Thread: Taking care of bra and belt sets???

What do you guys do to take good care of your bra/belt sets? Here is some advice from other people I want to try on mine... Any experience with these? Which ones are worth your time? Want to add your own?

- Add a thin felt liner to keep sweat off the costume (Saqra)
- Spray the costume down with clear acrylic, especially sequins and under armpits but cover big jewels with tape (Saqra)
- Fray check the ends of fringe (Saqra)
- Never store in plastic, never store damp; store in muslin bag (Lucy of Sheherezade)
- Carry needle and thread for emergency repairs (Lucy of Sheherezade)
- Put on the costume right before you dance and change immediately after dancing to limit the amount of body oils and bacteria which break down the costume (Lucy of Sheherezade)

If you have heavy metal, coins, chains, whatever: make sure you have needlenose pliers, extra jump rings and replacement parts available because you WILL need them.

Guaranteed...l;,

Also, if you have beaded sets - these will need to be repaired from time to time. So try to make sure you have extra beads, stones and sequins to match your costumes and repair as needed.

That way they will always look nice.

Make sure to lay bedlah out flat when storing them and don't squish the cups. This will minimize the damage done to beading.

Also, fix any broken fringe or beading as soon as you notice it... don't just wear it as is and hope for the best... it WILL fall apart and you may hurt yourself tripping on beads!

After a performance, I don't put my costume away. I always make sure to air it out. Lay out your costume w/ the lining facing outwards. Sometimes I'll do a quick spritz of alcohol and water or febreeze while it airs out.

Ditto on airing your costumes before you put them back into storage.

I store my two-piece costumes in the paper bags you often get from clothes' stores. They come in different sizes (smaller for galabeyas, larger for lycra costumes with sturdy bras), fit conveniently on the shelf because of their rectangular bottoms, let the costume get some air and I can always what I am looking for because of they are open from the top.

Originally Posted by Lesedi

After a performance, I don't put my costume away. I always make sure to air it out. Lay out your costume w/ the lining facing outwards. Sometimes I'll do a quick spritz of alcohol and water or febreeze while it airs out.

I always air everything out for a couple of days before putting it away, too. And if there are washable pieces (undecorated skirts and harem pants), I wash them the next day, so I don't find that they should have been washed after the last wearing when I take them out to wear them the next time.

A former Dahlal employee saw me folding my bra between the cups once and said "we never do that, it weakens them." Probably should have seemed obvious, but I was doing it all the time to fit them into my bags more easily! Now I always lay them flat.

Does anybody else spray their bra and belt with clear plastic coating? I'm trying to figure out which one to try... Krylon has "Crystal Clear Acrylic", Satin Finish, UV Resistant Clear, and a bunch of other products which I cannot distinguish a meaningful difference...

why not store in plastic?

I have also been told to put clear nail polish on rhinestone settings.

I have a question about spraying on acrylic. After some time, does the acrylic turn yellow or crackle? Does it make the sequins and stones less shiny?

Originally Posted by Shirin.

I have a question about spraying on acrylic. After some time, does the acrylic turn yellow or crackle? Does it make the sequins and stones less shiny?

People who do it swear the opposite is true, that's why I want to try it. It will dull rhinestones and crystals, so those get covered with tape. But sequins and beads aren't necessarily colorfast, even on expensive costumes, and moisture and sweat can remove the paint over time. The worst is when the sequins loose their color in big circles under the armpits! I've also heard of people who washed their costumes, and realized a certain color bead wasn't colorfast and all the paint that color washed away.

I store mine in plastic boxes, I drilled holes into them for air flow, no problem. I don't fold the bra, the belt is in the bottom of the box, bra on top.

I use plastic boxes too, but I always thoroughly dry before storage. I also use those little dessicant packs that come in everything these days. I put a few packs in each plastic tote just in case there is any remaining moisture. I always let my costumes air out a day or two after wearing them though before storage.

I use plastic boxes too, but I always thoroughly dry before storage. I also use those little dessicant packs that come in everything these days. I put a few packs in each plastic tote just in case there is any remaining moisture. I always let my costumes air out a day or two after wearing them though before storage.

I do the same exact thing.

I've never had a problem storing mine in plastic and I've done it for years.

Originally Posted by shahla

I use plastic boxes too, but I always thoroughly dry before storage. I also use those little dessicant packs that come in everything these days. I put a few packs in each plastic tote just in case there is any remaining moisture. I always let my costumes air out a day or two after wearing them though before storage.

Me too. I use those long, flat, plastic, under-the-bed, rollaway things... throw a few dessicant packs in there along with a couple of dryer sheets to keep everything smelling fresh. Belts are folded in half and laid out flat on top of one another, bras are laid out flat next to the belts (w/ cups stacked). Sometimes fringe gets tangled, so I have to be careful when I pull stuff out, but the system seems to work for me and my bedlah are pristine!

Heya

I am one who acrylics my costumes.

Started when I took the time to repair stripped sequins on a costume I couldn't bear to part with, and decided to 'seal' the repaired colour with clear varnish. Have always used a spray on- can't imagine being steady handed enough to paint on :)

So far, I have seen no downside at all- though the ladies above are right, rhinestones and crystals need to be covered, and I would suggest any big acrylic stones too...doesn't dull them, but unless you are very steady you may get a surface shine alteration.

You do get craft shop sprays that specifically swear to be non-yellowing...but frankly I see no difference and they actually annoy me more, plus cost extra. Provided you work in light, even coats and do not over apply, I see barely any difference.

And it does seem to have preserved colour for longer.

The set I acryliced first must now have been like that for...3 years, just for reference.

Anyway, HTH

Originally Posted by Lesedi

Belts are folded in half and laid out flat on top of one another, bras are laid out flat next to the belts (w/ cups stacked). Sometimes fringe gets tangled, so I have to be careful when I pull stuff out, but the system seems to work for me and my bedlah are pristine!

If you take a length of clean cotton fabric (an old bedsheet or a couple of yards of cheap muslin) and accordion fold it with the various pieces of your costume between the layers, it will minimize the fringe tangling. You might still have a few strands wrapping around themselves on a costume piece but at least the belt won't be getting knotted up with the bra.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

If you take a length of clean cotton fabric (an old bedsheet or a couple of yards of cheap muslin) and accordion fold it with the various pieces of your costume between the layers, it will minimize the fringe tangling. You might still have a few strands wrapping around themselves on a costume piece but at least the belt won't be getting knotted up with the bra.

that's a good idea