Thread: Wanted: Your "costume purchase regret" stories

Hello, anyone want to share their worst "costume purchase regret" story? My fave is the fuschia bra/belt set I bought on sale at a festival and YES, I did try it on but thought I could alter it since it was a well enough made set with nice glass beaded fringe and lots of jewels and flashy sequins. Well, the belt was a tad too small and went straight across my "hippy" hips - soooooooo not flattering and even though I adjusted it so it wasn't too tight it gave me a "muffin top" - yikes!

Plus the bra cups somehow flattened my "C-D" girls even though I took out padding and moved the straps, *sigh* and the whole effect was just, well, not worth it. I only performed in it once and wound up selling it at a bd flea market to a taller, leaner dancer who looked great in it, but this was an expensive lesson!

Lesson learned: It's the body flattering line and of course fit of a costume that matters most, not the "bargain" sale price.

Pale cream costume with turquoise and gold. With a butt hug belt and tight mermaid skirt.

I'm fair and wide and short---
Basically I looked like a very large egg with blue and gold flowers all over it.

Not a pretty sight.

I . . . regret . . . nothing!
Hadn't thought about it til now, but really I don't regret much. I've bought a few things over the internet that turned out not to fit, which is . . . sad. But when that has happened, I've re-sold, providing better fit information than what I got, so the next buyer has been a happier one.
My costumes that fit, I'm attached to them all and I just HATE to sell anything; that's my weakness.
I have learned to face the fact that certain colors just look bad on certain people and no matter how nice something is, if it's a bad color for me, I must not buy. I had a monochrome silver sequin fringe monster bedlah set at one time; absolutely gorgeous set, looked just awful on pale red-haired me. I wore it once, saw photos, realized, sold it.
R

I regret every V-shaped belt costume I ever bought (there were many). It took alot of mistakes with the V-belts for me to figure out they look terrible on me no matter how slight the V angle was.

I regret two used costumes that I purchased that were far more "used" than I anticipated. Both of them went right to Ebay and I took a siginificant loss on them. I did, however, learn to ask better questions and I now know who not to buy used costumes from again.

I regret a gorgeous hot pink Johara that I bought thinking I could stuff the bra enough to make it fit. I never could make it right and ended up selling it on Ebay at a loss. It was entirely too large for my frame. It was one of the prettiest costumes I've ever seen, though. I have learned what bra measurements will work with my body.

So, even though I've had lots of regrets, I did learn some good lessons on what does or doesn't work on me, and I think I've become a better shopper when it comes to used costumes.

Just would like to mention I am not a professional dancer and just wear costume to recitals with my local dance studio. It really is not important for me to spend money on costumes that I will only wear once or even twice.



This was my very first bra/belt set from Ajanta Enterprises. I was all new to this whole belly dance buying costume thing and you think I would know even with clothing purchases that it always does not look like the model. The belt however did fit me.

Let me just say that they back and cups did not fit me. Thankfully, I am able to sew. That is when I first started participating in threads here, looking for ways to make my own bra. I took this one apart and placed it on a Fredericks of Hollywood Extreme Cleavage bra with no problems.

Second, I purchased a set on Bauchladen on EBAY. You think I would learn. I have no pictures as they don't sell this set anymore, but needless to say the bra didn't fit once again. The hip scarf, skirt, and harem pants fit wonderfully. I tried pulling the bra apart and placing it on something different, but it didn't work out. So I just made a gypsy blouse and bought a simple top on EBAY. It worked out well!

I must say not ever again, unless I find some kind of bargain that I will be willing to fix. Instead of spending money on something that won't even be close. I probably could of purchased something much better with the amount of money I spent just to fix the problem.

Originally Posted by Najida

Pale cream costume with turquoise and gold. With a butt hug belt and tight mermaid skirt.

I'm fair and wide and short---
Basically I looked like a very large egg with blue and gold flowers all over it.

Not a pretty sight.

LOL, ...oh boy.....thanks for putting a big smile in my face. ..g.:
I bought a red chainette fringe monster on ebay, and did not asked the right questions, well Bra was an A instead of D, the whole thing was really bad. still in my project boxes

Just take a stroll on over to the swap meet and look at "The Craptacular Thing". Not a good look for me, but it's being sent to Ozma, so it'll probably be reincarnated as a higher life form.

I just regret the Melodias I purchased, because they don't fit me at all, can't really be altered, and I'm not optimistic I can resell them, either.

My first homemade costume came from a lack of funds, but a traumatizing custom order is perhaps why I have never ordered since…

My first “professional” troupe costume. It should be stressed that the costume was professional level while we were NOT. My first teacher, the crazy one, went to Egypt for the first time and came back thinking that we needed to ditch out comfortable hippy-ish student-appropriate costumes and go up a level to full Legend costumes. This was when Legend was relatively newish, they’ve mellowed and refined a bit since.

Nevermind that the costumes were very Turkish style and our teacher (thought) she was teaching us Egyptian style…never mind that the first time she showed pictures to our troupe of what costumes we could choose from we FLIPPED out and only two of us were comfortable showing that much flesh.

We argued and argued and eventually got her to agree to bra and belt sets in gold and different colored skirts instead of full costumes because WE knew this would give us versatility. She still wanted us to go with Legend because she’d made friends with Hale. The ladies at Legend WARNED us not to get gold, because the gold fabric they had was having issues, but we insisted. We’d tried to talk our teacher into cheaper gold coin sets or neckelmans but she’d insisted, Legend.

Then I made compromises I regretted: My teacher thought my skirt color choice was too similar to too many other girls, so I abandoned my request for a cranberry color and asked for forest green. They didn’t have that color in stock so I agreed to a more grass green” instead. One girl in the troupe was having issues with showing that much skin and I’d wanted thicker straps (I was more of a DD then, I’ve lost weight and chest) so I agreed to get a slightly more covering style top…the other girl changed her mind last minute and I was stuck with the less flattering but more covering design.

We paid about 500$ per person. When the costumes came the troupe was falling apart because my first teacher’s insanity had escalated. Some choreography we were learning, in combo with some poor posture and lack of warm-up, had injured half of us. We’d never custom ordered so we didn’t know how many things could go wrong. Cup sizes were all way too big (which may also have been due to Japan having a different cup-size style) except mine and costumes went through major padding. This was the costume where I managed to cut myself on a veil and a skirt (I wasn’t used to beaded trims). My bra was just fugly on me. I also hated my final skirt color…

My bra was sort of a combo bra/Turkish vest all in gold…the same gold that I would later learn gets gold-rot over time…and because of the design of my bra, it became unwearable. The bra and belt, basic design weren’t bad all all and looked great with other skirts…but the costume trauma and the troupe trauma are linked in my mind.

The troupe imploded overtime. I became the owner of two costumes, one became scrapped for parts. My friend’s bra became mine One of my current gold costume and a costume I made a friend, contain parts from my former costume, my friend Anaan’s former costume, and Eshe’s costume’s headband. I sold the skirt to Anwynn. I sold one bra and belt (not the fuggly bra, that was scrapped) to Bernie V here.

I don’t blame Legend. They were upfront about what they couldn’t do. They gave us what we asked for, but we didn't reall understand what we wanted. The cup sizes may have been an international translation of cup-sizes problem. I laugh when I see us on their happy customer page (if you want to see me chubbier with bobbed hair, enjoy!). I DO blame my first teacher for not preparing us for the problems in custom ordering (although, she’d probably never custom ordered) and for over-riding what I now know were very level-appropriate “troupe costume” upgrades we’d voted for (less expensive matching gold sets with simple silk skirts) and I learned what compromises NOT to make if I am spending 500$

I have had a couple of cheaper Turkish costumes which turned out to be not what I wanted. Basically the bra cups were too small and the sequins was flat so it didn't shine.

A 'coin' costume which also didn't fit me and was really just a bunch of rubbish tin coins falling off a weird chain. I did get a great coin blet with that one, though.

I bought a dress from Esta which, while I don't regret buying it per se, I did end up selling to anala because, having danced in it once, I felt it really didn't do as much for me as I had thought it would. That wasn' the dresses fault, though.

Overall I have been pleased with what I have bought, or at least I have bought most of them knowing exactly what I would have to do in order to make them wearable. The only thing which I refuse to do is to remake the mass produced Turkish and Egyptian bras!

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by indigostars

I just regret the Melodias I purchased, because they don't fit me at all, can't really be altered, and I'm not optimistic I can resell them, either.

Melodias usually go on the swap meet board.....
what do they look like?

You could also try the Melodias tribe to resell them if they're in decent condition.

For some reason every time I buy something from eBay it is really dirty and way more used then the description of photos depict.

Originally Posted by anyadance

For some reason every time I buy something from eBay it is really dirty and way more used then the description of photos depict.

Ah, that was the one costume purchase I did regret. Not an expensive set, but when I received it it reeked of body odor, old cigarettes and stall perfume. I let it sit for literally months before I could even take it out of the box. Then I washed it. The hip scarf was also missing a substantial number of coins.

haven't decided what to do with it. . .

{{{HUGS}}}

It's really frustrating to get something that needs hours of work just for it to not smell anymore! I bought this one costume and it arrived smelling so badly I couldn't put it on. It had been exposed to cigarette smoke and then sat in the sellers house (where they also smoke). When it went into the tub, it turned the water BLACK and I had to wash it 3 times to lift everything out of it. Then it needed repairs. *head desk*head desk*

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

I have had a couple of cheaper Turkish costumes which turned out to be not what I wanted. Basically the bra cups were too small and the sequins was flat so it didn't shine.

A 'coin' costume which also didn't fit me and was really just a bunch of rubbish tin coins falling off a weird chain. I did get a great coin blet with that one, though.

I bought a dress from Esta which, while I don't regret buying it per se, I did end up selling to anala because, having danced in it once, I felt it really didn't do as much for me as I had thought it would. That wasn' the dresses fault, though.

Overall I have been pleased with what I have bought, or at least I have bought most of them knowing exactly what I would have to do in order to make them wearable. The only thing which I refuse to do is to remake the mass produced Turkish and Egyptian bras!

{{{HUGS}}}

Ooooh Tahira I second that! That nude dress you bought from me was the last dress I have ever owned. It is so super hot but not on me. I hope Anala is enjoying it.
Nude is my big regret! I like it on other people but it doesn't work for me. I never even intended to buy that dress but when in Egypt....

years ago I was in Copenhagen for a visit, I was a beginner to dance. Walked into this little hole in the wall store in the basement and bought a belly dance costume. Stretchy no real bra top and sheer skirt, lots of sequins, some fringe, sparse with coins on the end. but it was so sparkly. I regret spending $200 on something that was worth $50. Oh, the lessons we learn!

quite some time ago, i bought a lycra costume when they were just coming out and all the flukes of that kind of costuming were yet to be worked out. there was a strap of leaves leading from the bra to the skirt. it was also super tight across the thighs due to engineering difficulties of attaching chiffon skirt to tight velvet upper skirt. altogether when i danced in the costume at home, it wasn't super comfortable but it was wearable.
then it was showtime...more show than i bargained for...the leaf strap started sliding all around as i started dancing because the weight of all the beading and embroidered chiffon was weighing down the bottom, causing it to slip and slide and wiggle as i danced. i pulled it up but didn't realize that i was pulling up my underwear as well. the skirt kept falling and sliding while i kept pulling it up and before i realized it, my underwear band was well above my hip bone. embarrassing to say the least. the musicians, instead of telling me that something was wrong just kept snickering. it was only by their smug glances that i even realized something was definitely off.
i regret trying to be innovative, especially with shoddy craftsmanship, not fully having worked out all the engineering kinks. the costume has yet to be sold - it really is a unique specimen of costuming - but it has yet to be worn since that show so very long ago. i can't bring myself to wear it for fear that history will repeat itself. I'm not sure if i regret the purchase. should have spent the money on something i'd actually wear again. ah well!!

I learned the hard way never to wear microfiber performance briefs with a full-coverage lycra dress. I learned this while dancing in front of three of my favorite teachers, a bunch of dancer colleagues, and Princess freaking Banu, at the closing party of Folktours Istanbul two years ago. I'd bought a gold Johara (I think) dress, from someone on Bhuz who looked great in it. It was very slinky and stretchy and synthetic (read: slippery). My underwear would not stay up - it would have hit the floor had I not yanked it up numerous times, and I tried, I really tried, to make it look like a sassy Fifi-style, devil-may-care, I'm-a-bad-girl move, but I'm sure it just looked like I was hiking up my panties. Aaaargh!

Also, the dress was not flattering. That's how I learned that I'm too pale and too curvy for medium/light gold stretch fabric, and that sleeveless Egyptian dresses don't look good on me.

God, I felt stupid that night. I just assumed they'd stay up because, you know, they always did before. Now I usually have, like fifteen safety pins in my underwear. If anyone reading this saw that show, I swear I'm usually a much better performer!

- Leela

this is interesting - need to think

Ack, got the ole' eBay flim flam once...a bedlah that looked like it had been chewed on and it smelled like it had been stored in moldy coffee grounds. Serves me right to dive right into a bad deal just because the price was right. Buyer, beware!!!! Ask questions!!!!!

Originally Posted by indigostars

I just regret the Melodias I purchased, because they don't fit me at all, can't really be altered, and I'm not optimistic I can resell them, either.

{thread hijak} I've had good success selling Melos that I've owned. If they're the "special edition" Melos (limited runs of certain fabrics), sometimes I've had luck selling those for more than what I paid.

If yours are S33 or M34, I'd be interested in taking a look... >:) {/thread hijak}

My biggest and most expensive costume regret was a dress from Halla Mustapha. The design looked beautiful but when it eventually arrived I just didn't recognise it from the orginal design. It was awful on me. I cried buckets. It had cost me £550 pounds not dollars. It was supposed to be my cheer up dress to make me feel like a queen after a serious medical condition. I'd seen examples of her work and they were gorgeous-mine wasn't.
I swore then never to custom order anything ever from anyone ever ever EVER again. I have to try it on-I have to see it first before i buy and assess it not only for looks but also for practicality. Buying costumes is a very expensive learning experience.

I only regret the amount of money I've spent. ,f::

My regret was not knowing how to costume my curves as a late teen/early 20 something. I used to wear my mum's costumes until I grew out of them at 16 (she is tiny) and thought I was too fat to wear anything pretty. I spent way too much time trying to cover and conceal and looking dowdy.

My first "pro" costume was a lovely black (slimming of course) lycra Abla that left all of about 10 square inches of skin showing, and I wore a body-stocking with it!

[QUOTE=NandaDncer;427275] I spent way too much time trying to cover and conceal and looking dowdy.QUOTE]


wha? I don't remember you ever looking dowdy ...

oh, gawd, I had two hallah mustapha disasters but due to some very great good luck I had two friends that the costumes looked fantastic on and they bought them from me for full price. but I was thisclose to being $800+ down the drain.

I didn't have so much luck with a custom oriental originals through dahlal. I ordered it during the january sale so it wasn't full price but it was still pretty expensive. when it finally came in six months later, it wasn't in the exact color combination that I wanted, so they sent me some pictures and asked me if I still wanted it. I have a good eye for knowing if a bra will fit me just by looking at the pictures, and I KNEW this costume had something funky going on with it. instead of taking advantage of getting out of the deal, I stupidly listened to a costume-happy friend's advice and agreed to take the costume.

the skirt was so big my booty didn't even stretch the lycra (I think they made the top of the skirt to my low/full hip measurement - I could slip it off without unzipping it. the bra was a nightmare. I have a small rib measurement and they left zero overlap. I might have been able to find a larger sized dancer to sell the costume to but they would have had to do a lot of work. as it was it would fit a 30G cup!

somehow some dear dancer managed to see a pic of the costume and emailed me if I wanted to do a trade for a brand-new pharaonics that was too small for her. I jumped at the chance, thinking I'd NEVER be able to sell the OO but I figured I could at least get $400-500 for a new pharaonics someday. I can *almost* wear it after adding a ruffle and several hours of alterations. but it will still be a $300-400 loss. :(

happy ending - that OO fit the dancer I did the trade with perfectly, she said.

I bought a gorgeous showgirl-esque burnout velvet feathered Eman, but despite the seller assuring me it would fit my size 2 booty, the skirt would fall down if I ever attempted a hip drop. I paid $600, plus $160 taxes to get it into the country :( I'll probably sell it at some point, as I'd be worried that adding elastic would spoil it's loveliness.