Thread: Help me figure out this top?

Does this top have the fringe attached? Or is the fringe hanging off a bra or something underneath?

Where would you find a top like that? I love that it has sleeves, but SHORT ones! I live in TX, so I don't want long ones!

It looks like the fringe matches the hip scarf, is there a place where you can have them custom-made to match or something?

Thanks for your help!

To me it looks like she bought a bra/belt set and cut the fring off the bra and sewed it to the top.

I take that back,!

I enlarged it as much as I could on my Blackberry.

It's a bra. It appears the bra is tacked to the top, but if you look closelly at the right, you can see where some stitches have come undone. (You see a touch of purple beading peeking through)

I love this costume!

I think it is a decorated bra under the top.

Also, I'm not really sure how long the sleeves are? She has her hands raised up, and on the left arm I see what looks like folds of fabric, as if gravity has pulled the open bell end down towards her shoulder.

That style of top is pretty easy to find, just a tie top with bell or circle sleeves. But the fabric looks really interesting. It might be a Sharif Wear top.

Theora Silks makes fabulous tops, and she can customize them for you, like using short sleeves. theorabellydanceboutique

The fringe on the top appears to be rayon. Don't know how this one was made but I would sew rayon fringe to grosgrain ribbon and use small snaps to secure it to the inside lower edge of the top. That would enable someone to wash the top without damaging the fringe.

I would get a hip scarf with the alternating sections of beaded triangles and fringe (like in the picture), and a coordinating wrap top with whichever sleeves you like. Then crochet a ladder, placing beads in each section, and keep repeating that until I had a lovely crochet border to sew around the top. (Just like the triangles, but only in a long skinny rectangle.) I would use crochet thread and beads to match the triangles on the hip scarf, and maybe change the colors of the beads. I think the top in the picture is showing part of a fitted and embellished bra or vest with loops of blue fringe at the bottom, but sewing a crochet trim on a wrap top will be easy, approximate the look, easily allow changes in weight, and be cooler than a fitted bra or vest. Let us know what you do!