Thread: Tell me about desert swirls!!

I'm in desperate need for some extra costumes!

Taking into account that my bank account can't handle 3 new bellas ..cr.:, I'm looking for a budget friendly way to make my closet a little more crowded....

Been lurking on the swap meet for a while, but it seems like everytime there's a costume in my size, it's sold in like 2 seconds! ..l;,

I've been looking on the bellydancestore website and they have some pretty nice desert swirls lately, fresh color combo's and they come with arm sleeves now!

So I was wondering if any of you have a desert swirl? Do you like it? Is it comfy? Is quality ok? Do you consider it worthy enough for performing in it profesionally (say restaurants and such)?

Thx for the feedback!

I have one and I hate it. I didn't pay close enough attention to the sizing though, so mine is too small. They are not well-made for curves and I had to do a lot of surgery on mine to make it fit. I won't wear it to gigs, its strictly for troupe.

I did see the new $200 ones and they look much nicer. Also have you seen those really nice Eman Zaki versions of the Dessert Swirl? Morgana was selling some, and I think they had a few on the BellyDanceStore.

Here's one:

Are you ok with animal print? I have a fully beaded tiger stripe bedlah and skirt in copper, brown and silver colors. C cup but small size, what are your measurements?

I have to pay some fees for a competition so maybe we can help each other out, lol, I understand what it's like to want shiny things and have little $...

I would sell it for the same price of a desert swirl and include shipping. ;) I HATE desert swirls...

Andalee, those Emans are stunning indeed!
It's exactly the kind of costume that works well for my body type. I'm very skinny at my chest and shoulders, so I need costumes that don't have too much fringe going on...
"Heavy" costumes just look weird on me!

Goldenpear, I'm usually not that crazy about animal prints, but there's a snakeskin bella on the swap meet that I absolutely love, so maybe I'll like yours too...
Do you have any pics? I'm a regular B, so it could work with a little padding.

Why exactly do you hate desert swirls?

I had my eye on this one:



It seems like a good deal for that price, I'm just a bit worried 'cause the cups look a bit "pointy" on some of the swirls...

If have actually never bought a costume before trying it on first, so I'm a bit hesitant about buying online....

Wow, that one is definitely different than the ones I've seen. I just don't think they look good, or like complete costumes. But that's very pretty, you should give it a try! :)

I'll see if I can get a picture later today. I'm at work right now.

For the price I'm happy with mine. But it loses the sequins just by looking at it sometimes! For a starter costume it worked really well. But now I want to have ones that will hold up a bit better to being hauled around.

Also, they don't move very fast on the swap meet!

Some I've seen have had those little stringy tassels right on a spot of the bra that looks like stripper tassels. You know what I mean? Those tassels strippers can whirl around. That sort of turned me off to desert swirls.

Originally Posted by Darbla

Those tassels strippers can whirl around.

That's certainly not the look I'm going for!!! ..l;,

I have been looking at Desert Swirls for awhile. I think they are good for the money ($150 and they are beaded / sequined). I can't speak for the quality because I have never seen one up close.

But because I sew, I am planning getting one in the future and adding to it. I like to make the costumes different and unique, especially the ones that are mass produced.

If I get one
- I will put in a higher slit, because that's how I like them
- add more beads, in a different color, for example get an orange one and add fucia / pink beading, or royal blue and add turquoise, etc.
- make or alter armbands / add sleeves, etc
- make headbands
- add a lot more dangling beads in the hip / butt area as well as as the bra, maybe some loops in the middle.

That way $150 will look like it's worth so much more.
But if it loses beads / sequins that easily, I'm not so sure anymore.

I bought one on swap meet recently that I gather is a bit tired but was only $75. Still waiting for it to arrive, but am sure for that price I can add to it and give it a new life. Hopefully! Will let you know!

luna, wat zijn uw maten, ik verkoop zeker nog vier-vijf van mijn kostuums....

I didn't like it, the foam padding in it was all weird, and it was visible when you put it on.. so i ripped that out. and the lycra is cheaper, so make sure you have lots of room in it or the stretch just makes it look overloaded.

Long story short, I wore it, decided it wasn't worth it, and I sold it.

I like mine although I ordered 3 before I found one with the right fit.

To get a new costume for that price...I think it's a steal.

i'm posting this in here cos i think it's along the same lines...

Has anyone gotten one of the Nile Flower costumes? what are they worth? they seem (to me) nicer than the Desert Swirls, but then i've never seen either IRL so maybe i'm wrong...

especially love the black ones!

Don't know about the quality...but this one is really pretty!

Originally Posted by Kathiya

i'm posting this in here cos i think it's along the same lines...

Has anyone gotten one of the Nile Flower costumes? what are they worth? they seem (to me) nicer than the Desert Swirls, but then i've never seen either IRL so maybe i'm wrong...

especially love the black ones!

That is lovely - what's the price range on this line? Is it comparable to the Desert Swirls price-wise?

they seem to be somewhat more expensive (around $245 whereas the DS line is around $165), but if the quality is better than the DSs it'd definitely be worth the difference imo. i definitely like the design much better!

If you decide to try it, let us know!
Been looking at those nile flowers too for a while :-)

I didn't buy a desert swirl yet, the white ones I liked were not in my size!

I bought one and was not impressed with the quality of the fit or construction. For the money I suppose it is a good deal--onstage it does look like a nice costume. The fringe, sequins, and beadwork are all very nice.

However, the seam on the skirt made me verrrrry nervous! The stitches were not small enough; if the skirt was stretched at all, you could see where the stitches were because the seam was pulling apart. You could see right through to your leg. And you can't really reinforce that seam because it's pressed open and the beadwork is done over it. I'd have probably put some grosgrain ribbon in the same color as the costume underneath the seam, just in case the thread ever broke and the seam started to come apart.

I thought the bra fit kind of funny, too. The cups are borderline "funky football shaped." I wasn't going to mess with moving straps to try to make it fit.

So I guess it's a tradeoff between cost vs. quality of construction and fit.

Anjela, thanks for that info. good to know what they're worth ;) still I really like the beading design. think it's cute ^^

reviving this thread because i was wondering about the new desert swirls, too.

good to know on the nile flower cossies - anyone have experience w/the Egyptian Tulip ones, also on bdstore? same price range & pretty.

Our new desert swirls are made with higher quality in mind. These new desert swirls come with beautiful matching accessories and also multicolor beading. They are not only eyecatching they are conctructed with a much better quality. So if you are worried about quality get the new DS's with accessories.

Good to know! Thanks!

Reviving this thread because I'm thinking of buying one and I'd like to know of anybodies experience with the new improved DS.
Thanks

I bought one, the bra was too small despite me allowing for extra room, and one of the dangle strands fell off the first time I wore it. Stitched back on okay though.

I highly recommend the Emans from Morgana. (Disclaimer: She is a friend). I've had mine for about six months and I love it. It's well-made, comfortable, looks fabulous on stage and while a bit more money than the desert swirl, it comes with a veil and armbands. I spent about $10 on some big crystals to bling it out but even without it, it's any awesome costume. It looks pretty much like the purple on Andalee posted.

I bought a Desert Swirl back in September, one of the ones that costs around $170. I'm very happy with mine. I did go over the knots of every strand of fringe with clear nail polish because I didn't trust the look of a few of them, but at least in theory you should do that with every costume anyway. The bra band and straps required a lot of work, but then on me they usually do because I have a proportionately small ribcage. The cups are a great shape, very flattering (I'm a D, if that matters). It's definitely not a higher end costume, but it's great for restaurant work. Two weekends ago I wore my Desert Swirl for three gigs in a row; it got me a ton of compliments and just as importantly, it held up well. I did notice however while reattaching the straps that the inner material is more of a heavy interfacing than a stiff buckram, so we'll see how it holds up to sustained use (not to mention sweat). All in all, my experience has been very positive, though I recognize that I may have also been very lucky.