Thread: What IS a Sahar bra made from?

I have heard they are spectacularly well engineered, and solid, but does anyone know the magic ingredient?
They certainly give an impressive effect in the pics I have seen, but I have never had the opportunity to examine one in the flesh, so I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has.
I am thinking maybe there is something unique in their construction that justifies the extra expense.


Actually I am making my first bra from scratch rather than covering ready-made cups so that is my motivation, any insight will be most welcomed!

It's not just Sahar, Eman and Raqia make the same type of bras. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't made out of metal boneing. ha-ha!

I think they're made from "bigger booby magic" and anti-gravitational fairy dust.

Seriously- the Emans and Raqias have some of the same qualities as the some Sahars, but the ones I've been handling (I was at The Belly Dance Store for 5 hours today) are similar but different.
What they have in common is really solidly engineered cups - some all in one front piece, some as two separate cups. They are all quite wide in the between the breast area, which shows more cleavage. Most of them have halters that start far out at the sides of the cups, which bring the girls up and in. In addition, instead of having a more straight diagonal line from the center of the cups out to the straps, many have a more heart shaped curve, which frames and emphasizes our curves....
Emans are generally cut deeper in the cup and they curve in a little at the top of the cup- which keeps the girls in securely.
Raqia has a LOT of styles great for smaller and medium busted girls. Her bras are mostly made with a secure but stretchy band in the back- which makes for fewer adjustments.
Sahar has the one piece front design, which is very very secure...and she also has the "floating in space" halter tops. I honestly wasn't that impressed when I first saw the pictures of them but did my best to hold my judgment until I saw them in person and tried them on. They really are spectacular in person. AND very comfortable. I didn't feel secure in the halter style at first - but was cured of my discomfort by doing the "jumping jack" test. ..g.:
Oh, and somewhere on Bhuz is a link to inside scoop pictures of the magic floaty Sahar cups.

I'm still so unsure about Sahars. It's not because I don't like them, tho. I think they're beautiful. I'm barely an A cup tho so I don't even think that the super engineering of a Sahar will work for me.

I'm glad to know that the Raqia has cossies that work for members of the itty bitty titty committee!!!

When I was in Eman's studio a year ago I saw some of her bras uncovered. It's a hard cup store-bought bra, but they trim it to the shape you see with the "U" in the center. The last one I ordered from her had stiffening in the center to better mimic the Sahar bra.

Sahar bras are still a bit of a mystery to me. I own several, and have had to do a little surgery on them to make them fit correctly. From what I can see, which is just the area where the strap is attached, they are made of a cloudy plastic-like material. It's difficult to get a needle through it, though a pair of needle-nosed pliers works fine. It seems to me that I know the type of plastic, but right now I just can't figure out what else is made of it.

Sahars will fit A cups. I'm an A/barely B. It took me a few tries, but the secret is to undo the inner edge of the strap and tilt it in. That pulls the cup tighter to your torso. You may have to futz with the strap a bit because she tends to bead and stone continuously from the cup to the strap. You'll have to figure out how best to keep the pattern. Add a bit more padding than what they come with (I like fiber-fill - I don't seem to get the same result with bra pads) and voila! - a bra that fits.

Originally Posted by theresa2

When I was in Eman's studio a year ago I saw some of her bras uncovered. It's a hard cup store-bought bra, but they trim it to the shape you see with the "U" in the center.

Question! I've been on a hunt for hard shell bras that could handle all that beading and draped fabric. I make do with what I can find locally and online, but I'm always looking to improve my selection. When you say "store-bought", would you happen to know from where? Like, are there special bras or pre-made cups that can be found specifically in the Middle East or Europe? I've always wondered about this. Thanks in advance.

We were in a shopping mall on Zamalek and found the exact same bra we saw in Eman's studio for about $3 US. We looked at it and went, "Heeeeyyyy - isn't this....." So yes, you can find them in stores in Cairo, and they're very inexpensive. The store we found it in was just a discount catch-all type store. It had a little lingerie, some kitchen items, some touristy-type gifts. I haven't stumbled across them here in the states, but I also haven't been looking. Hopefully someone else will have a good source that might be a little closer.

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

I think they're made from "bigger booby magic" and anti-gravitational fairy dust.

Seriously- the Emans and Raqias have some of the same qualities as the some Sahars, but the ones I've been handling (I was at The Belly Dance Store for 5 hours today) are similar but different.
What they have in common is really solidly engineered cups - some all in one front piece, some as two separate cups. They are all quite wide in the between the breast area, which shows more cleavage. Most of them have halters that start far out at the sides of the cups, which bring the girls up and in. In addition, instead of having a more straight diagonal line from the center of the cups out to the straps, many have a more heart shaped curve, which frames and emphasizes our curves....
Emans are generally cut deeper in the cup and they curve in a little at the top of the cup- which keeps the girls in securely.
Raqia has a LOT of styles great for smaller and medium busted girls. Her bras are mostly made with a secure but stretchy band in the back- which makes for fewer adjustments.
Sahar has the one piece front design, which is very very secure...and she also has the "floating in space" halter tops. I honestly wasn't that impressed when I first saw the pictures of them but did my best to hold my judgment until I saw them in person and tried them on. They really are spectacular in person. AND very comfortable. I didn't feel secure in the halter style at first - but was cured of my discomfort by doing the "jumping jack" test. ..g.:
Oh, and somewhere on Bhuz is a link to inside scoop pictures of the magic floaty Sahar cups.

Thanks, that's SO helpful! I have seen the magic floaty bras, but don't feel so inclined towards them. However I'm curious to know what is between the cups at the front -is it wire?

So far I have attached two of those swimwear cups to a strip of metal boning, with a large gap in the centre, and I'm planning to add lighter weight polyester boning to the cups themselves and then layers of fusible buckram. It does look as though it has potential, when I hold it in place it is an Eman-looking shape! The aspect I like the look of is the straight line at the bottom of the bra, it looks more professional I think, and less lingerie bra-ish.

I am enjoying this little experiment, thanks everyone for your input!

Does anyone have pictures of these bras on the inside? (without fabric?)

Thanks
Marianna

Originally Posted by theresa2

We were in a shopping mall on Zamalek and found the exact same bra we saw in Eman's studio for about $3 US. We looked at it and went, "Heeeeyyyy - isn't this....." So yes, you can find them in stores in Cairo, and they're very inexpensive. The store we found it in was just a discount catch-all type store. It had a little lingerie, some kitchen items, some touristy-type gifts. I haven't stumbled across them here in the states, but I also haven't been looking. Hopefully someone else will have a good source that might be a little closer.

That, to me, is fascinating! My first thought as a seamstress would be "How on earth could those hard shell bras be comfy as normal lingerie?" So, do you think these were items that were intended for lower income women or does everybody wear them as is? I'm so used to the sleek, modern lingerie available here. And I've never found the examples you speak of in the States.

Thanks for all your info. :Abiggrin:

Originally Posted by Marianna

Does anyone have pictures of these bras on the inside? (without fabric?)

Thanks
Marianna

I swear I saw some photos in an earlier costuming post. Someone was talking about how their new Sahar was too big and posted pics, if I remember correctly. Search this thread specifically. : )

Honestly, I'm not sure who that store was catering to. It was such a mish-mash of items. Tourist? Foreign nationals? Born and raised Egyptians? I really don't know. It didn't seem like a pricey store so it was probably catering to the lower middle class Egyptians and any tourist who happened to stumble in.

It's not wire holding the cups of the "flloating bras" together. It looks very much like fishing line.

Originally Posted by kim sakkara

I swear I saw some photos in an earlier costuming post. Someone was talking about how their new Sahar was too big and posted pics, if I remember correctly. Search this thread specifically. : )

no, it was in Shem's sooo sexy thread. Page 6, about half way down or so, a link posted by Rakkasah Barbara

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/product-ne...oo-sexy-6.html

For anyone who's interested, here are a couple of photos of where I am so far, I re-inforced the cups with lots of iron on buckram, and a channel of bone running down the centre of each cup. I also attached the cups together with more boning and even more buckram. It's pretty solid already, but I think I will firm up the cups a bit more if I can with liquid stiffener. After that I'm going to add a layer of felt before I cover it. I still haven't decided what to use as the covering yet- too many options!

Hi!
I have a few and took one apart with my seamstress awhile back. It seems to be some sort of molded foam for the cups and the base is a thick layer of hotfix glue! The hot fix glue is both stiff and pliable so it makes it really sturdy and comf!

I got a pushup bra, some extra foam, and a hotfix glue gun and made something similar, but with a more natural shape. I love designing costumes now as a result and will present a few on bhuz once I actually have time to finish them! ..g.:

Take a look!





Oh and here is a copy of my friend Yogi wearing the leopard one. She bought it from me. I love this pic of her! So it actually turned out to be more of what I like from both Sahar and Eman actually. You can't see it really but the bra and skirt have a million Swarovski crystals on them.

Originally Posted by firefly5

For anyone who's interested, here are a couple of photos of where I am so far, I re-inforced the cups with lots of iron on buckram, and a channel of bone running down the centre of each cup. I also attached the cups together with more boning and even more buckram. It's pretty solid already, but I think I will firm up the cups a bit more if I can with liquid stiffener. After that I'm going to add a layer of felt before I cover it. I still haven't decided what to use as the covering yet- too many options!

Thanks, Firefly, for posting your photos! Are all those zig zag seams the result of you adding "more boning and even more buckram"? How thick did the cups become after adding everything? By "iron" do you mean steel boning or ? Sorry for all the questions. I can really geek out on this subject. ..g.:

I'm so fascinated by the bra. What a feat of engineering each one is.

Wow ! These are great! Thank you for the pictures !

One more thing, the Sahar bras are also stuffed with SHOULDER pads instead of regular 'cookies'...

The Sahar cups are not very hard, it's the base that's hard, and the fact that they have a alot of stuffing gives the impression of hardness. You could get a push-up bra or a strapless bra with sturdy cups and use a stiffener like "stiffen stuff" to harden them a bit more if you like. I use these bras:

http://www.mandee.com/nshop/product....Bras&productid[]=MD-M05033050047842&startColor[]=252&dept=&sale=

Here's what I did...
Cut off the middle piece and the side straps. Sprayed the cups with stiffen stuff...
Added a little space between the cups and reattached with a thick piece of foam and a thick layer of hotfix glue.
Covered the reattached area with a piece of thin muslin
Added new side straps with elastic and reinforced with a little more glue. Cover bra. Voila! Basically that's it.

It took me awhile to come up with this particular method, but it's actually fun (as long as you don't burn yourself with hotglue!) and doesn't take very long...

I usually stiffen after I decorate. Is there a reason to stiffen before? it seems it would be a lot harder to sew through the cups this way!
dameshe those are awesome bras! Looks lovely

Originally Posted by dameshe

One more thing, the Sahar bras are also stuffed with SHOULDER pads instead of regular 'cookies'...

The Sahar cups are not very hard, it's the base that's hard, and the fact that they have a alot of stuffing gives the impression of hardness. You could get a push-up bra or a strapless bra with sturdy cups and use a stiffener like "stiffen stuff" to harden them a bit more if you like. I use these bras:

http://www.mandee.com/nshop/product....Bras&productid[]=MD-M05033050047842&startColor[]=252&dept=&sale=

Here's what I did...
Cut off the middle piece and the side straps. Sprayed the cups with stiffen stuff...
Added a little space between the cups and reattached with a thick piece of foam and a thick layer of hotfix glue.
Covered the reattached area with a piece of thin muslin
Added new side straps with elastic and reinforced with a little more glue. Cover bra. Voila! Basically that's it.

It took me awhile to come up with this particular method, but it's actually fun (as long as you don't burn yourself with hotglue!) and doesn't take very long...

I know I have got a glue gun somewhere, but no idea where! I put it in a safe place somewhere I expect, will have to go hunting. I always manage to get hotglue on my hands when I use one though. I also already bought shoulder pads as I thought they would fit the shape better -inspired or what!?
Thanks for the tips, I think I'll keep experimenting until I perfect the technique.
And by the way, I love the costumes you made, your friends looks gorgeous in it too - thanks for posting the pictures!

Originally Posted by kim sakkara

Thanks, Firefly, for posting your photos! Are all those zig zag seams the result of you adding "more boning and even more buckram"? How thick did the cups become after adding everything? By "iron" do you mean steel boning or ? Sorry for all the questions. I can really geek out on this subject. ..g.:

I'm so fascinated by the bra. What a feat of engineering each one is.

Yes, the zigzags are from adding the buckram, the buckram itself has Iron-on glue in it, but it didn't stick so well to the cups when I ironed it, so I sewed it down as well. I added it in small pieces so as not to lose the curve of the cups. I suspect this is a very long-winded and fiddly way of stiffening a bra, so next time I will try a different method. I also made a channel down the centre of each cup from top to bottom with polyester boning inside, and there is a strip of steel boning across the bottom encased in yet more buckram connecting the two cups. The cups are still quite thin at the moment.

After a bit more thought I have decided not to do any more stiffening for the time being, will leave that for the end if it needs it. The boning across the front makes it so solid, what a difference!

Fascinating thread! Firefly5 Keep us posted on your costume!
Demeshe! Your designs are gorgeous and your friend Yogi is stunning and waers your design SO beautifully. Wow! And that black mesh covered bra! ooooooo!!! Post more pictures, please!

Dameshe, what kind of "foam" are you using?

Originally Posted by dameshe

Here's what I did...
Cut off the middle piece and the side straps. Sprayed the cups with stiffen stuff...
Added a little space between the cups and reattached with a thick piece of foam and a thick layer of hotfix glue.
Covered the reattached area with a piece of thin muslin
Added new side straps with elastic and reinforced with a little more glue. Cover bra. Voila! Basically that's it.

It took me awhile to come up with this particular method, but it's actually fun (as long as you don't burn yourself with hotglue!) and doesn't take very long...

Originally Posted by dameshe

Hi!
I have a few and took one apart with my seamstress awhile back...I got a pushup bra, some extra foam, and a hotfix glue gun and made something similar, but with a more natural shape. I love designing costumes now as a result and will present a few on bhuz once I actually have time to finish them! ..g.: Oh and here is a copy of my friend Yogi wearing the leopard one. ...

Lovely pictures! I love the leopard costume.

Yeah...part of the wonder of the sahar is in the engineering of the cups...and part of it in the angle. They sit wide apart (for maximum cleavage) which normally would not work on me (I have a narrow/small rib cage) but somehow...Sahar's, if they're the right size, work.

I went to her studio in Cairo too...the only reason I didn't buy one was, well, I just didn't fall in love with any of the ones she showed me that were in my size, to be honest. The ones that fit me were either not the right style/cut for me or they were in colors that didn't appeal (one was drab, another was just a color that...juuuust doesn't work on me no matter how much makeup I cake on). But yeah, if I ever found the right one...

Side note...I love that bellydancestore.com is importing her costumes, but thethe one thing I really wish they would do is either take photo shots from more than one angle (incl possibly close up of detail on some of the more upscale/expensive ones?), or at least take the photo straight on. From the images onlin (with the model/manequin angled so much), you often can't tell the shape of the hipline, and one thing I learned trying on Sahar's costume is that it made a HUGE difference in whether her costumes fit me properly/looked right on me. It's just really hard to justify spending $800-1000 on a costume you can't really see....

...Or maybe I just need to go to Cairo again. Yeah, maybe that's it. ;-)

i think she started doing that for some of the costumes...close ups that is
The Belly Dance Store

Originally Posted by jenlindseys

I usually stiffen after I decorate. Is there a reason to stiffen before? it seems it would be a lot harder to sew through the cups this way!
dameshe those are awesome bras! Looks lovely

One thing I noticed is that Sahar and Eman also don't sew THROUGH the bras, they sew the beading on top of the fabric! --I'm assuming after the bra is already covered. This is really tricky and I haven't mastered that yet. That's why I mostly used appliques and swarovski rhinestones...

Originally Posted by SamiraShuruk

Fascinating thread! Firefly5 Keep us posted on your costume!
Demeshe! Your designs are gorgeous and your friend Yogi is stunning and waers your design SO beautifully. Wow! And that black mesh covered bra! ooooooo!!! Post more pictures, please!

Thanks! I will tell her. Actually the entire time I was working on it I thought of her because it was more her personality than mine!

I have another one that I am working on. It's in the beginning stages so I can take pictures of the insides so you can see what I did. I will try to post later. I haven't had much time to work on them because soon after I started I got a fulltime job. But I can post what I do have so far. ..cr.:

I think crafty dancers should start creating more of their own work unless you have $1000 to spare!

The black costume is really this interesting fabric. It's actually like a faux snake print with irridescent sparkly accents in red green yellow purple--hence the idea for all the different colored rhinestones...

You guys are inspiring! I will try to get back to work soon!

dameshe, your designs look incredible. please keep us posted when you decide to sell some of them!

Originally Posted by kiyaana

Dameshe, what kind of "foam" are you using?

It was some foam that my seamstress had lying around her office. She let me have some. I don't have much left unfortunitely so I am hoping and praying I can find it when it runs out. i will try to post pictures of that too when i can....

Next stage: I've covered the bra base with a layer of hideous peach felt, and made side straps, now I'm going to cover it with the final material, I decided on some sparkly teal lycra I had. I've made an Eman style skirt -straight, with a vent in the back to go with it, which looks kinda slinky in that fabric.