Thread: Need help with undergarments!

I apologize for posting but I found some great information on here about undergarments for costumes.

What my question is, I have a Melaya Dress that is a bit too short. It covers but if I turn, you will see everything for sure. I`m tightening the dress a bit to help with this. Also, the highest part of the skirt comes up enough that you could see my underwear (unless I wear a thong).

I was thinking of these things....

1. A metallic booty short in silver
Metallic Short - Style #N8392 at Discount Dance Supply

2. A metallic leotard
Adult Metallic Camisole Leotard - Style #N9000M at Discount Dance Supply

I was thinking of nude thong PLUS a very opaque nude colored tight... I`m not sure what would look OK. I have to look "cute" and not overly "sexy".... What are your opinions?

Thank you again!

I'd go with the shorts, so you are well-covered and no one has doubts that you aren't!

I have seen a lot of dancers wear tights and dance briefs with their Melaya dresses for just the reason which you are experiencing. These dresses are very cutesy, but lets face it, many are micro minis!

{{{HUGS}}}

If you go with something nude, even if it is opaque, the audience will still think you are nude. Or they'll be more concerned with guessing whether you are, and not pay attention to your dancing. I'd wear booty shorts that match the color of the dress. My niece had silver shorts under her cheerleading uniform last year, and from a distance, they looked like dirty, white underpants. I would avoid silver.

Matching boy-shorts/cheereleading shorts.

Don't go nude.

Better still, add an extra ruffle to lengthen the skirt.

Melaya is supposed to be a tableau dance, representing an Egyptian girl. NO Egyptian girl, however flirtatious, would wear anything that suggested she wasn't wearing knickers. Equally, she wouldn't wear anything that actually showed her knickers either.

Thanks for the advice guys! I agree that nude was a little too much but I ordered silver boy shorts (they don`t make shorts in the color of my dress, no matter where I looked...) and I`m going to add another ruffle next week, just to be safe.

Hi!

I'm with beafarhana: Add an extra ruffle or two if neccessary!
Otherwise, you might feel uncomfortable during dancing, I could imagine. Not a very nice feeling...

Love, Sahira.

What colors are in your dress?
I think your three best options are:
1. Lengthen the dress with ruffles in a bright color and have matching shorts made in the ruffle fabric.

2. Bright metallic shorts (not silver as above)

3. Consider ruffled tennis shorts or ruffled stage shorts in a matching color, if they will lay nicely under the dress.
Amazon.com: Pink Stretch Ruffled Shorts - Adult Std.: Clothing
or
http://media35.onsugar.com/files/201...Collection.jpg

Originally Posted by sabrinabellydancer

What colors are in your dress?
I think your three best options are:
1. Lengthen the dress with ruffles in a bright color and have matching shorts made in the ruffle fabric.

2. Bright metallic shorts (not silver as above)

3. Consider ruffled tennis shorts or ruffled stage shorts in a matching color, if they will lay nicely under the dress.
Amazon.com: Pink Stretch Ruffled Shorts - Adult Std.: Clothing
or
http://media35.onsugar.com/files/201...Collection.jpg

My dress is lavender. I looked everywhere for shorts that matched it but there aren`t any. I could buy fabric and make shorts but I`d have to do it by hand. There are violet and silver sequins in my dress and it:s amde from lycra (not sold in Japan) and chiffon/Organza.

I`m going to see what my fabric store has to see if I can match. What fabric would be best to make the ruffle?

Have you considered the "performance briefs" by L Rose Designs? See L. Rose Designs - Online Catalog

You can have them custom-made to your size, and you can choose any fabric from L Rose's large selection. Maybe the nylon lycra in either purple or periwinkle would work with your lavender dress?

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Have you considered the "performance briefs" by L Rose Designs? See L. Rose Designs - Online Catalog

You can have them custom-made to your size, and you can choose any fabric from L Rose's large selection. Maybe the nylon lycra in either purple or periwinkle would work with your lavender dress?

I think that would be a great idea but I`m really short on time... If I lived in the states, it would be easy to order and get them quickly. Since I live in Japan, it might be a bit expensive to ship and take a bit to get them.

But I will order from there!! That place looks great!

I`m thinking of taking the silver shorts and sewing the lavender ruffle onto it, instead of the actual dress.

Can anyone give me suggestions about a head dress? Is it a scarf or do you make it from a headband? Anyone with advice on what stays on and what doesn't?


Thanks again!

Originally Posted by jellytree

Can anyone give me suggestions about a head dress? Is it a scarf or do you make it from a headband? Anyone with advice on what stays on and what doesn't?


Thanks again!

Because, like me, you live abroad here, it might be helpful for you to bring these questions to your teacher as well. You teacher should have the best leads on where to buy performance/dance panties, find fabrics, and head dress most appropriate for melaya. Is this for a solo? Is she advising you?

Hi!

Normally, it is a triangular litte scarf made from cotton with colourful pompoms around the edges.
You could use some wig-clips (don't know if this is the correct name) to make it stay where it ought to be.

But I'm really wondering about your teacher: Doesn't she/he provides you with such information?

Love, Sahira.

Well, she wasn't sure where to find shorts and a student who overheard us told me. But even I can't fit into some clothes here. I ordered shorts but they might be too small and I'm a petite girl. Before I asked here, I looked all over the internet for stores in Japan that sold shorts AND went to a lot of stores.

Actually, finding a website that sold Melaya dresses was pretty hard to come by and she bought and ordered her's and the group that did a Melaya leff dance directly from Egypt (either while traveling or through a special site). She gave me a dress but it would have been too much to alter so I randomly found one on a website I visit frequently. Plus this is all last minute...

She does advise me on what to do for the costume and she said I could make the head scarf myself, which I don't mind doing. I knew there were headbands AND headscarves, but I wanted to ask what the majority of you guys use and what worked or didn't work.

I do ask her before coming here and I get a lot of suggestions from her, so when I'm really rolling the thought in my head, I like to get a lot of opinions. :)

I seem to remember reading somewhere (possibly Gilded Serpent) about a dancer who wore frilly bloomers under her Melaya dress. Cute, looks like part of the costume and there would be no doubt you are wearing knickers!

Kashmir has instructions for making a mandil here Making and Wearing a Mandil. Over here Matar El Hob clip, Caroline Afifi mentions that the mandil is actually a fellahine garment, and the (urban) girls doing melaya leff would be wearing a mashghoul instead. I wonder if this isn't a bit like the Khaleeji stuff in that what the people over there did/do and what dancers have built up as the traditions have somewhat diverged, but this isn't necessarily an issue for you to tackle if it's a troupe number.

Presumably Farida Fahmy talks about this in her "Milayah" e-book (Farida Fahmy's Costume Designs), but I don't own it to say for sure. When she first put this material online, there were conflicting reports on how useful these downloads were from a student point of view.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Kashmir has instructions for making a mandil here Making and Wearing a Mandil. Over here Matar El Hob clip, Caroline Afifi mentions that the mandil is actually a fellahine garment, and the (urban) girls doing melaya leff would be wearing a mashghoul instead. I wonder if this isn't a bit like the Khaleeji stuff in that what the people over there did/do and what dancers have built up as the traditions have somewhat diverged, but this isn't necessarily an issue for you to tackle if it's a troupe number.

Presumably Farida Fahmy talks about this in her "Milayah" e-book (Farida Fahmy's Costume Designs), but I don't own it to say for sure. When she first put this material online, there were conflicting reports on how useful these downloads were from a student point of view.

This is perfect! Thanks so much for the link! I've looked at a number of (not so clear) pictures of Melaya leff outfits and was wondering what the exact shape was.

Originally Posted by Starmouth

I seem to remember reading somewhere (possibly Gilded Serpent) about a dancer who wore frilly bloomers under her Melaya dress. Cute, looks like part of the costume and there would be no doubt you are wearing knickers!

Oh I thought of that! I might get those too! I'm glad to hear someone has done that!