Thread: What was your very first professional belly dance costume? (Ahhh...memories!)

Hello, Ladies!

After seeing so many threads discussing all the newest, hottest, and priciest belly dance costumes on the market today, I couldn't help but reminisce of the time when I was first getting my start in restaurant belly dancing, shimming around tables in my $175 light pink Turkish Airport Special! That costume earned me many a dollar, and although it's tattered, discolored, funny-smelling, and de-fringing as we speak, I still can't help but be thankful for all the great times that I had while wearing it. It was exactly what I needed when I first got started in professional belly dancing: cheap, sparkly, reliable, and did I mention cheap?

Although several years have gone by and better costumes have taken it's place, I'd still like to pay my respects to the costume that opened so many doors for me. Here it is, in all its glory!:






Ladies, I would LOVE for you to share your pictures and stories behind your very first professional costumes! We all had to start somewhere, and what better way to honor our old costumes (and the loving hands that tirelessly made them), than to share them and their stories right here? After all, new costumes come and go, but your first costume has a special place in your heart forever!

Wow, PassionWarfare, that is gorgeous!

Mine was red with silver and teal beading/sequins/spangles. In fact, I still use it once in awhile; it's still usable.

this one
got some pictures with a younger me in it too, but not scanned in...

Mine was a copper-and-gold Turkish workhorse, one step above an Airport Special. We all start somewhere! ..g.:

I also bought one of those mirror-and-coin sets because I thought it was funky and fun. 3-4 years of dancing pro later, I STILL haven't figured out a way to mount it without the damned thing falling apart. Those links between medallions are so chintzy. Not a good beginner choice, IMO!

D'oh, a picture would be nice! Here it is:

Mine was a yellow and silver TAS (Turkish Airport Special). I know I've got photos of it somewhere. Will take a look when I get home.

Found it:

I home-made my first 3 costumes I would consider professional quality. I can't find a photo of the first one - unfortunately - it was so elegant. The next two were these:

This one got made after I accidentally happened upon Costless Beads - I bought the findings and made the bra and belt that I mixed and matched with different skirts.


This was made out of a beaded dress I got on major discount, wedding appliques, appliques I made to match the wedding appliques, a little silk chiffon and Egyptian fringe.


and this was my first store bought bra and belt - I still made the skirt:

I guess a lot of us started with these Turkish styled bra belt sets.

both of my first ones were from ebay. the first i altered so many times, i didnt know about sizing and the second i had custom ordered from a vendor,it was scary for me then.. my i have come a long way
the FIRST

THE SECOND

LOL and it looks like we all had the pointy Wonder Woman headband, too! (I sure did )

Originally Posted by shems

I guess a lot of us started with these Turkish styled bra belt sets.

Sure did - this was my first, back in 2004!



As you can see, at one time I was actually comfortable with showing a lot of leg!

LMAO, ..l;, I now have that copper-and-gold Turkish workhorse, however, this was not my first costume. The first costume I purchased was at Rakkash this past may, a pretty turquoise Pharonics, the skirt actually fit and didn't need to be hemmed.

Here's one of my first ones. Bought it from Babylon Breeze:

My first was a Neckelmann's that while inexpensive was made really well and is now Ilsildriel has it. :D

Originally Posted by SaNoorah

LMAO, ..l;, I now have that copper-and-gold Turkish workhorse, however, this was not my first costume.

Ha! It's actually a really sturdy costume that goes with a lot of different skirts. I used to get tons of compliments on it

Oooh, I love Necklemans. They are so beautiful and light. My first costume was a flying skirts ensable. Spinning skirt, matching pantaloons, choli, bra, head gear..flowers galore.

And you know what? I actually like Turkish Airport Costumes/Work horse costumes..lol. I think they are cute. I especially like the blue and silver one.

This unique blue and turquoise workhorse I got off eBay about 3 years ago:




Still in great condition and no plans to give it up anytime soon.

Though I can't seem to find it right now, I think there was a relatively recent post about first costumes somewhere. I'm pretty sure I posted these pics there as well.

My first costume was also a turkish workhorse in gold. I made several mermaid skirts and gloves to match.

Soon after that I bought a gold costume from my teacher and sold the workhorse. Artemisia recognized it as an old school Bella costume a couple of years later.

From my first photo shoot in 2004:


Better shot of the bra/belt:

Originally Posted by shems

I guess a lot of us started with these Turkish styled bra belt sets.

Me too! My first costume was a used silver Turkish set. A dancer posted it on the LiveJournal bellydancing community for $110.

These replies made me smile from ear to ear! It's so funny how so many of our "firsts" look SO SIMILAR! I also love the phrases "Airport Special" and "Workhorse", due to their descriptive nature!

...and speaking of which, those gold or silver Workhorses can last FOREVER with a little upkeep! I've had this one from Turkish Emporium (only $55 on ebay!) for years, and it's still going strong!



Thank you so much for sharing, ladies! Airport Special or not, you all look beautiful and confident in your old costumes :)

Keep 'em coming!

My very first pro costume was a Joharah dress. It was my dream costume, I loved it so much and got so many compliments on it! The right dress makes you feel like such a movie star.



It's with the lovely Andalee right now by way of Mahira-Michelle. :)

I made my first costume after my first semester of belly dance lessons - it was the start of my love affair with sewing as well as dance.

Originally Posted by PassionWarfare

These replies made me smile from ear to ear! It's so funny how so many of our "firsts" look SO SIMILAR! I also love the phrases "Airport Special" and "Workhorse", due to their descriptive nature!

To think our collective love of bling has sprung from such humble roots! ..l;,

Now, if you'll allow me to nitpick on semantics for a moment. .p:: LOL!

To be fair to all of us, and to those who own costumes like these, I wouldn't consider any of our first costumes to be a true Airport Special. A real Airport Special looks a little more cheaply made, a little more like this:



Please note the dinner plate shaped bra cups, the long straps, the sparse fringe and of course the nipple motifs.

While some might consider our early Turkish bedlahs an upgrade from the Airport Special, they lack many of the sketchy design elements of a true TAS and qualify more as entry-level bedlahs (or workhorses) than anything more sinister.

So you may breathe a sigh of relief and know that the Entry-Level Bedlah is an acceptable choice for beginners. Sturdy, inexpensive, versatile - just what a beginner needs to get started. If I started out with an Eman mini, I'd get bored real fast - not a whole lot of mixing and matching you can do with the modern costumes, as much as I love them today

What I want to know is, did anyone here start out with something *truly* evil? Crassels or assels, anyone? We might giggle, but we won't judge! ..l;,

What should we dub the classic Turkish workhorse to set it apart from its ugly stepsister the Airport Special? I really kinda like Entry-Level Bedlah ..l;,

My first professional bedlah was the Red Menace which I bought from Anne "Snakehips" Soffee. I've never owned a Turkish basic.

For color pics and backstory and my first fixer-upper (although I was the first to wear it)

Buggirl's Increasingly Strange Tokyo Tales... - Goodbye, red menace, you did good.

That is actually kind of a cool bedlah, Oz!

You're making me want to blog a little bit about my early days. This whole thread is so....nostalgic

this was my very first pro costume... I bougt it instead of a vacuum cleaner and my hubby was really angry with me ..l;, - I still love it, but no way it would ever fit again.

Miss Carerra, I was in the middle of drinking grape juice while reading your previous posts, and pretty soon thereafter I had a fountain of grape juice spouting from my nostrils in an unbecoming fashion! Well said, sister! I must tip my hat (or pointy Wonder Woman headband) to you!

Indeed, you are so right--THAT is a Turkish Airport Special! I HATE HATE HATE HATE the dinner plate bra cups and the nipple motifs! (Or as my students called them, "boobie flowers!") And the worst part is, there is a professional restaurant dancer in Atlanta who seemingly has an entire CLOSET of those, because every time I see her or a picture of her, there she is, wearing her sequined dinner plate bra with flowers/fleur de lis/diamonds/hearts/starfish attempting to imitate her naughty bits! *SHUDDER!!*

I agree that Entry-Level Bedlah is a perfect name for the Turkish Workhorse. Perhaps an alternate name for the TAS could be Dinner Plate Boobie Flower Monstrosity? (DPBFM)

Originally Posted by SabuaSabua

this was my very first pro costume... I bougt it instead of a vacuum cleaner and my hubby was really angry with me ..l;, - I still love it, but no way it would ever fit again.

That is lovely, Sabua! Beautiful color on you! Certainly prettier than a vacuum cleaner, lol! And for crying out loud, I would have thought your hubby would be thrilled, because A) Fewer chores for him to do in the absence of a vacuum, and B) Hot wife looking super sexy in a new belly dance costume! It's a win-win for him!

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

That is actually kind of a cool bedlah, Oz!

You're making me want to blog a little bit about my early days. This whole thread is so....nostalgic

If I hadn't lost two cupsizes I would have kept it! It was unique, looked great with at trumpet skirt and oldschool with a full skirt.

My first "pro" troupe costume was a legend bedlah in gold:

This picture makes me look more ripped and less hipped than I was/am.

My second used bedlah was a silver (seawave?) pharonics set off bhuz.


Where I learned that all silver washes me out...but what costume mis-steps I took, they weren't large and I was able to resell.

When I first started gigging/getting pimped out (when I probably shouldn't have been put in restaurants but was) I DID have the textbook "what a new dancer should own" I had the red, gold, and silver bedlah and circle skirts and trumpet skirts.

I can't attach all my photos, so some are links.

Black White Kalamazoo.jpg
Turkish Drop 1st costume 1st show - tribe.net

My first costume that I made myself was gold and pearl. I wore it with all kinds of skirts. The original skirt was black and old (see link), then I had red and gold. I I also wore with lavender and pink (see attachment).




265c4be4-0722-4d1e-9c4a-8e60e7c4dd40.jpg

My first "real" costume I bought used from the first belly dancer I ever saw and who inspired my passion for dancing. Her name was Kawayeb. It was green and gold.

And my first custom designed costume in blue and white.

Blue Silver and White - My First Custom made costume - tribe.net