Thread: non-name cossies on bellydancestore: good value or bead bleeding nightmares?

like the desert swirls, egyptian icicle bra/belt sets, moon something-or-other, the carwash skirty ones

i know there was discussion about the desert swirls specifically. some thought it was a good value. some thought they were poor quality. i'm assuming there would be similar mixed reviews for other non-designer costumes of similar price.

if they aren't in heavy rotation, how do they hold up? can one of these be a good base for further embellishing? has anyone done this with the egyptian icicles bra/belt sets? what about the carwashy one? a few beads here and there is no biggie, but i'd like to avoid the costumes that lose beads just from getting breathed on. does the quality vary greatly from set to set of the same design? what about from design to design?

i can tell you that the icicles (1 & 2) are excellent quality....for a simple, basic style, they are very well made....the sequins on the bra and belt are tight and close, and extra embellishment isn't EASY, but if you've done it before on sequined bases, not horribly difficult either......

alot of the no-names are good too. the desert swirls have actually improved this year, as have the snake charmer....the latter has a vintage look and fairly well made......

if you call them, you can ask the gals at bellydancestore about their quality and see if they even have suggestions....they are very aware of a dancer's demands on cossies and are very customer service oriented....they'd be of great help

ooo i like the snake charmer too! i'm glad to hear quality is improving. i wasted so much money on crap when i started dancing that i'm super cautious now about what i buy.

totally understand.....when shahrzad goes on buying trips, she's very cognizant of quality.....granted, something may slip thru the cracks, but for the most part, the majority are pretty good among the no-names.....

I bought a snake charmer and I love it even though it's too big. The beads don't fall off and the hooks are sewen on very well. Over all it is constructed nicely.

I bought one of the original Nile Flowers. (This was before they were called that and before the price was cut, sob.) It was very pretty, with a lot of beading for the buck and very solidly constructed.

the nile flower is also a really pretty design. i'm so glad to hear positive stuff! now i just need to control my spending ..l;,

I just bought a Nile Flower, and while I haven't performed in it yet, I do love it. It is indeed nicely constructed, and the beading is awesome. I'm particularly pleased with the supportiveness of the bra cups.

so i bought a silver egyptian icicle set yesterday and started my wishlist! thanks for all the feedback ladies.

ZOMBIE THREAD

i got my egyptian icicles set and the shoulder straps are waaaaay too long. no problem, i'll just move them out more in the back. i fold back the lining and start blissfully snipping away at threads... and realized the beading was done thru the straps! ,m:: i left the straps where they were and tacked them together in the middle of my back. now it takes some contorting to get it on and off over my head.

so, i was talking with another dancer who also has an egyptian icicles set, and she said she reinforced all of the beading with 'glue'. i should have asked for further explanation, but it sounds like she used glue (or fray check) on all the places where the theads came through the fabric and on all of the fringe. her point was i should do this prior to moving the straps so that i don't lose the beading.

i'm not sure if this will work. if the glue is on the top-side where the beads are, it won't stick to the base fabric, or will it? also, even though i'm super lazy, all that gluing sounds like just as much work as filling in the beading that i lose.

wwbd?