Thread: Assuit Dilemna - what to do with my assuit dress?

So, I impulse bought 2 assuit dresses off of ebay recently.

The first one was one of those heavier metal numbers, but when I got it, it was slightly shorter than I expected, or it felt shorter, because the design didn't quite reach the bottom of the net, so I somehow bought a second one. I don't know what got into me.

Now I don't know what to do with the first. I really want to turn it into a two piece costume but I'm feeling pretty hesitant to cut it up... Let me see if I can find a photo....here are photos of both dresses. What would you do?

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I would keep the shorter one to use as a tunic over pantaloons for folkloric outdoor numbers.

Oh, the first one, that I assume is the too-short one, is SO beautiful... I'd hesitate to cut it up too! Could you add something at the bottom? I have seen fabric fringe used to lengthen the look of an assuit dress quite effectively.

Conversely you could just wear it over a long skirt - perhaps with an assuit panel at the bottom so the two look like an assuit layer?

I'm with Anala. My guess is that the first one is supposed to be a tunic. Maybe you're supposed to wear it with a sash where you blouse up some of the length. Would you have any use for a dressy tunic as a costume or in real life? How about a street dress that you wear with tights? I'm not sure how to cut that first one up into a two piece costume. I sort of feel that the neckline and the chest medallion underneath it are the best part--I'd hate to chop them apart.

I also wouldn't cut it up. The idea of a tunic as a street dress or a cocktail dress sounds cool. You probably won't run into anyone wearing one. Alternatively, you could sell it to a petite dancer.

I know Sedonia would just cut that sucker, but I can't bring myself to do it. I don't have any new suggestions for you, either. Both pieces are gorgeous, though!

You are all chicken to cut assuit...I understand, I'm a little chicken myself, at least until I figure out what I want to do with it. Thing is, it is too long to be short and just slightly too short to be long. It wouldn't easily convert into a shorter dress without some cutting.

Some brave assuit hacking soul out there, share an idea on what shape you think this can take?

I guess I could always attempt to resell it.

It's not that I'm chicken, but I'm not sure this particular piece lends itself well to cutting. Personally, I find the neckline/chest medallion problematic. I don't want to cut it apart. I like the way it looks now, and I'm not partial to the "crotch motif" idea where the V neckline is preserved as some kind of halter or choli-style top, and the diamond medallion moves down to the front of the belt like the "Snake Charmer" costume from the Bellydance Store.

I'm also not sure I would like the idea of just covering a bra and belt with one of the more mundane geometric patterns below the medallion but above the hem. To me, that sort of defeats the purpose of being assuit, because it isn't that interesting a design (at least as far as I can tell from the resolution on my monitor). The JoAnn's near my house has some fuchsia-and-gold metallic zig-zaggy fabric on the clearance rack that would be more interesting and colorful as a bra/belt base. This just reads like an ordinary black-and-silver metallic design.

Okay, Idea #1 (traditional, maximizing use of materials): Keep the neckline and chest design as is, convert the bodice to sleeveless, and cut it at a length for a blouse. Use the sleeves to cover a costume bra and the large, more interesting design right above the hem that you cut off when you shortened it for the belt. The hem motif on the sleeves matches the bottom of the bodice, and whatever interesting bits are left over can be made into accessories like a headband or short arm cuffs. End result: sleeveless blouse for normal wearing plus a bra, belt, and accessories to finish embellishing with black/silver trim, beads, and/or coins for a bedlah.

Idea #2 (contemporary, more daring): Strategically cut some of the stripes apart. Reconstruct the dress using more stripes in silver or black mesh for a slinky, Egyptified baladi dress version of Rihanna's red dress below. It would have to fit looser than hers, since I'm assuming there isn't much stretch to your assuit. I'm not sure how the dress hangs on a body, so I'm guessing you would have to jigger things around a bit. If you replace everything but the diamond on the third stripe with mesh, can you move that strip lower and rotate it so the diamond-shaped hole becomes a mesh cutout over the hip? (Not sure of the ramifications of this--how form fitting would the dress have to be for this to be stable?) You'd really have to plan things out before getting the scissors...

Take off the bottom band if it is too long to be short. This will leave you with a nice chunk to make a belt or or bra cover with. The design is too elaborate to cut it up with any logic. I can see this with big Lapiz colored satin pantaloons and lots of Kuchi jewelry.

Originally Posted by shems

You are all chicken to cut assuit...I understand, I'm a little chicken myself, at least until I figure out what I want to do with it. Thing is, it is too long to be short and just slightly too short to be long. It wouldn't easily convert into a shorter dress without some cutting.

Some brave assuit hacking soul out there, share an idea on what shape you think this can take?

I guess I could always attempt to resell it.

How much for the short one??? I am quite short, hehe!!!

And, yes, I sold an assuit dress many years ago because it was too long and I didn't want to cut it. I did tack up the sleeves but the hem was another matter and doing a drape over a hip sash sort of ruined the line . . . . so i sold to someone who didn't mind doing the drape but didn't have so much of a drape. ;) .

Maybe you could use Tourbeau's idea of removing the sleeves, cutting the top off below the diamond shape medallion, open up the sleeves, and use them to add onto the length of the skirt. The skirt itself would be lower on the hips once the top section was removed.

You are leaving the 2nd dress as is? It's lovely!

Wow! Just keep it AS IS and wear it as a regular dressy dress. All you need is a belt to cinch the waist and that little number could be in any fashion mag. Add black or better yet SILVER heels.

If it's a little too loose to just belt it, take the sides in a tad, then belt that sucker. That's what I'd do. It's gorgeous. Don't cut it. The sleeves are fine as is......they are a bit 70's or even 80's.

Cut it down the front, tapering a bit from the shoulder, line it completely with silk velvet, add a bit of a band around the front opening, and wear it as a coat.

Thank you. I shouldn't have called ya'll chicken...I see you are brave, creative, reckless women after all.

I like the coat idea.

Originally Posted by MelanieLA

Wow! Just keep it AS IS and wear it as a regular dressy dress. All you need is a belt to cinch the waist and that little number could be in any fashion mag. Add black or better yet SILVER heels.

If it's a little too loose to just belt it, take the sides in a tad, then belt that sucker. That's what I'd do. It's gorgeous. Don't cut it. The sleeves are fine as is......they are a bit 70's or even 80's.

I vote for this option. Or sell it.

Tourbeau's idea of horizontal mesh inserts is really cool, I think, but not as many as in Rihanna's dress. You are probably enough of a seamstress to pull it off. I don't think I could, but I think you could do it.

okay, it is up for sale. Hopefully somebody will save it from my madness...

oh yeah and here is the link in case any of you are interested:

http://www.bhuz.com/showthread.php?5...ghlight=assuit

Just this past weekend I was able to look at a costume that Ariellah had made out of an assuit dress like this. She said she had someone do the conversion for her and it was BEAUTIFUL! I don't have pictures, but if you spot any of her from the 3rd Coast Tribal show in Texas, it's what she wore. My troupemate and I were practically drooling on it!

Originally Posted by shems

okay, it is up for sale. Hopefully somebody will save it from my madness...

I hope you DON'T sell the longer, slimmer one, because it's gorgeous on you. Find a reason to wear that one!

Call me crazy, but I've just bought an assuit dress for the express purpose of turning it into a two-piece inspired by the Pharaonics "Assuit Enticement I" that was on Dahlal a while back. If you decide to go the reckless scissors route and need some encouragement, buzz me. :)

I recently had Shadia of Boston convert an Eman Zaki Sophisticated Assuit dress into a two-piece (well, technically it's in five pieces, but you know what I mean), but that was a design that lent itself well to deconstruction, with its separate bra and belt. It was slightly too short for me as a dress and just never fit right, but now it is one of my favorites It reminds me of the glammy folkloric golden era movie costumes. If I had pictures, I'd share them. Shadia does amazing work!

Badriya, I would LOVE to see this. Hope you get pics soon!

Originally Posted by badriya_al_ahmar

I recently had Shadia of Boston convert an Eman Zaki Sophisticated Assuit dress into a two-piece (well, technically it's in five pieces, but you know what I mean), but that was a design that lent itself well to deconstruction, with its separate bra and belt. It was slightly too short for me as a dress and just never fit right, but now it is one of my favorites It reminds me of the glammy folkloric golden era movie costumes. If I had pictures, I'd share them. Shadia does amazing work!

Seriously, take some pictures. We must see. :-)

Originally Posted by Suzana

I hope you DON'T sell the longer, slimmer one, because it's gorgeous on you. Find a reason to wear that one!

Call me crazy, but I've just bought an assuit dress for the express purpose of turning it into a two-piece inspired by the Pharaonics "Assuit Enticement I" that was on Dahlal a while back. If you decide to go the reckless scissors route and need some encouragement, buzz me. :)

It hasn't arrived yet, unless you mean my last Assuit dress which I already sold.

Originally Posted by Christina K

Just this past weekend I was able to look at a costume that Ariellah had made out of an assuit dress like this. She said she had someone do the conversion for her and it was BEAUTIFUL! I don't have pictures, but if you spot any of her from the 3rd Coast Tribal show in Texas, it's what she wore. My troupemate and I were practically drooling on it!

Thanks! I just emailed Ariellah, maybe she'll have a photo to share? I hope...