Thread: Question about decorating a bra

I would like to decorate a bra very similar to the one Sarah Skinner is doing on this videoclip:

My question is: Since I am not covering the bra with fabric and simply decorating it, do I have to buy one size larger than I normally wear?

Thanks:)

it depends on how you are decorating it. if you are beading and sequining buy larger. if its just hotfix or another surface component then the size you wear.

If you just add decoration to a normal lingerie bra, it tends to look home-made and cheap. It's much better to give a professional look to your costume by covering it first with fabric, and making sure the fastenings & straps are covered by the same fabric.

If you are stitching through the cups then it is best to err on the side of a bra slightly larger. You can always pad but making a too-small bra work takes a lot of effort.

Why aren't you covering with fabric?

IMG_3341.jpgYes I agree that not covering the bra doesn't look as professional of course. The way Sarah is making it in this clip, ends up looking really nice though and less time consuming.

I bought a plain white satiny bra and was thinking of putting silver trimming around the edges of the cups, glue on stones and glitter glue instead of beadwork, and put a huge stone in the middle and something to hang on the belly area.

I already have a silver sequined belt (not too ornate but not too plain either) which has long silver fringes. This belt does come with a bra but it was cheap and doesn't have padding and nice support to give a nice chest look. I will attach a picture for you to see. I would be home free if the bra made me look busty but because it's really thin and not supported, it doesn't look professional:( That is why I was thinking of decorating a bra, but now not sure if its look would go with my existing belt.

For the silver bra that I already have, what can I do to made it fit me nicely? It fits me fine, but the cups make my breasts look flat and I already have small breasts. Any ideas?

check out the pic, as you can see, belt is nice but bra doesn't have any padding.

Originally Posted by aida21

Attachment 23182Yes I agree that not covering the bra doesn't look as professional of course. The way Sarah is making it in this clip, ends up looking really nice though and less time consuming.

Not so much "doesn't look AS professional" as doesn't look professional, period.

Covering the bra doesn't take that much time, will last longer, and can be worn at most student events and if well embellished can help you transition to less student-y. Trust me...worth the extra time.

As for the silver bra...um...the cups are at a bad angle if you want cleavage...and the straps are too thin and...yeah...perhaps not really saveable.

Do you have a teacher who can help advise you on costuming issues and who you can talk to before you buy?

Aida, I agree with Ozma. Seek advice from a dancer who has experience with costumes. We are not just trying to be buzzkills, most of us are trying to get you to avoid mistakes we've made ourselves. I really cringe when I think of some well-intentioned homemade costume distasters that I worked so lovingly on, then wore in public.

Also, if you glue glitter and stones onto a lingerie bra, not only will it not look good, it won't match the belt. The belt is not made from glitter and stones, it is made from beads and sequins. The bra/belt really have to be made to match (same components, same construction) in order to look right. Glued-on glitter won't stand up to any kind of wear and tear; I doubt you'd even get a couple of uses out of it.

My advice would be to find something else to wear the silver belt with, like perhaps a skirt and half top in a single solid color from Lrosedesigns.com. This would be relatively inexpensive, and your bosom issues would be solved because you could wear your own bra underneath. You could take the center fringe off of the costume bra that came with the belt and pin it at the bottom of your top.

Aida- I think that your silver bra could be made to work for your bust, but it would take a fair amount of effort, and it would still look like a non-pro costume. But at least it would be a match for the hip belt that you've got.

Essentially the cups would need to be separated and the angle altered so that they tilt down at the centre, this would mean removing the blocked bit on the outside of the cups, and repositioning that too (would probably mean rebeading the whole block to get the right shape! To be honest, if you're that small, you maybe don't need those blocks). You could then add a bit of padding to the outer curve of the cups, to give you a bit more push towards the cleavage.

You'd also probably want to make those straps a bit less flimsy. They look elasticated and that's a recipe for a wardrobe malfunction!

You might want to look into some of the costuming threads about building up a dance wardrobe:
http://www.bhuz.com/showthread.php?2...e-to-costuming.
http://www.bhuz.com/showthread.php?4...dance-wardrobe
http://www.bhuz.com/showthread.php?2...-quot-Costumes
http://www.bhuz.com/showthread.php?5...for-first-gigs

As many other people have already pointed out, gluing some stones and doodads on a regular bra will not look very nice. I have seen many dancers make this mistake, and no matter how much glitter and jewels they use, it still just looks like they’re dancing in the underwear in public. I think the top will stick out even more if you have a nice belt to wear with it that doesn’t match.

If you are going to make a new top, it is worth the extra effort to make a proper base. You’re going to spend a lot of time beading and decorating, and cutting out the first steps of transforming a bra into a real costume doesn’t save you that much time. I like ssipes’s idea of getting an L. Rose set to go with your belt. You could even harvest some of the beads and sequins from the old top to decorate the new top if they’re in good condition still.

Hmmm. I think you all are right and just confirmed my own doubts about putting the time in making something that wont' look professional.

I am going to stick to my well-made professional customes as I have tons. I thought I could pull this off but I don't think it will work. Not only do I dislike sewing, it's not worth the time and the money to buy all the supplies for something that won't look right.

Plus, this bedlah is more of a student type for student nights and I'm past that now.

Originally Posted by Karnak

As many other people have already pointed out, gluing some stones and doodads on a regular bra will not look very nice. I have seen many dancers make this mistake, and no matter how much glitter and jewels they use, it still just looks like they’re dancing in the underwear in public. ....

sounds like you're already converted, but i'll add: people listen a lot more to what one does than what they say. so we can say bellydancers are not strippers until we're blue in the face, but if we dance in underwear, well..... what will they see?

Originally Posted by ozma

Covering the bra doesn't take that much time, will last longer, and can be worn at most student events and if well embellished can help you transition to less student-y. Trust me...worth the extra time.

I wonder about the decision to use a padded bra. Dancers from "back in the day" who used to make their own costumes always said not to use padded bras because they deteriorated over time--and deteriorated faster after you broke down the foam by sewing through it repeatedly. I guess if you're just gluing something together for a quick-and-dirty costume (and glitter glue is not exactly heirloom-quality stuff), using a padded bra for your base is the least of your problems.

I agree that it is very difficult to use an off-the-rack bra and not have it look like underwear. You can minimize it by picking a bra made with fancy fabric and covering up most of it with a vest or a low-cut dress so that only the cups are visible, but I'd still worry that someone in the audience would be thinking, "Hey, I bought one of those at Victoria's Secret, too!"

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

I wonder about the decision to use a padded bra. Dancers from "back in the day" who used to make their own costumes always said not to use padded bras because they deteriorated over time--and deteriorated faster after you broke down the foam by sewing through it repeatedly. I guess if you're just gluing something together for a quick-and-dirty costume (and glitter glue is not exactly heirloom-quality stuff), using a padded bra for your base is the least of your problems.

Yes, the latex in foam eventually breaks down turning the foam to dust. I've bled a few vintage costumes of nasty latex dust.