Thread: Costume for the non-volumpuous... :)

I am 5-7 and completely flat-chested. I have noticed that most costumes are geared toward those who have a chest of some sort. What type of a costume style should I look for when I go to get a costume? I'm not seeing a lot of options past the bra outfits which is a little discouraging. I am wanting a basic costume for MED...something simple.
Thanks!

I don't have much up top either. I've had to buy costumes and have a tailor remove the bra and insert one of my own.

Costuming for the IBTC can be tricky (I'm an AA), but I find that it's a matter of proportion. You don't want the bra cups to look so big that they appear to be wearing you, so make sure they're not too wide or too tall for your frame. Padding is also key and a little clever highlight and contour with makeup can create the illusion of more cleavage. Try putting a little bronzer in your cleavage kind of in the shape of the letter "Y." Light shimmer powder goes on top of your breasts to bring them forward. Obviously, don't try this when you're wearing a white costume .w.:

Aside from that, who says you have to be voluptuous to look good in a costume? People of all shapes and sizes can look stunning onstage - it's just a matter of trial and error, finding the right styles that suit your unique figure.

Oh, and just to add - I find it quite tricky to pull of the latest costumes with the Dina-style deep plunge bra and rounded cups. They can really emphasize a lack of cleavage if you're not careful to find a bra that style that's proportional to your ribcage size or has too wide of a gap between cups.

I have been stunned beyond words by the cleavage-generating skills of drag queens, and I am actually toying with the idea of hiring one of these gals for a workshop myself (more for the make-up in my case). Maybe that could be a path towards happiness for those who were overlooked by the boob fairy?

Originally Posted by steffib

I have been stunned beyond words by the cleavage-generating skills of drag queens

+1

Seeing major cleavage on drag queens is what made me get serious about figuring out how to re-engineer my bras to create some cleavage. If they can do it, surely I can push what little I have around to some effect!

Originally Posted by steffib

Maybe that could be a path towards happiness for those who were overlooked by the boob fairy?

I love it. It's always a miracle what those ladies do with a little duct tape, some falsies, and lots of makeup!

I remember a hilarious thread last year where somebody (I think it was TanyaLV!) said that Audrena's has Beanie Babies in-store for padding purposes. Supposedly the pig and the frog had the best cleavage boosting powers! ..l;,

I'm probably just shy of an A cup and I've learned to engineer my bras to get me to look, well, larger. I once had some a**hole, ask if I also worked at a titty-bar because I had the goods for it...little did he know. Carrara is right, just get a costume that fits your rib-cage and learn how to artfully pad, adjust and angle straps and do other magic and you can get it to look really great.

And if you really don't like the bra top looking costumes and don't want to attempt to create cleavage, there are some beautiful halters and vest options out there for both tribal and traditional styles. Here are some examples:

I think the bra tops are perfectly fine for the non voluptous, though you might have to do either some calling around or some padding to get one to fit, and a metallic gold or silver bra and belt set would probably be your most versatile option. If you prefer not to go that route, L Rose designs has tons of cropped tops that would be appropriate for your basic hafla, many of which you can wear your own bra with: L. Rose Designs - Online Catalog. There are also various folkloric costumes that don't involve bra tops, but would be less versatile if you want to keep your dance style congruent with your costuming.

A few of my costumes that are really flat chest friendly - I'm leaving out my magically padded bra tops:

Nice, Shems!

yeah Shems I really like those.

Thanks everyone!!! I love the halter styles you posted Shems and I also love the costumes you posted!!! I have some great ideas to get me started now. I don't know any Queens, but have friends who do, so I might give them a buzz. That is a GREAT suggestion...never even thought of that! :)

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Oh, and just to add - I find it quite tricky to pull of the latest costumes with the Dina-style deep plunge bra and rounded cups. They can really emphasize a lack of cleavage if you're not careful to find a bra that style that's proportional to your ribcage size or has too wide of a gap between cups.

yes me too! I'm between an A and a B and I always get lots of gaping in those style bras. I did managed to modify my new eman zaki by bringing the cups together with a bit of grosgrain ribbon, which also helped bring them back toward my body. If the cups were too close though, it just looked like I was all smooshed together with the enormous amounts of padding it took to fill out these cups. It doesn't hurt that there is a giant flower disguising my adjustments..l;, I find classic style bras without a lot of space between the cups are the best for my size. And shirring or ruching is your friend!

emanzaki.jpg

make up by Azhia and photo by synthetic shadows BTW.

Originally Posted by shems

Carrara is right, just get a costume that fits your rib-cage and learn how to artfully pad, adjust and angle straps and do other magic and you can get it to look really great.

Third this. I'm barely an A cup but I can get some nice cleavage going with the above.

Another note on the Dina bras -

I like to make a second strap on them, to pull the cups even closer to the chest and visually de-emphasize the look of wide open space between boobs.

What you do is take a thin grosgrain ribbon (about 1/2" - 3/4" wide) and cover it with a decorative fabric that matches the bra or complements it. Then, attach it on a diagonal from the center top of the bra cup to the neck strap, right near the nape of the neck. It'll look like you have two halter straps and actually is very attractive.

You can even decorate this second strap with rhinestones and beads to blend better with the overall design.

This is a great way to suck everything in and it eliminates even the most persistent gapping issues for me, 100%.

Originally Posted by amiraofannapolis

yes me too! I'm between an A and a B and I always get lots of gaping in those style bras. I did managed to modify my new eman zaki by bringing the cups together with a bit of grosgrain ribbon, which also helped bring them back toward my body. If the cups were too close though, it just looked like I was all smooshed together with the enormous amounts of padding it took to fill out these cups. It doesn't hurt that there is a giant flower disguising my adjustments..l;, I find classic style bras without a lot of space between the cups are the best for my size. And shirring or ruching is your friend!

NICE photo and gorgeous costume! I'm feeling a friendly case of photo-envy right now ..g.:

Could you go into a little more detail about how you brought the cups together with grosgrain ribbon? Did you just stitch a piece of wide ribbon between the cups or was it a little more involved? I'd love to try this with my fuchsia Eman or possibly my new brown leopard one.

This sounds like a great tip!

Yes! If you all could put up detailed images of the actual costumes from the front and back showing how you did it, that would be SO helpful for when I (and others) try to go and do this. I am so excited that I have options when I thought I had none at all. You guys are so helpful and awesome in every way imaginable. I'm a photographer (by trade), so images REALLY help me when it comes to figuring out details. Thanks!

here's photos of a sahar I adjusted to fit me:





I moved where the bra straps attached and angled them in, I put in padding and I sewed a metal coat hanger along the top edge of the bra so I could bend it a little to get a perfect fit.

Anything that supports from the bottom of the bra, maybe putting your own underwire bra inside should help. I also have heard that those gel "implants" help a lot too. I think they sell them at Frederick's of Hollywood.

I am a decent size on top but I still have to make sure the "girls" are standing to attention on top. Some of those costumes are pretty overwhelming.

Shems you're so hot
And the costume is definitly flattering to the girls.

Originally Posted by _Tanya_

Shems you're so hot
And the costume is definitly flattering to the girls.

..g.:..g.:..g.: Ditto!!

The Bellydancestore has several very cute costumes that they list as being size AA. Have a look through these search results to see them.

Belly Dance Store.com: gallery

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

NICE photo and gorgeous costume! I'm feeling a friendly case of photo-envy right now ..g.:

Could you go into a little more detail about how you brought the cups together with grosgrain ribbon? Did you just stitch a piece of wide ribbon between the cups or was it a little more involved? I'd love to try this with my fuchsia Eman or possibly my new brown leopard one.

This sounds like a great tip!

Thanks Carrara for your kind words! Yes, basically I experimented a bit with how close together I wanted the cups after I padded everything up the wazoo and essentially just used the ribbon to hold everything in place, conveniently hidden under the center flower. I think I sewed the ribbon to one side and then after tacking it in place on the other side, reinforced everything. I think after the ribbon is pulled taunt you have to be careful not to puncture too much with your needle, I felt that it might tear as it is pulled so tightly. Maybe fabric stiffener would help strengthen the ribbon as well. I'll try to get detailed pics tomorrow or the next day and try to figure out what exactly I did, but I'm warning you, my stitching skills are a sorry sight! There might be a more elegant way to approaching this issue. I've been going through the what are you working on thread, and am so amazed at all the crafty and talented people we have on Bhuz. Perhaps someone who is a costume maker/designer might have some additional tips for creating the illusion of fluff and volume as well?

Shems, that costume looks so wonderful on you! I haven't found a Sahar I really liked, mostly because the cups end up being so wide for me.

Cool, thanks Amira!

I actually tried the same thing, only with a piece of elastic instead of the grosgrain. Covered that with a swatch of the same fabric (I always have my tailor save the scraps!) and decorated with some beads.

The end result is so cute, a little more covered, like a 1940's halter bikini top!

Oh yeah, and I think I cut up ready made add a size pads, realized that it was mostly that fusable stuff just covered in polyester, and bought my own fusable stuff (not sure what it is called at the moment) to custom make the padding for the Eman bra, since the cups are kind of round and most ready made pads are football shaped!

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Cool, thanks Amira!

I actually tried the same thing, only with a piece of elastic instead of the grosgrain. Covered that with a swatch of the same fabric (I always have my tailor save the scraps!) and decorated with some beads.

The end result is so cute, a little more covered, like a 1940's halter bikini top!

oooh good idea!