Thread: Which seems the most "natural" to YOU?

Thanks to you Bhuzzers, I now have some inspiration for my (daydreams about) future pro (but modest) costumes! Who knows if needing a costume like that will ever be a reality, but if you're gonna keep your eye on the prize, you should be able to visualize what that prize is, right?
..g.: ,r:;

The thing I'm still struggling with, though, is how to best work with the bra and belt sets my teacher makes for our recital. I will definitely ask her for recommendations, but I'd also like to be able to present her with some ideas I feel comfortable with, and get YOUR opinion on which you think would look the best.

Situation recap in brief: I need OPAQUE (not see-through) coverage on the midriff, bust (no cleavage!), and possibly shoulders, although I'm iffy on that. I guess it depends on how covered I am everywhere else. I need to wear a bedlah (black base with silver and red embellishments, paired with black skirt), since I need to match the rest of my class as much as possible.

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Here are the options, mostly based on your suggestions, I'm considering. Please tell me which YOU would choose if you were in my situation!

**** 1. Flesh-colored body stocking with long, 3/4, or short sleeves. Shorter sleeves could be hidden by cuff of some sort. Will either have a very high neckline like the first picture below (which could be disguised with collar-type jewelry), or perhaps a scoop-neck (they are easier to find) decorated to match the costume in the spirit of the second picture below, originally posted by Sersi3:


**** 2. Forget about the sleeves (although gauntlet gloves might be an option) and concentrate on a really solid-looking coverage above the bra. Below is a lovely picture of Nour I posted before with this sort of look. I suppose I would wear a flesh-colored midriff cover and design some sort of red (would stand out more) or black (might make for too much black) "frankencamisole" (Torbeau's word) like this for the front AND the back:


**** 3. Flesh-colored midriff cover (once again) paired with a black L. Rose half top with some sort of modest pinching, blinged out just a tiny bit to provide transition between the bra and the top underneath. Could be long- or 3/4-sleeved or perhaps have something fancy like the one shown below:


Which would you choose if you were me? If you have any other ideas for modest coverage while keeping as close to the original bedlah look as possible, please shoot them my way!

They are all beautiful choices.

I really liked:
#1 Flesh colored body stocking.

Have you thought about something like this: BELLY DANCE Dress, brown lace size L SALE - eBay (item 120626063122 end time Oct-02-10 11:00:00 PDT)

While not necessarily the best example, all you have to do is add your bedlah. If you want more coverage in the cleavage area, I would then take sheer fabric and cover the area between the straps and add some bling or beads just to give it dimension.

{{{HUGS}}}

If I was in your position, I would probably just buy a leotard, maybe something along these lines...

You could go with either a tank top style or longer sleeves if that is your preference, and add some bling to the areas which are not covered by the bedlah. If you are dancing with a troupe you will not stand out so much, and you can get several in different colours if you want to ring the changes.

here's a mock up to show how it might look... (with apologies for the very quick and dirty photoshopping!)

Is there any chance you could post a picture of what the rest of the group will be wearing? Without knowing, the least obtrusive guess would be #1, a nude leotard or unitard under the costume; however, it's been my personal experience that most student troupes have at least one lady who is either heavier or older and insists on wearing a stomach cover of some sort, and usually black. If you have others in the troupe covering, this opens up more options for you.

You might want to contact Sookie Sookie Leotards Manufactures Wholesale Leotards, Tops,Pants, and Skirts for Dance,Gymnastics,Cheerleading,and Exercise or Sugar Petals > Sugar Petals Dance Accessories Mesh Middle Leotards about your costuming situation. They offer a lot of possibilities beyond the basic short-sleeved leotards that you can buy at a dance supply store, and they may be able to make a custom leotard for you if they don't have anything that would work in regular production. I think the problem you may run into when trying to buy an off-the-shelf leotard is that many of the adult styles will be tank/cami tops, and the ones that aren't will have deep fronts and/or backs unless they have long sleeves (and sometimes even then) OR you won't be able to get them in a color that will work for your costume. Something like this Bal Togs Cross Front Cap Sleeve Leo - BTSPX8102 comes in peach and has cap sleeves, but you've still got a lot of chest and back showing.

I like Firefly's idea, but I would take that one step further by suggesting a body tight rather than a leotard (or body stocking).

Ultrasoft Bodytight Convertible - Capezio - Dancewear Solutions
Camisole Body Tight - Balera - Dancewear Solutions

Or how about a seamless body liner?
Camisole Body Liner - Balera - Dancewear Solutions
Convertible Nude Leo - Body Wrappers - Dancewear Solutions
Hatler/Tank Leotard - Body Wrappers - Dancewear Solutions

I like all of the pictures you posted! I would probably choose the nude leo myself, because I think it would best match the look of the others in the group. I would add crystals or decoration to it so that it would clearly look like a costume piece.
ETA: I looked at Andalee's links before posting, and that was what I had in my mind when I wrote leo.

Anglika Nemeth has that top costume that Ava's wearing, and it looks just as stunning on both of them. I love that look!

Another option - L Rose makes a shirt: L. Rose Designs - Online Catalog

I think all the options look okay. Even changing the color of the leotard would make a costume look completely different, which would allow more versatility. I like the sparkles on the leotard too. It helps tie the concept together and makes it really look like it's part of the costume instead of just looking like an additional layer for modesty. (Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I like the look of a unified costume.)

I've really like this look, and you can also cover the cleavage as well. Opaque, flesh colored fabric with glued on jewels would look great.

http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/a...1732_NNWeb.jpg

Originally Posted by jasani

I've really like this look, and you can also cover the cleavage as well. Opaque, flesh colored fabric with glued on jewels would look great.

Nice, Jasani! I really like that, too. Thanks for another great idea!

The great thing about it is you can use the upper arm cuffs, which looks like Yolanda did in the picture, and it looks as if they were meant to be there - so clever.

Originally Posted by firefly5

here's a mock up to show how it might look... (with apologies for the very quick and dirty photoshopping!)

You could also maybe do this with a long-sleeved one but put clusters of jewels along the neckline and wrists to look like a necklace and bracelet. May trick the eye from finding the difference between the seams/edges and your skin.

You'll find diffrent colored midriff-covers at bellydanceshoppe.com, too!

Did you see Amity's costume on this thread?

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/rest-belly...ladi-arms.html

I it!

Qamar