Thread: pics of my 1st 2 commissioned costumes :)

a good friend and fabulous bellydancer put her faith in my vision and let me create some costumes for her..... here's what I did...

costume #1

the pants were the catalyst for this costume. she loved the look of them in an oriental ballet piece, so we started with that and discussed colors and fabric. white was too stark, gold too strong... she wanted something feminine but powerful for the overall costume. we decided on peach for the pants, so we went searching for peach silk chiffon. for the bra and belt, she wanted a contrast of bronze.... i couldn't find bronze, so i went for a copper silk brocade that had red and green undertones. in the end, i'm really happy with the way this costume turned out :)



a huge thank you for lesedi for making the pants for me, since that was the part that i didn't know for sure i could make myself. she did an awesome job and actually pleated the pants instead of doing gathers. thanks so much!



i love the arm drape on one side and the medallion with swag on the other side... and the rhinestone encrusted bands on the pants. all in all, this costume has over 400 sew on rhinestones as well as accent stones, metal pieces and rhinestone chain.



this cossie was made for a dramatic sharqi interpretation (momo's choreography). she wanted it as a special choreography after the birth of her daughter, to celebrate the dichotomy of strength and tenderness in women.

costume #2

I've had a vision of a sweet and sassy modern galabeya in my head for awhile now. I knew that it wasn't for me since I can't pull of collars (i hate them with a passion). I asked Rajaa if she was in the market for a new galabeya and pitched my vision to her. She loved it and immediately asked Momo to create for her a Shaabi choreography that would make the Arabic audience members go wild.

So my idea for the galabeya is actually based on kitsch. It's a twist on the white Elvis pantsuit with oversized collar, adapted into a dress form. I Betty Booped it up with fuschia and kisses. I call it the elvis meets betty boop meets egyptian shaabi galabeya. pretty catchy, eh?

here's the betty boop pic that inspired me



Here's the end result!



as you can see, momo took the design into consideration when he made the choreo for her. she debuted it last weekend and it was a definite crowd pleaser! it's a comedy packed piece that spans from frustration with men to confusion about love... with all the acting to go along with it :)



2 kisses on the backside of different sizes with rhinestone sew on accents, a kiss on one collar and rhinestones on the other.... rhinestone trim along the neckline and side slits... i had a different idea for the head deko, but momo wanted me to add a more traditional element. since there was no way i was going to add a fuzzball headwrap, i had to create an alternate solution. i like what i came up with.

I love the Elvis-collar on that galabeya! And those little kisses are also such a cute idea!

Wow, Dinah! BEAUTIFUL work! Well done.

Wow - just fantastic!!!

Lovely work, Dinah! Can't wait to see the next project.

thanks, ladies! the first costume was a creative challenge for me, and it took a lot work and re-work before i was satisfied with it....

i had a ton of fun making the second one. i actually made a prototype first from a glowing green lycra (bought for a really good price) because i'd never made a galabeya before, and i really like how those 2 colors look together! lol .... i sent the pic to her and she liked the combo, too, and said that next time she'll have me make a saidi set in those colors ;)

Oh, I love those pants! I've seen that style before -- troupe work of a famous persons shamadan choreography -- guh, can't remember exactly who right now... it was a VHS that my first teacher showed to me and I fell in love...

Fabulous work! Thanks for sharing your 'process'

Shahrazad from the Netherlands is famous for a costume with trousers like that...

that looks a lot like Rajaa, or if not, she had a very similar costume at a show here a few months ago.... :)

It is Rajaa :) ... Rajaa Dussart of France.

Very well done! I love the Elvis Collar!

Very good........

Both costumes are amazing. It's refreshing to see something new and original.

woohoo! just finished discussing my next costume order with another French dancer who happened to see Rajaa performing (where the pics were taken). She said that after seeing my creations on the stage, she knew that i had a special vision :D

she was actually here for a private choreo with Momo and told him that she brought fabric along with her and needed to meet his wife to ask me to make a special costume for her. this will be another costume made especially for a choreography given to a dancer by my hubby. that makes me happy :)

Originally Posted by xodinahox

It is Rajaa :) ... Rajaa Dussart of France.

i thought so ^^
i saw her dance that here in Belgium early october, and, Waow!!!

beautiful work :)

Gorgeous costume work and so nicely photographed. Great job!