Thread: Advice for a chiffon costume please!

I just got some outrageously gorgeous orange fabric for Christmas. It's about the size of a standard veil. It's from Joann's but no telling how long ago it was cut, as my friend bought it from the stash of another costumer. It's that mixed texture kind of fabric with the heavy chiffon (I think) and satin stripes sort of thing. I'll try to take a pic when I get back home from Christmas with family. It's so beautiful and I want to make a really unique costume with it that will really feature the natural colors and shininess of the fabric. I don't have enough to make a circle skirt with, so I'd like to see some costumes to get some ideas from that utilize some chiffon, but not all of it. You know...like the kind with overskirts or half-skirts, etc. I want to make an oriental costume out of it.

I'm in no hurry because I have projects pouring out of the craft room like lava, and I want to take my time to make this into something special. So if you have any ideas or pictures you can post here, I'd really appreciate it!!

Simply Silky Print-Smoky Violet Crush Satin Stripe*: Fashion Collections*: apparel fabric*: fabric*: Shop | Joann.com it's sort of similar to this one but with faint swirly-victorian-floral print

Why not use small amounts of it ruched over a pretty pale lavender solid base (bra/belt) and then choose beads/trims/pearls, etc in the same colors in the fabric for embellishments. Then you could purchase or make either circle or trumpet/mermaid skirts or BOTH in colors from this fabric as well and it will look different every time you wear it depending on the color you wear or style of skirt you wear with the set. And also maybe some arm drapes as well with scraps would also be lovely. Another idea is a trumpet/mermaid skirt out of a color chosen from this fabric and then using the fabric for the gores of the trumpet/mermaid skirt (if you have enough of course) and that too would tie the skirt and bra/belt set together.

The problem with making a skirt out of unique fabric brings with the stigma of people seeing the first time and saying "OMG that's beautiful" but after they see it again it becomes "OMG she's wearing THAT AGAIN". That's why using it sparingly and as an accent is better. That's just my 2 cents. This fabric is gorgeous so no matter what you decide to do with it, make sure you plan it out well as to not waste any. Can't wait to see what you come up with :-) Happy Holidays!!!

I think you're right about the idea of using a bra/belt instead of trying a bra/skirt. There is a lot of it, so I think it would be neat to have the ruching and maybe long flowing arm-thingies, and maybe a long panel attached the back of the belt, or a bustle even!! I've never done a bustle and would love to give it a shot. Thanks for the ideas and Happy Holidays to you too!!

Could you use the fabric as gores in a trumpet skirt made out of a matching, stretch fabric? If there is any leftover you could make arm drapes to match.

If you want to go old school, you could make a chiffon overskirt of 1/4 panel front and back, then wear it with a matching or contrasting fuller underskirt.

Like Karnak suggested, you could use it as gores and arm bands - as I've done with this brown costume (I had the opposite problem, beautiful velvet, so I bought the chiffon to match - modelling it is Maki of Bellydance in Vancouver - Maki Belly dancer). While I'm trying to showcase the velvet here, you could use a plain fabric to showcase your chiffon. Or you could use it as a panel on a skirt and as a belly drape, as in this turquoise and brown piece I recently made. You can't see the skirt drape much in this photo, but it's a half circle sewn into the slit of the skirt.

Alternatively, I recently made a green dress for a dancer in which I draped the chiffon down the front and used it for the bottom of the skirt as well, it was based around a design I made for myself, where I used charcoal satin to make an evening gown, then draped a purple-y satin down the front, and made a large gore in the back of the skirt with the purple as well (sorry, can't find a photo of it right now!) If you can find a matching type of chiffon, you could use them both, as I've done on the green dress with darker and lighter chiffon.

You could make a circle skirt out of plain chiffon in a matching color, then use the special fabric to make a rectangular panel skirt to wear over it. Use the extra for matching sleeves and headband.

If the plain-fabric circle skirt color matches, it won't be obvious that you're wearing two separate garments - the edges of the panel skirt will blend, and the effect will fool viewer's eyes into thinking the whole outfit is made of the fancy fabric.