Thread: Padding...what do you use and how much...

Well I have a question about padding, I've heard some suggestions from fellow dancers but I wanted to get more opinions. What do you use to pad costumes that are just a little bit too big? How do you make it look natural? and what are the tricks and also big no-nos? Thanks!

i use push up cut up bras to pad the costumes. that way it still retains the natural cup shape and only you really know that there is padding under there.

my friend who is very small uses straight up cotton...whole boat loads of it stuffed into the lining of her bra.

yet another friend sold me a costume where she first had to take the tennis socks out of the cups....not recommended :-))

In Egypt they stuff shoulder pads into the cups. They still follow the "at the bottom and sides" rule, so you are essentially putting your girls up on a shelf. There should be no gapping at the top, but no overspillage either. Here's a great article:
Belly Dance News & Events – Gilded Serpent » Blog Archive » A Bust to be Proud Of …

Great :) Thanks for the advice ladies!

Maybe I just have freakish boobs, but I've noticed that some bra styles are definitely more paddable than others.

Soft bras (usually Turkish or vintage) are very forgiving. My new Legend was so overstuffed that I removed almost an entire throw pillow's worth of poly stuffing and the cups were still convex inside! Similarly, I've padded Bellas that were 2 cup sizes too large simply by jamming as much pillow stuffing inside the cups as I can. And I actually get a fair amount of cleavage out of this method!

Also, I like to buy those Frederick's of Hollywood Extreme Cleavage bras and sew the cups into a costume bra. Those bras are padded like costume bras, with a little shelf for the "girls." The bra-in-a-bra trick is like a safe, reversible $20 boob job! ..l;,

With Emans and Joharah's, it didn't matter how much I padded them, or what material I used. Those hard cups just seemed to defy any amount of stuffing and gap like the Dickens on me. I have officially sworn off hard-shelled Egyptian bras.

A good rule is never add more padding than one cup size. So if you're an A, you can buy a B and pad it, but you can't get away with padding a C. Padding a bra bigger than just one cup size will cause the bra to stand away from your body independently, and is very noticeable. Craft stores sell breast-pushing-shaped pads that are exactly one size worth of volume. That would be the easiest way to get a good shape. But many people swear by different stuffing agents. Arrange your padding in your costume underneath, or slightly to the side, wherever they look best on you in that costume. Then tack them in with some thread. They're easy to remove for washing, but will stay put for your dance. I defy you to come up with a graceful cover if you have padding come out in front of an audience! I've seen it!

If you've padded a full cup size and still think you need more curviness, you can get bras that have more embellishment on the outside, like a bra thick with loose coins, or loops of beads with palliettes (sp?). Sort of like padding the outside! Va va voom!

ETA: Ok, right above Satin says she padded a bra more than a cup size to good effect, and I trust that she did this to good effect. Well, rules are made to be broken. But I maintain it is almost always going to be true, although it would depend on your breast tissue and the costume. Don't count on it working.

Originally Posted by Roeska

ETA: Ok, right above Satin says she padded a bra more than a cup size to good effect, and I trust that she did this to good effect. Well, rules are made to be broken. But I maintain it is almost always going to be true, although it would depend on your breast tissue and the costume. Don't count on it working.

Mind you, it doesn't work on every bra! And I don't advocate making a habit of buying too-big bras.

Bellas run somewhat big on me, even if I give her my specific measurements. I'll ask her for an A and always get a C. But her bras also lend themselves very nicely to overstuffing, since they're made of soft, flexible materials. Sometimes, I have to move some straps around. But usually, I can get a nice snug fit.

Egyptian hard-shelled bras, in my experience, produce exactly the same crappy results you described. Even with a modest amount of padding, they gap and the band doesn't sit flush with the ribcage. I honestly don't even buy Egyptian costumes anymore because I can never fix the bras ..c::

I recently found, if I move the front bra straps inwards an inch or so, it helps with gaping.

When the bra straps are set wide, the more we stuff the more the bra pushes out away from the body, but if we bring them in, the straps will pull from the top of the cup, pulling them in and up. It also aids in lifting!!!

What Anna said!

I also like to put the straps over the shoulder and close together in the back, like a V. Then, I place a hook and eye closure near the nape of the neck so the straps meet. This ensures a super-snug fit and creates nice cleavage. Way better than a halter.

ehm.. what is a hook and eye closure? :p

Originally Posted by EliAnn

ehm.. what is a hook and eye closure? :p

Those little hooks and loops that come on all bras and belts

There are lots of sizes and shapes of hook and eyes available. For closing heavy bellydance bras, look for the ones labeled as "pants hooks." Those are wide, long, and sturdy. I also like to add one of those ridiculously large snaps, just in case (and it's great if you've got a few inches of costume strap left but you don't want to cut it). I haven't measured one of the snaps, but I think they're half an inch across or something!

Velcro does a great job at controlling extra strappage too....I fluctuate so it's easier to sew in a length of the stuff than several snaps. Shoulder pads are my go to for stuffing bras!

So much great advice, I effectively padded one costume, no gapping looks great, I'm hoping the new bedlah on the way won't need too much surgery but I love Satin's idea of sewing a bra in a bra :)