Thread: Slightly tall, Somewhat thin, Busty with Hips: Costumes--Spin-Off

Ok, so I was reading where one of our dance sisters here is tall and thin and can't find costumes to fit her smaller bust size. I have the opposite problem.

I had been searching for costumes and I can never find bras and belts that fit me in bust or the hips. I have 40 inch hips and was wearing 38D bras. Most of the costumes I find are too small.

I went to Intimacy to get a proper bra fitting and I am finding out that I'm a 32/34-E/F. Now after that I'm thinking, "I can barely find C and D cups. Where the heck am I gonna find E and F cup dance bras?!"

Where do dancers with fuller breasts and bigger hips shop for costumes?

Bella!
Pharonics if you can get the right cup size.
Older "vintage" Pharonics.

(I'm not tall, I'm very petite but I understand the rest of your dilemma)

Saheli,
Yes there is the opposite problem and like you I also have it! I am also pretty short so that adds to the issue! I think everyone has their own unique costume issues.
Personally I find that most of the time I have to custom order my costumes and I have my favorite vendors.
Also if you can find what they call a "Bhuz Body Double", someone whose costumes fit you you can watch for their sales on the SWAP forum. You would fit in most of mine for sure! ;-)
xoxo,
-Nadirah Johara

I'm very short but have a similar bra size to you. So, I buy bedlah with the largest cup size I can find, then purchase a hard cup bra from bravissimo.com, and rip the costume bra apart to try to replicate it with more fabric on the new bra. I follow a v-neck where the top half of the cups are decorated with the original bits, and the bottom half are covered in a fabric that matches the bedlah, or a skirt I make to match it.

I'm too suspicious of oddly fitting bras to buy custom jobs. I use Freya brand bras for my bases.

...I've been working on a boobs 'n bellydance article for the Gilded Serpent lately, and I'm trying to finish a from-scratch cab costume so it's been on my mind lately :)

First off, Hanes Outlets has 32 E / F / G bras. Go to their on line store. If you are willing to spend more, most major department stores also carry them. You will have to forget Victoria's Secret for anything but panties and sleepwear.

As for costumes, agree with Miss Mouse. #1 find your Pharoanics bra cup #. This will potentially save you all kinds of hassles.

#2 Find your Body Double. Make sure you and she wear your costumes the same way. I have one dancer who we wear the same size bra, but I don't mind being very voluptuous, and boobilicous, and she does. So she is more comfortable with a little more coverage than I need.

#3 - be fearless. Be prepared to make costumes and to adjust them yourself or with the help of a good seamstress. Yes, you will make mistakes, but chances are they won't be irreversible. And sometimes you end up with something you hadn't planned but it's still great!

(BTW - I was recently measured and I am a 34 G. Well, that may have gone down a little as I have lost 8#, but still. . . )
{{{HUGS}}}

I order mine from a costume designer in Eygpt. His site is eygptbazzar, hope I got the spelling right he is over on facebook as Amr.
He makes them to order with really great prices.

Originally Posted by saheli

Ok, so I was reading where one of our dance sisters here is tall and thin and can't find costumes to fit her smaller bust size. I have the opposite problem.

I had been searching for costumes and I can never find bras and belts that fit me in bust or the hips. I have 40 inch hips and was wearing 38D bras. Most of the costumes I find are too small.

I went to Intimacy to get a proper bra fitting and I am finding out that I'm a 32/34-E/F. Now after that I'm thinking, "I can barely find C and D cups. Where the heck am I gonna find E and F cup dance bras?!"

Where do dancers with fuller breasts and bigger hips shop for costumes?

I am also a 32F cup, as fit by Intimacy. :) I recently bought a costume from Bellydancestore.com, and the bra's cup size was a DD/DDD. It's almost a little bit big! Not insane, and minimal padding would make it perfect. Thing is, they base cup sizes on what that cup would be on a 36" band. A DD or DDD on a 36" band is about the same size as my F cup is on a 32" band, because cup sizes do vary with band size, at least at the larger end of the spectrum.

Alas, if you do a search for DD costumes with a 32" underbust on bellydancestore.com, you get only a few pages of costumes. Still, some of them are damned cute! Also, if you have bigger hips (and yours are bigger than mine), I think you might have more options. There are more large-cup costumes available for people with bigger hips than there are for people with smaller hips, it seems!

I feel the same way. I am a 32 DDD with 30-inch waist. Talk about tough. You can't even alter because you can't move everything that much. Anyone with a DD/DDD cup is assumed to be 38/40 inches or larger! I am frustrated. The only solution I have found is get one custom made from Egypt. They can be found reasonably (bra/belt sets) on ebay for about $200-300.

If you have big boobs but a small chest what you need is height. I just did a 30G and it came out great. I took a 40DD bra and replaced the underwires with shorter ones.

Coming back to this thread now that I'm not in such a big rush! haha. I was running out the door when I posted last time.
I totally know how you feel. I've got 39" chest and hips and wear a DD bra. My waist and under bust measurements are quite a bit smaller. (Though I'm only 5'2" so I don't have the height issue that you do)
What Eshta says about height of cup is really true. I can't have cups that are shorter than 7" tall. Width doesn't seem to matter as much. Also, this might just be me, but I have to have space between the cups to get them to lie flat against my chest.
The only problem I've had with fitting belts and skirts is that they occasionally gap in the lower back. This can usually be fixed by sewing some elastic into the back of the belt or skirt.

I'm rather late to the party, but I just found this thread and am delighted I am not the only one! I am 5 feet 8 inches, 39 hips and a 34G bust (UK size, which I think may be a US GG? Not sure). Finding costumes is a nightmare - even the ones that are supposedly my size don't fit flatteringly - too much width, not enough depth I find!

I would love to hear if anyone has found any more places for us busty ladies to shop since this thread was started!

Originally Posted by Anahit_Karyan

I am also a 32F cup, as fit by Intimacy. :) I recently bought a costume from Bellydancestore.com, and the bra's cup size was a DD/DDD. It's almost a little bit big! Not insane, and minimal padding would make it perfect. Thing is, they base cup sizes on what that cup would be on a 36" band. A DD or DDD on a 36" band is about the same size as my F cup is on a 32" band, because cup sizes do vary with band size, at least at the larger end of the spectrum.

This.

Originally Posted by gtabasso

I feel the same way. I am a 32 DDD with 30-inch waist. Talk about tough. You can't even alter because you can't move everything that much. Anyone with a DD/DDD cup is assumed to be 38/40 inches or larger! I am frustrated. The only solution I have found is get one custom made from Egypt. They can be found reasonably (bra/belt sets) on ebay for about $200-300.

Anything off the rack is meant to fit a range of sizes. Just move the hooks and overlap (or cut off) the excess strap. Getting a 'custom' order does not always solve anything. I don't know if they just assume I wrote something down wrong or what, but I end up with too big straps anyway. They seem to think anyone with boobs that big must be big in general, but I really did mean 32, not 42, silly costume people! Unless you are working with a seamstress who will actually do fittings along the way or doing it yourself, I'd assume some adjustment will be required, and shortening straps is a lot easier than some other options!

ETA- I know there are costumes that would fit you coming up in the swap pages, because I keep looking at things and saying 'that would fit me in the bust, but I'd have to majorly adjust the belt to my skinny little hips!' Busty people are apparently supposed to have hips too. I'm usually a 32D with 36 inch hips- still nursing the babe right now, so I'm a 32G with 38 hips & no waist to speak of.