroyan coin costumes?

Do any Bhuzzers out there have beautiful Saroyan coin costumes you've either bought or made? I would love to see pics of them!

One of the projects on my list for when finals are over is to make myself a coin costume using Saroyan coins harvested off an old costume and I was wondering what sort of masterpieces you have all created with them. There are pics of several beautiful costumes on the Saroyan website but the pics are really tiny and its hard to see the detail. I would love to see some of yours! Please share!

I am currently deconstructing this one for parts to remake into a new version:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/26...8d2b37b757.jpg

I just finished this basic model and want to add little dangling additions.

Mahasti, I'd love to see what you make with it!

Samantha, you look stunning!
That is what I've been thinking of doing with mine, but I'm undecided about whether I want to add fringe. What were you planning to add for dangles?

Originally Posted by Mintaka

Mahasti, I'd love to see what you make with it!

Samantha, you look stunning!
That is what I've been thinking of doing with mine, but I'm undecided about whether I want to add fringe. What were you planning to add for dangles?

Thanks Mintaka.
I wanted to add some loops on the bra, I guess like a stomach drape type thing, and on the belt too, no fringe, but you could do that too. I'm samll so I doN,t go for much fringe, that would make it a little more cabaret, or stick with coins for a folky/ gypsy look.
I also wear the belt over a dress for a folkloric look (if you can see in the fuzzy pics!).

Ther possibilites are really endless, and the saroyan coins have a really nice quality to them.

Patrisha here on Bhuz made these for Saroyan:



And most of the ones in this catalog:

Originally Posted by Mintaka

Do any Bhuzzers out there have beautiful Saroyan coin costumes you've either bought or made? I would love to see pics of them!

One of the projects on my list for when finals are over is to make myself a coin costume using Saroyan coins harvested off an old costume and I was wondering what sort of masterpieces you have all created with them. There are pics of several beautiful costumes on the Saroyan website but the pics are really tiny and its hard to see the detail. I would love to see some of yours! Please share!

Not all saroyan (most are Mid-East sets) but here you go
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/fitness-be...-costumes.html

how many coins do people usually buy to make a costume?

(One of my old teachers used 1200 on hers, but they were the little timy ones. All sewn with dental floss, lol!)

I learned something new today. I never knew what these were called. I absolutely LOVE these types of costumes. (thanks for the link to that other thread Ozma)

Must one dance a particular dance style when wearing something like this? And What's a good resource when looking to purchase a mirror/coin costume? Any rules with types of skirts?

When I save up enough, this is the type I want to buy. Do I have to do the attaching to the bra myself? I don't sew at all and would like to buy one already attached. Do those even extist? Must learn more.

Here's my beloved "Rainbow-Silver Saroyan" Bedlah that I will never-ever-ever-EVER let go (got it from the lovely Tanya LV:)). Got me sooo hooked on Saroyan coins, I have a bunch of different coins that I'm considering making a "mixed coin" bedlah out of them; just worried about the overall effect ,f::

http://www.bhuz.com/index.php?cmd=/p...irah/id_11062/
http://www.bhuz.com/index.php?cmd=/p...irah/id_11063/

Originally Posted by lotus

how many coins do people usually buy to make a costume?

(One of my old teachers used 1200 on hers, but they were the little timy ones. All sewn with dental floss, lol!)

I estimate I used around 200 on my bsic model, but these ones are large (maybe 2x 1.5 inches) so it goes a lot faster.

But I,m getting alot of good ideas from loking at these other costumes.

Originally Posted by Lesgemini_Zafirah

Here's my beloved "Rainbow-Silver Saroyan" Bedlah that I will never-ever-ever-EVER let go (got it from the lovely Tanya LV:)). Got me sooo hooked on Saroyan coins, I have a bunch of different coins that I'm considering making a "mixed coin" bedlah out of them; just worried about the overall effect ,f::

http://www.bhuz.com/index.php?cmd=/p...irah/id_11062/
http://www.bhuz.com/index.php?cmd=/p...irah/id_11063/

that's a really cool effect on the belt! Is it just regular beaded fringe, with a coin knotted in at each end? Or is the fringe made of chain? I am very intrigued. I love coin costumes...this thread i half inspiring me to make one for myself!

Originally Posted by lotus

that's a really cool effect on the belt! Is it just regular beaded fringe, with a coin knotted in at each end? Or is the fringe made of chain? I am very intrigued. I love coin costumes...this thread i half inspiring me to make one for myself!

Some are just peacock iridescdent-plain fringe, interspersed with fringe that has the Saroyan coin (diamond-shaped Venus) at the end :) Just works of art--all these S. C. Cossies!

I've gotten back to work on this project so I'm bumping this thread up to see if anyone else has pics to share!

I used to dance with Jewel of Opar in San Jose, and in 2004 they had troupe costumes made with Saroyan coins. Patrice Hernandez made all of the costumes for each of us.

Let me know if you'd like any close-up shots of the costume, I still have mine and can take some pictures of it easily.

I'm on this thread because I bought enough Saroyan coins to make a substantial costume just as they were becoming unavailable (what a bummer that is). I have a full gross in the antique gold, and if anyone has seen them, they're a little ugly.

But I'm planning to put them with copper, gold, and silver Saroyans that I also bought. I think I may have seen an example of a multicolored coin costume on the Saroyan website, but I haven't ever seen it used in performance. I wish I knew where I could get some larger copies of those photos, I haven't found anything online that rivals those costumes, and I want to make one similar to that, and I need some inspiration.

And since I live in New York now, I'm considering using the coins on my Jewel of Opar bedlah to make a new silver bedlah. But I just left the troupe a few months ago and I can't do it yet. :D Hope this helps!!

Oooooh, troupe Saroyan costumes, those are great! Thanks for sharing Megan!

I'd love to see larger version of all the pictures on their website too.

PS. If you ever happen to want to sell any of your coins let me know! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

I have finished my costume since the start of this thread, but hadn't gotten around to sharing pics yet. I planned on adding coin swags but ran out of coins! I love this costume, its one of my favorites since it is so comfortable and versatile. Here is a pic:

Originally Posted by Mintaka

I have finished my costume since the start of this thread, but hadn't gotten around to sharing pics yet. I planned on adding coin swags but ran out of coins! I love this costume, its one of my favorites since it is so comfortable and versatile. Here is a pic:

Bravo, Mintaka!!!! That looks fabulously wonderful!!! :)

Are those all Silver-only Saroyans?

Thanks Zafirah!
Most of them are silver-only large Grecian muses. The one in the center of the bra is a rainbow Grecian muse. I also put one silver Arabesque coin on the belt since those are very similar to the muses I thought it would be cute to have a Where's Waldo coin hidden amongst the rest!

Originally Posted by Mintaka

Thanks Zafirah!
Most of them are silver-only large Grecian muses. The one in the center of the bra is a rainbow Grecian muse. I also put one silver Arabesque coin on the belt since those are very similar to the muses I thought it would be cute to have a Where's Waldo coin hidden amongst the rest!

"I also put one silver Arabesque coin on the belt since those are very similar to the muses I thought it would be cute to have a Where's Waldo coin hidden amongst the rest!" =AWESOME!!! ..l;,

OK--so here's my current project, but I'm kinda stuck and not liking how my "franken-coin" cossy's coming out...

I got a multi-color authentic coin bra cover (very open) from Cost Less, as well as parts to make a stomach drape. I also have a vintage coin belt (from the 1970's) also in multi-color coins ("antique-y"/matte silver, brass & copper) w/loops=nice in & of themselves. At first I put it on a plain black Pharaonics bra, but then switched it to a copper-metallic lycra bra/belt set. It looked awful!
Now, I'm going a whole different route because I have a bunch of different sizes, shapes and colors Saroyan coins, and wanna add them all together! Costless & Saroyan Coins = Match Made in Costume Heaven??? Mebbe... Other problem is that I'm still stumped on a good base. I'm thinking I'll go back to black, but I just dunno... :-/

These 2 are one of the first costumes that I made...

Lovely costumes! Are Saroyan coins better/heavier/otherwise different from other coins? I've seen packages that I believe came from India (or maybe Egypt... not really sure) that are stamped pieces of metal. They are fairly thin and light. Just wondering if I should add them to my every increasing shopping lists. :Ahappy:

Other problem is that I'm still stumped on a good base. I'm thinking I'll go back to black, but I just dunno... :-/

I'd like to see pics of the coins you are using. You can email them to me if you want and I could post them for you, I know you always have trouble posting pics! For my base I used a white and silver brocade so it would be shiny under the coins, but for multi-color coins it is probably a bit harder to pick something out.

Are Saroyan coins better/heavier/otherwise different from other coins? I've seen packages that I believe came from India (or maybe Egypt... not really sure) that are stamped pieces of metal. They are fairly thin and light. Just wondering if I should add them to my every increasing shopping lists.

Yes, Saroyan coins are different from other coins. They are heavier electroplated tempered steel so they have a heft to them and make a really great sound. They are much nicer then the stamped ones. Although, sadly, Saroyan has stopped making them so the only way to get them is to buy them from someone who happens to have a stash from before they were discontinued. They are fabulous if you can get your hands on them though!

Originally Posted by Mintaka

Do any Bhuzzers out there have beautiful Saroyan coin costumes you've either bought or made? I would love to see pics of them!

One of the projects on my list for when finals are over is to make myself a coin costume using Saroyan coins harvested off an old costume and I was wondering what sort of masterpieces you have all created with them. There are pics of several beautiful costumes on the Saroyan website but the pics are really tiny and its hard to see the detail. I would love to see some of yours! Please share!

Not Saroyan(they are real old Egyptian Coins,very heavy) but would work with any coins. I had a friend drill holes and attatch them every few links to a heavy brass chain. then just draped and sewed it all on to a dark gold lame bra and belt.

Originally Posted by Bahtya

I learned something new today. I never knew what these were called. I absolutely LOVE these types of costumes. (thanks for the link to that other thread Ozma)

Just to clarify "Saroyan" is the maker of a certain brand of fake, but heavy, coins for decorating costumes. Harry Saroyan is also the maker of the famous Saroyan line of finger cymbals (and an amazing singer).


[quoteMust one dance a particular dance style when wearing something like this? And What's a good resource when looking to purchase a mirror/coin costume? Any rules with types of skirts?[/quote]

They are commonly used with vintage Oriental, Turkish, and Tribal. The huge heavy coin belts/bras and full skirts don't really go with modern Egyptian, not just for aesthetical reasons but also because it is difficult to do tiny intricate hip movements with 20 lbs of coins around your hips. However, see some of the pics below -- it is totally possible to make a more sleek, minimalist, modern costume decorated with a few coins that would work with modern Egyptian.

When I save up enough, this is the type I want to buy. Do I have to do the attaching to the bra myself? I don't sew at all and would like to buy one already attached. Do those even extist? Must learn more.

You can buy custom designer costumes decorated with coins (as well as beads, sequins) from Bella, PHaraonics, and other top designers, but the style of costumes being shown are mostly handmade and/or, bra belt sets that come assembled but you have to attach them to bra/belt bases. They are a huge pain in the ass even if you have sewing experience (do some searches to pull up past threads on the topic of dealing with coin sets). And speaking of asses, if you don't have sufficient junk in the trunk, you will have major problems keeping a massively heavy real coin belt around your hips. That is the problem I had, because my body is to cylindrical and gravity was just working against me.

Luccia, these are beautiful. And these are examples of coin bras/belts that would work for just about any style of dance.

Originally Posted by Luccia

These 2 are one of the first costumes that I made...

I like the coins hanging a little for more movement, not sewn down . People close by,like the sound they make .
I do think they have sort of a vintage look to them, and I like to keep that feel.

Originally Posted by Mintaka

Thanks Zafirah!
Most of them are silver-only large Grecian muses. The one in the center of the bra is a rainbow Grecian muse. I also put one silver Arabesque coin on the belt since those are very similar to the muses I thought it would be cute to have a Where's Waldo coin hidden amongst the rest!

If this type of coin is no longer being made by Saroyan is there anything similar out there to these large silver ones , they look brilliant
Thanks
Bree