Thread: Help me bling out a vintage costume!

I bought this costume off of bhuz a couple years ago, when I was a million months pregnant with my second son. I'm delighted that I now fit into it, but I am flummoxed by how to wear it. I have two problems:

1) The entire thing is made of bugle beads. Seriously heavy, and fantastic to look at in good light, but just not that exciting in dark restaurant lighting. Should I add some black crystals (do those exist?)? Something else? Just let the GP bask in the 10lbs of bugle beads?

2) What color skirt? I'm partial to full skirts (and something this vintage really deserves one) but I can't figure out what color besides black would work. My black chiffon skirt alone looks too drab. I'm not opposed to buying a black skirt with sequins, like a Pharaonix Arabesque, but I'm not sure if that'll bling it up enough. Thoughts? Color schemes? The colors in the pic are pretty accurate, at least on my laptop.

Thank you!!

Aaaaand no matter how much I edit that picture I can't get it to flip orientation. Sorry. Turn your monitor. :)

Wowza! That is spectacular, it reminds me of art nouveau. My first guess would be something satin/chameuse in a darker liquid silver or silvery with a lavender/purple hue.

Costume is lovely but black on black = tough to view moves and limiting in a dark restaurant or club. I think a skirt in rich teal or turquoise or red or lime or just about any saturated color. If you could locate a saturated abstract or tye-dyed skirt that would also be awesome. The only color I would not consider would be black. Jewels would be awesome but again I would avoid black. AB crystals would pop and match any skirt you chose to wear.

Showtime, the bugle beads are a mix of black and silvery gray blue - would a solid non-matching color still look okay? I'm a person who usually wears one black piece of clothing because I am hopeless at matching. Steffib - I've been looking for a matchy satin, but I'm having a hard time finding something that goes well. Silver is too much, and the blue itself is impossible to match. Argh!

Red skirt was my first thought as well, as it would make a beautiful contrast to the beads, and help them pop.

A misty, lavenderish colour might work as well, I just had a squint on L Rose and they have a beeyootiful crushed velvet fabric called 'wisteria' that looks like it might be a good match.

Hi!

I second the AB rhinestones (best from Swarovski - they are pricey but definitely worth it). The huge drops would be lovely - mixed with smaller ones and round stones, too.

As a skirt, I would go for a golden-yellowish satin skirt or a purple Chiffon skirt. Maybe, teal would work, too.

Love, Sahira.

Did you buy it from me? It looks familiar, a fabulous bugle bead encrusted cossie?

Shabbichic (sp?) here on bhuz has a rainbow velvet skirt and gloves that would look nice with this.

I have bugle beads that match this (if you purchased it from me), and a complete set of L. Rose swatches in hand. I could look through the swatches and give some advice if you want to order from L. Rose.

There a lot of possibilities, depending on how much work you wanted to put into it. You definitely need something to contrast with it. But, if you wanted to keep it simple: I personally, would wear it with a black chiffon underskirt like you have in the photo, then a white chiffon overskirt on top. You could then make black and white drapey chiffon arm things to coordinate the look. You could even trim the top skirt with gunmetal grey sequin trim. Softer than black, not as bright as silver.

If it were me, I would choose a patterned or embroidered skirt. Red roses or watercolor "blotches" might work. Or put that bedlah with a pleated, full/heavily beaded, or appliqued-with-vertical-ribbons skirt.

I like the bedlah as is. If you paired it up with a skirt that picks up the bluish color, I think that would be gorgeous. You don't have to match the blue exactly, just get something close that makes the blue pop out a bit more. I think an L Rose mermaid skirt and gauntlets would look great with that bedlah. The wisteria crushed velvet that was suggested by LilithNoor would be great, I think. In the chiffon on their site, the silver might work well. They will send swatches if you request it.

Like others have said my first thought was red, but I could also imagine other bright colors with it (and I agree a rose pattern sounds lovely as well). I would add large AB crystal rhinestones and smaller rhinestones in the color you pick for the skirt. You could also bling up a fake rose and put on one side of the hip (positioned like in post 11 here Lace on costumes: yay or nay? Or "it depends"?)
To keep it more versatile and to have different skirt option just use AB crystals. Maybe a fake rose in all the different skirt colors you might pick and just pin it onto it so you can change it with the skirts.

I hope this is right side up!

This is kind of the effect I was thinking of only in reverse in this photo white skirt is the base and a wine skirt on top. Either way would work. But in black and white. Or even black and blue.

https://www.dahlal.com/default.aspx?...1&s1=1161&s2=0

Look at the printed double chiffon skirt set in wine and white.

Crystals come in all shape and sizes. If you wanted to add some I'd stick with a plain crystal.

Preciosa Swarovski Rivoli Sew On Jewels Rhinestones Xillion

Originally Posted by dunyah

I like the bedlah as is.

I wouldn't mess with it, either. It's going to be hard to incorporate new embellishments in a way that doesn't look like whatever you added is just sitting on the top, and if you do make the effort to integrate by building around your jewels or whatever, it's going to cover up the beadwork.

A plain belt can handle a strong skirt, but finding a print that doesn't shout down the simplicity of the belt might be problematic. I think it would be better to stick with solid colors, and you can get some interesting effects by layering different hues and types of fabrics. I would lean toward cools (purple, blue), or at least warms with cool tones (berry, dusty rose), but going with an unexpected bright like candy pink or acid yellow might work, too, especially with the right accessories.

In terms of shape, I would probably avoid gored trumpets, mermaids, or other skirts that flare at the bottom. The belt feels art deco to me, and it might be possible to work some sort of elegantly puddled Erté shape if you weren't dancing, but since you are, that leaves straight sheaths with slits or pleated columns. I suspect there's the potential to do a cool riff on the 1920's Egyptian Revival style in here somewhere.

The easiest solution is to layer chiffon circle skirts. You can create the look of "in-between" colors if you can't find the exact shade you want, it won't alter the set so the value is preserved, and if you tuck the hems to pouf into the sides of the belt, you'll bring some of the curvature of the belt into the larger silhouette in a way that brings in new textural interest at the top edge.

I picture it close to this (just quick with paint).
Keep it simple, don't overpower the original design. Just a little bling and a brighter color to make it pop.

I love the look of fringey belts with a contrasting color skirt. I'd choose something that picks up the iris/peacock hues in the beads and fringe. I like many of the ideas already suggested, wisteria, wine, purple, silver/grey/white. Royal blue, rich teal and deep turquoise might work too.

I do like the double chiffon skirt, it might look nice with the wine on top too.

Personally I wouldn't mess much with the bra and belt. If I were to add bling, it would be ab crystals or maybe small crystal appliques or trim, sewn on by hand so that they could easily be removed later.

Oh my lord, you all are freakin' amazing! So many things to consider now. I love that last mockup with the dark red skirt - I never would've thought it would work but it looks great! Off to the fabric store tomorrow - I will bring the belt with me and post some pics.

Ezma, I think I did buy it from you - it was back in 2009 or early 2010, and it's taken the last two years to get the 60lbs of "baby" weight off. :) If you could check your bugle beads and swatches I'd love to know if there's an L. Rose chiffon that goes well with the blue. While I could make my own skirt I suspect it'll get done faster if I order it....

Thank you all! Keep the suggestions coming!

Actually if you keep the bra and belt as it is, maybe add a few crystals if you want, it's actually a pretty nuetral color. You could pair it with different color skirts to create completely different looks.

okay here are a ton of photos with the L. Rose swatches, sorry there are so many!

black goes with pretty much everything... I would wear burgundy over black with that all day long.... gray over black... teal, blue, purple.

Almost any vibrant rich color is going to look amazing with that- it's an excellent shade of "black"

I wouldn't do a cotton picking thing to it!

Okay, so I made a couple skirts to try out. I love the burgundy with it (such a good idea - there's a little burgundy in the beads that the skirt picks up!) but screwed up my light blue skirt. Ezma, thank you for the swatch pics - now I know what colors to order from L. Rose!

Thank you all for the many good ideas!