Thread: The Demise of the Thighs: What Happened to the Leggy Look?

I guess this is a spinoff of a previous thread about those revealing old-school cabaret-style skirts.

Some BD fashion trends are better off dead, like the V-belt (sorry, V-fans, but I'm with Mish Mish on this one). Then, there are other retro concepts that I miss dearly.

One of the looks I love is a daring, bad-ass skirt that shows ample leg. You see it a lot on Delilah and in vintage photos from the 70's and 80's. Fifi did it. Dina and Randa still do it, in their own contemporary fashion. I think Eman Zaki was also quoted as saying that American dancers don't show enough leg and wear their costumes way too big and billowy.

Especially in my neighborhood, it's not uncommon to see 2, 3, 4 layers of billowy skirts, with or without harems underneath - which is all well and good, but I can't be the ONLY dancer out there who loves those form-fitting skirts that afford a good, healthy (yet tasteful) glimpse of a juicy thigh. Cutouts, latticework, mid-thigh slits, bring 'em on!

Happily, I think the look is coming back. But the Northeast (CT in particular) seems to have a 5-10 year lag when it comes to catching up with costuming trends. (My friend reported on the fusion front that white/cream tribal costumes just caught on around here, like, last week - are we for real?) The hey day of leggy skirts couldn't come soon enough!

C'mon. Viva las legs, ladies! Who else is a fan of the leggy costume look? Who else wants to throw out their modesty panels and join me in reviving the trend? Those of you who hate the look, why do you feel that way? What stands in your way of freeing your gorgeous gams?

Talk to me.

I like the look of sleek split skirts for purely esthetical reasons: it creates a long slihouette. And when you're not that tall to begin with, vertical lines are crucial.

wish i knew how to post pictires
i show a lot of leg!

I'm with you ... at least on half ... I like some leg - but I personally don't care for the form fitting skirts - I prefer the leg sticking out of a fuller skirt a la sohair, or actually I'm sitting here watching the performance on aziza's practice companion (trying to get myself the motivation to get up and actually do the workout) and she's wearing a full skirt with the two thigh high slits (more than slits, openings) for each leg and I LOVE that look ... lots of leg but still the flowy skirt ... something about the tight skirts always looks a little uncomfortable and restricted to me ... I know they're lycra and probably not ... but it still gives that look which detracts somehow ... but a good dance is a good dance and will get that out of my mind soon enough ... I'm with you on the leg, though.

Me too, I love the leggy look, both with vintagey chiffon skirts and sleek lycra. Also works for me because it distracts from my DDs ..g.: ,r:;

I love to show a bit of leg, but side slit only...not a fan of the slits in the middle that show off your knees, I think it looks "clunky" and can take away from the fluidity of your movement. cutouts are also fabulous. however, I'm lucky enough to be blessed with lovely legs. I'm *apple shaped" meaning any weight I gain is displaced on my torso( boobs, tummy, back + face) so no matter what my weight, my legs look great.

however more "pear shaped" women, or women who might not be as happy with their legs for some reason, might not want to show them off ( sometimes i envy pear shaped girls with their flat tummies and ample hips..my hips are practically non-existant >_<) but anywho, long story short, it might be less of a modesty thing and more of a lack of confidence with their legs.

What I can't do in cleavage, I like to make up for in leg. I'm with you!

Totally agreed on all counts that showing leg can make you look seriously taller and leaner. A mile-high slit gives the illusion of mile-long legs! What's not to love?

I was just looking at a picture of myself taken last year, kinda scratching my head. Something looked "off." I looked short, disproportionate, and kind of like a dinner bell. Then I realized that this picture was taken on a rare whim that I decided to wear a chiffon skirt with no slits (I was doing floorwork that night).

Now, this could lead me on a similar tangent about why I never enter my performance space wrapped in a veil - but for now, we're talking legs.

Originally Posted by LeylaFahada

What I can't do in cleavage, I like to make up for in leg. I'm with you!

YES. Bingo. ..l;,..l;,..l;,

I knew I had to be compensating for something.

Originally Posted by zamora

wish i knew how to post pictires
i show a lot of leg!

OMG, someone get over to Cory's house stat and help her!

I would love to see photos of you in costume Cory!

Originally Posted by zamora

wish i knew how to post pictires
i show a lot of leg!

Oh please do! I'd love to see your pictures ..g.:

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/bellydance...eet-posts.html

Another waiting in line for Cory's pics ..g.:

Originally Posted by LeylaFahada

What I can't do in cleavage, I like to make up for in leg. I'm with you!

This is actually not an unfair statement overall ..g.:

We walk a fine line of being covered enough for general public audiences, so dancers tend to de-emphasize by having a certain visual amount of skin vs. covered. Another thing is body type - what one dancer can wear and look tasteful in will make another look lewd even though the costumes may fit perfectly. It is a matter of the shape as much as the coverage in those cases.

I tend to be very careful about the leggy look. I wear it on occasion and think it is beautiful, but I have to be audience conscious about it. If you can see my legs, my torso, my cleavage, and my arms.....I tend to read as *naked* so I have to watch it and balance the revealed with the concealed. :Aohmy:

Oh man, don't like the leg. At all. lol, don't like ridiculous thigh cuts outs either, in fact I'm beginning to wonder if I like cut outs at all. A lot of my friends who dance don't like them either. I had no idea I was such a prude...weird... ..c::..l;,

Raq those sexy costumes though! I'll still cheer on the dancing.

Originally Posted by mahsati

This is actually not an unfair statement overall ..g.:

We walk a fine line of being covered enough for general public audiences, so dancers tend to de-emphasize by having a certain visual amount of skin vs. covered. Another thing is body type - what one dancer can wear and look tasteful in will make another look lewd even though the costumes may fit perfectly. It is a matter of the shape as much as the coverage in those cases.

I tend to be very careful about the leggy look. I wear it on occasion and think it is beautiful, but I have to be audience conscious about it. If you can see my legs, my torso, my cleavage, and my arms.....I tend to read as *naked* so I have to watch it and balance the revealed with the concealed. :Aohmy:

That's where I think it's important to find a visual balance when wearing a more risque costume. If you've got a Dina bra on, you might want to wear it with a fuller skirt. If you're showing ample leg, you might make sure the bra offers decent coverage. When I wear my white Pharaonics Ring of Desire, I forego the modesty panel, but wear the sleeves.

Also, fabrication is important. A revealing skirt, ideally, should be made of a heavy, opaque fabric. This makes the whole look much more classy than, say, a see-through chiffon skirt with high slits.

Originally Posted by Goldenpear

Oh man, don't like the leg. At all. lol, don't like ridiculous thigh cuts outs either, in fact I'm beginning to wonder if I like cut outs at all. A lot of my friends who dance don't like them either. I had no idea I was such a prude...weird... ..c::..l;,

Raq those sexy costumes though! I'll still cheer on the dancing.

You're not a prude - half of the fun of Bhuz and BD is that we all have such different tastes!

I personally hate when Dina, et. al are falling out of their costume bras. And I hate the Lil' Kim pasty-style Emans, and Sahar floating bras. I guess that's where I'm a bit prudish

i actually love the look of the leggy costumes, be it in dance costumes or in everyday clothes, evening wear etc.
and yet... i don't like seeing too much of a dancer's legs while she dances. i don't think the legs are particularly elegant in bellydance, and seeing them move takes away a lot of the pleasure i have in watching bellydancers. i like it when the moves are kinda 'mysterious', kinda 'floaty and magical'. silly perhaps, but that's my opinion. catching a glimpse here and there is fine, even appreciated :D but i hate hate hate the mini skirts, for example, where you see Everything!
now, for a photo shoot or something i'd be all over those sleek sexy costumes! :D they look great!

Here's about as much as you'll get from me.



I'm only 27, but I'm getting spider veins and varicose. Yeah, I Photo-shopped them out of the picture---along with my celulite.

On another note, I saw a girl in a Bella with a chiffon skirt with HUGE slits on each side. It was gorgeous, but I was so afraid of Raqs Beaver, I couldn't get fully comfortable with it...

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

Here's about as much as you'll get from me.



I'm only 27, but I'm getting spider veins and varicose. Yeah, I Photo-shopped them out of the picture---along with my celulite.

On another note, I saw a girl in a Bella with a chiffon skirt with HUGE slits on each side. It was gorgeous, but I was so afraid of Raqs Beaver, I couldn't get fully comfortable with it...

Hawt mama!!! Yowza!

I'm so proud of your sexy transformation, Andalee. You've outdone yourself with your latest batch of pictures!

And PhotoShop is nothing to be afraid of - though my boyfriend brags incessantly about his ability to make the sun rise and fall through PhotoShop alone ,r:;

Grazie Millie, lady!

i have thick thigs/legs/big butt. always have, always will. and i'm not ashamed of tight fitting lycra skirts (which are my fave) with some cutouts here and there to show them off :)
the turquoise cossie in my avatar has some cut cutouts on each thigh, my rainbow hanan has those side ladders, my orange bella has cut outs too (but i have a skirt underneath to add lenght), my green costume has a full skirt but a mesh cutout on one side, and two of ym costume projects some leg too (one of them has a side slit with laced up ribbon and the other is a tube style skirt with a slit on each side covered by ruffles :) ) oh and my red rings of desire obviously has a slit but i haven't messed with the chiffon insert cuz i like that look too

i'm all for showing some leg, tastefully that is :)

I love showing my legs, but I have thick thighs and let's not even talk about cellulite. One time I wore this beautiful costume with lots of leg showing as long as I am fit, I don't mind showing them. Later on, after I gained some weight, I was so conscious about my legs that I put chiffon on the opening.

i'll ask zorba to help me!
btw, when i do floor...i tuck both sides of my front panel in the back,my teacher did this too.

Originally Posted by mahsati

We walk a fine line of being covered enough for general public audiences, so dancers tend to de-emphasize by having a certain visual amount of skin vs. covered. Another thing is body type - what one dancer can wear and look tasteful in will make another look lewd even though the costumes may fit perfectly. It is a matter of the shape as much as the coverage in those cases.

I tend to be very careful about the leggy look. I wear it on occasion and think it is beautiful, but I have to be audience conscious about it. If you can see my legs, my torso, my cleavage, and my arms.....I tend to read as *naked* so I have to watch it and balance the revealed with the concealed. :Aohmy:

Just to build on this, didn't Souheir Zaki wear those leg-exposing skirts with a body stocking? With a bare midriff, her skirts would have been substantially more naked-looking.

When I am thin, I love the slits up to the belt line with artistic tucking look. I will wear LRose skirts with high slits also.

Now that I am heavier (though getting lighter again! YAY!!!) I am finding that I like a slightly more covered look in general. Although my favorite dress at the moment is very form fitting and has mesh from hipbone to shoulder! No slits, but WOWZA!!!

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by NisreenBrooklyn

Just to build on this, didn't Souheir Zaki wear those leg-exposing skirts with a body stocking? With a bare midriff, her skirts would have been substantially more naked-looking.

Even Fifi wore body stockings with he cut to there skirts. They generally had beading, etc, at the ankle.

{{{HUGS}}}

zorba cant till tomorrow
i wish i knew how! i want to show off too, lolol.
z

Originally Posted by kemintiri

I like the look of sleek split skirts for purely esthetical reasons: it creates a long slihouette. And when you're not that tall to begin with, vertical lines are crucial.

Shorties unite! Big circle skirts are not my friend. I like a nice sleek skirt like a slit trumpet or a-line for exactly the reason your said - vertical line.

I only show leg up to about mid-thigh, though. Any more than than that is more skin than I'm comfortable showing!

there is a pic on the origional thread....

Nope I've horrid legs could not show them ever. Cleavage however thats a different matter. Depends how you're made.
The billowy skirt thing is not me-I look like one of those dolls on toilet roll covers.
Always its each to their own