Thread: opinions on bell sleeves

What do you think about bell sleeves on cabaret costumes? I altered my new Pharaonics Arabian Flora and took off the cuff on the sleeve. I was going to take out a lot of the extra fabric to make it a slim sleeve and re-attatch the cuff, but I like how the bell looks.

My real questions is when I raise my arm and the sleeve bunches down. Is that weird? I have a great folkloric dress with huge bell sleeves and I usually keep my arms down with it because I whack myself in the face if I don't, but this sleeve is much lighter and narrower.

Thoughts, please? I think it is ok, but I want to hear it from others.

Thanks!

I prefer sleeves that are more form-fitted. IMO the fabric moving around tends to distract from the dancer. And the full, billowy sleeves tend to hide the torso movement and makes a dancer's waistline disappear.

I think it depends a lot on the costume and the dancer :) I like the bell look as long as it isn't in the way of the dancer and fits naturally with the costume.

I got a Bella recently with those floofy arm drape things. Looks beautiful in photos, but I kept getting attacked by my arm fluffies while dancing with a silk veil last week....

I love the look of billowy stuff on the arms, but it just doesn't always work when you're in motion.

I smacked myself pretty hard in the face with the sequined edges of my Pharaonics arm drapes...keep that in mind if you decide to embellish!

Originally Posted by najla86

I smacked myself pretty hard in the face with the sequined edges of my Pharaonics arm drapes...keep that in mind if you decide to embellish!

I know I shouldn't laugh at your misfortune, but that visual did make me chuckle. I got my Bella arm drape stuck to my lip gloss last week! Oh well, as long as my client gave me a 5-star rating on Crapmasters, I guess it's no biggie ..l;,

But we really do have some of the most bizarre occupational hazards.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

I know I shouldn't laugh at your misfortune, but that visual did make me chuckle. I got my Bella arm drape stuck to my lip gloss last week! Oh well, as long as my client gave me a 5-star rating on Crapmasters, I guess it's no biggie ..l;,

But we really do have some of the most bizarre occupational hazards.

Thankfully it was just while I was rehearsing, but damn it hurt! ..l;,

Originally Posted by najla86

Thankfully it was just while I was rehearsing, but damn it hurt! ..l;,

The worst part is explaining why you have that scratch across your face. Our "civilian" friends never seem to buy into the "fly-by sequin attack" excuse!

Several years ago a lovely dancer performing in her new Bella was attacked by her sequin trimmed sleeve drape. Not only did it smear her lipstick but somehow the sequins grabbed one of her fake eyelashes. The eyelash dangled for a while before she swatted it away. She made it appear funny with staged expressions but it was certainly awkward.

I think I'm gonna ask Bella to make some nice, strappy gauntlets to go with my peacock purple cossie!

Those floofy things look innocent, but they're dangerous!

I love bell sleeves. So there.

They, like any sleeve, do limit what you can do in the costume, and I wouldn't want to try to do veil with one, but they can be beautiful.

As for issues when you raise your arms, well, play with it till you get something that looks nice and be aware of what gives you a weird line. I *like* the look of a sleeve falling down and exposing the arm. It is *sexy*. The only thing you have to do is work out a good trick for getting it a) to stay on your shoulder so it's become like a little cape sleeve or b) getting it to fall back down again attractively when you bring your arm down again.

I find my arms aren't as graceful with floofy sleeves! I worry about them a bit to much and I can't do veil work without a fight! However, they can be a fun "prop" if you work it right and I agreed with Zumarrad...there is something cheeky about that sleeve slipping off the shoulder!!

Anything with loose fabric on the sleeves--full sleeves, bell sleeves, those Ghawazee coats with the sleeve flaps, etc.--are going to move around when you dance and do weird things when you raise your arms. As far as I can tell, your choices are pretty much limited to this:

Learn to live with it, and adapt your dancing accordingly.

Redesign the sleeve, either by recutting it to be a different shape or making some kludge at the cuff to hold it in place (e.g., run elastic through the hem of a bell sleeve to turn it into a puff sleeve).

Wear something long sleeved underneath. This is how conservative Muslim women get around wearing full sleeves. If you have a long, form-fitting sleeve underneath, your modesty isn't compromised when you raise your arm, and possibly the interior fabric creates drag that makes the outer sleeve move around less. It's probably too hot for most dance circumstances, but it is a possible workaround.

Sew a clear elastic 'bracelet', to the inside seam. It will help keep the sleeve at your wrist!

However, I still would NOT do veil work with it.

Or, cover a heavier elastic, with a matching colored material.
You could even tack a real bracelet to it, just remove before washing.

Thanks for the advice.
I will play around with it and see. I appreciate all comments! I am not normally a full sleeve person.

Originally Posted by showtime

I prefer sleeves that are more form-fitted. IMO the fabric moving around tends to distract from the dancer. And the full, billowy sleeves tend to hide the torso movement and makes a dancer's waistline disappear.

this^.
if you're not performing in the round and have impeccable control and awareness of your arms and frames then you can pull it off, but if you aren't usually on proscenium stage i'd go for fitted

"Puffy" sleeves, the ones with the elastic at the wrist, I don't particularly care for; to me, they look kinda like sweat pants on the arms . . . not sophisticated?

OTOH, I like bell sleeves, so long as they are somewhat fitted from the shoulder to about the elbow, then belling below that; if they bell directly from the shoulder, it usually is just too much fabric and it often does get in the way of actual dancing.

I own a vest with huge bell sleeves from the shoulder and this is what I have done to control the volume:
put a sequinned arm band over the sleeve just above the elbow and worn a matching/coordinating band under sleeve at the wrist. Thus, when the sleeve falls towards the elbow when the arms are raised, there is something pretty to look at. I could have also reduced the volume by merely taking in the upper part of the sleeves . . . its just easier to put the armbands on!

The other night at a showcase here in Southern California, Sahra Saeeda was wearing a overdress-type costume with huge bell sleeves; underneath, she wore the long gauntlets that matched her bedlah. Looked great. But I have to say I was wondering how hot she got with all that stuff on . . .

One thing about big sleeves, no matter what the type, we do have to really think about arm positions and patterns so that we don't end up hidden behind our own costuming!

Deborah

I love bell sleeves. I've actually been thinking of taking the arm cuffs off my Pharaonics Samia and making the chiffon into more of a bell. Just keep the embellishment lightweight, as others have said, and make sure the sleeves aren't so big as to swamp your beautiful little bod.

If you find an true bell shape hard to work with, you might try splitting it a few inches up from the bottom so you get the general effect of a bell but it parts gracefully to show your lower arm. Like a slit in a flared skirt -- does that make sense?

(Feeling inarticulate today. Used up all my words over the weekend. ;))

It depends on whether the overall look makes sense, and there is not a single answer that works for everybody. I love flowy sleeves, and I wear them a lot. I feel that they match what I do, which is more in the Turkish/Vintage Oriental corner, and that they are a nice balance to my big skirts in terms of lines and movement. If the sleeves are too big, I have used a pretty cuff or some such above the elbow.

And, I've seen Zana in some kind of bell sleeves sheer/sparkly top last weekend - it added to her costume and matched her persona really well, I don't think that fitted sleeves would have been a better choice.

I like them okay on others, probably not something I'd wear myself but who knows?

I wear tube sleeves - the ones tahira said look like sweatpants for your arm ..l;, but not with everything. Only when going for the girly airy fairy look.

I like all the different sleeves - and they make for fantastic extra props when used properly - with the big bell sleeves from Bella, I've got some mini-veils I can work with throughout my sets.
I actually love that sleeve on the Pharaonics in the OP - although I would imagine varying arm positions might be warranted to avoid a saggy-arm look.

One thing I do with flouffy (a cross between poufy & fluffy?) sleeves: Sew a decorative attacher on the lower edge that loops around the middle finger, so it looks like jewelry or decorative touch. Rhinestone loop, small chain, beading, etc. I'm tall with w long arms, so I am a sleeve fan, all kinds. ..g.:
Def depends on type on dance being done, as you don't want the sleeves to take over.
I third Zumarrad's concept of letting sleeve play over your skin..
I also am a member of whacking-self-in eye with-paillette-on-edge-of- veil-thus-ouchy!-and-knocking-contact-out club.
This is not a toy!