Thread: Costumes on a budget

I am not doing well financially and am concerned about finding affordable costumes. Right now, I only own 2 costumes and they are nowhere near as impressive as most of the costumes I have seen on this site. Any suggestions for affordable costumes that still look good?

Okay, before you get all caught up in Sparkly madness, I need to ask a few question: what is your dance goal, what stage are you at now, How frequently are you performing, what type of costumes do you currently have and what are you lusting after? Oh, and where are you performing?

A lot if us who have a bazillion costumes have been dancing for a long time. Most of us started out with just a few costumes and in many cases they were hand made or lower end Turkish and / or Egyptian mass manufactured bras and belts. Nothing wrong with either. In fact, I still wear many of my 'self made' costumes. Mainly because I *heart* the vintage style.

Also, what is affordable. When I am not in grad school and supporting a Freshman at an international University, a Bedlah or dress at $300 is completely affordable to me. Right now, if someone were to give me one but ask for shipping costs, I would be hurting! ;-)

Sorry I am asking more questions than giving answers, but costuming is one of my passions. I have a degree in Theatre with a huge amount of hours - 18 - towards costume and fashion design and illustration. Not that I do that for a living, but I happen to love it!

{{{HUGS}}}

huge amount of hours - 18 - towards costume and fashion design and illustration. Not that I do that for a living, but I happen to love it!

That explains a lot! :-0

Originally Posted by anala

huge amount of hours - 18 - towards costume and fashion design and illustration. Not that I do that for a living, but I happen to love it!

That explains a lot! :-0

LOL! And the fact that I designed and constructed wedding dress for a living at one time. . .

Oh, and I was also wardrobe mistress for more shows than I can count. This included adjustments and repairs. We had one show where the leading lady was preggers. It was a 21 show run, so that is about 1.5 months. between the initial fitting and the end of the show we basically had to completely rebuild her wardrobe. She was 3 months when she started rehearsals almost 6 when the show ended. . .

{{{HUGS}}}

Muse, I also made a thread on the same topic, as I felt bad about just telling you to make a new thread...hopefully you can get some specific to you answers here and we can get some wider info for beginners in general there.
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/fitness-be...costuming.html

You can start by buying basic pieces like a gold and/or silver bra/belt set.

Then you can mix and match those with diff. skirts, gaunlets, headband, etc. it's create a different look every time.

Surf on the swapmeet on this forum on a regular base, I know there is a lot of $400 and more cossies for sale, but I have been lucky several time and all my purchases were good bargains! ..g.:

Qamar

Originally Posted by Qamar60

You can start by buying basic pieces like a gold and/or silver bra/belt set.

Then you can mix and match those with diff. skirts, gaunlets, headband, etc. it's create a different look every time.

Surf on the swapmeet on this forum on a regular base, I know there is a lot of $400 and more cossies for sale, but I have been lucky several time and all my purchases were good bargains! ..g.:

Qamar

I 2nd the gold/silver! They go with anything! If you don't have a set yet, you should get a set of accurate measurements-and stick to it when you see a set for sale. Most bedlahs are adjustable, some are not, this is mostly important with cup sizes!

And don't go $$$ crazy...there are very good deals on bhuz if you are patient.

Another way to pick up costumes is at local belly dance workshops-and you have the additional advantage of getting to try them on. Of course, the temptation is greater (instant gratification!)..g.:

And always keep in mind mix-n-match works great!

When I was in your same troupe - I was lucky enough to be able to borrow pieces from other troupe members (or they were troupe costumes). Of course, that was years ago -- before the Internet, before there were more than just a few places to buy stuff outside Egypt and Turkey.

If you're not a pro, you can wear non-pro stuff.

Originally Posted by TailaDances

And always keep in mind mix-n-match works great!

The degree of success with mix-n-match might vary, however; it depends on what you are mixing and matching!

I've attached a lovely picture (not!) of me at my first hafla with mix and match gone awry - top is more velvet er...cabaret style (yeah I know not really but didn't know what else to call that - it's velvet and beads), and the bottom is meant to be more tribal-y. Green coin hipscarf doesn't quite match. And the top beadwork is silver, the scarf coins are brassy, I thought the skirt tied them together because it's silver and charcoal and copper...and my jewelry is gold.

Not horrible mismatching, but not quiiiiite right.

The picture of my good matching does not belong to me, so I will not post it at this time.

Originally Posted by yaalini

The degree of success with mix-n-match might vary, however; it depends on what you are mixing and matching!

I've attached a lovely picture (not!) of me at my first hafla with mix and match gone awry - top is more velvet er...cabaret style (yeah I know not really but didn't know what else to call that - it's velvet and beads), and the bottom is meant to be more tribal-y. Green coin hipscarf doesn't quite match. And the top beadwork is silver, the scarf coins are brassy, I thought the skirt tied them together because it's silver and charcoal and copper...and my jewelry is gold.

Not horrible mismatching, but not quiiiiite right.

The picture of my good matching does not belong to me, so I will not post it at this time.

I like this "mismatching," you have a good eye for colors. And since the skirt is shiny, the top doesn't look out of place. The gold scarf coins don't bother me. But I like one of a kind and self-made costumes a lot. The high-end designer stuff is lovely but for the average hafla or student performer, they seem a bit "too much." You could have done much worse for your first costume!

Originally Posted by dunyah

You could have done much worse for your first costume!

I think I have done worse later, but I don't have digital copies of the pics (guess it didn't happen then ha!).

I think my worst was a copper tieback velvet choli with long sleeves (and chiffon flutters), a darker copper velvet belt with fringe and gold coins, and a sage-y lime green Turkish chiffon skirt/vest combo. Close...but not quite.

I find tribal (both um...classical and neo, whatever floats your boat term-wise) to be a little more forgiving with the max and match (especially of the cheaper variety!), that's another reason I hadn't delved into the sparkly stuff yet.

This year is my sparkly year - I bought a black lycra sparkly dress and am making payments on a fabulous red/silver (that hopefully won't require too much alteration, this is my first fancy Bhuz purchase, whee!)...and I also want to get a silver bedlah (I think I prefer silver over gold with my skin tone).

Whew. My wallet will hate me...

Originally Posted by smuse33

I am not doing well financially and am concerned about finding affordable costumes. Right now, I only own 2 costumes and they are nowhere near as impressive as most of the costumes I have seen on this site. Any suggestions for affordable costumes that still look good?

Yes, mix and match is the way to go. However, it also depends on where you wear your costumes. If it is just on stage you can cut some corners and still look good (however, never glue your costume together - and avoid plastic beading). Close up at a restaurant or hafla things have to be made better.

Also if you do folkloric you need sets of appropriate folk costumes. In this case as a student you can save money by having a base costume and adding appropriate asscessories which suggest the style you are performing.

But if you are just beginning do you want to spend $$$ on costumes? Over here a basic "good" costume starts at about USD300 - I've seen others priced in the thousands of dollars. $300 buys a lot of tuition - maybe even a full weekend workshop with an Egyptain tutor with something left over to cover expenses to get there. Unless you have a real requirement for costumes - as in regular dancing for the public, spend the money on classes first.

A lot of the costumes on this site are professional costumes. It's hard not to drool and want, I know, but it's wise to resist the urge to think that you have to own a pro costume.

It makes sense to buy a $600 costume if you have three weddings booked over the next few weeks that will each pay you $350.

It doesn't make sense to pressure yourself to look like a pro if you're trying to relax and enjoy a hobby.

Here's what I tell my students when they need to be 'talked down' after a day of sequin exposure:

Imagine that you have a good friend who's pretty much broke, and taking ballroom dance classes for fun. Imagine that she tells you she's just dying to buy a $400 competition dress so she can look like the pros. What advice would you give her?

I got my first bedlah off Ebay for $160 and wore it for a year performing before getting my second costume from a guy on facebook who makes costumes in Cairo. Cost $190. You can have fantastic costumes on a budget if you are creative and patient. I ordered an Eshta original for $350 and I am making one myself which cost about $100 so far and is almost done. You can do it:) Be creative and stay off Audrena's website unless you are looking for inspiration.

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I ordered an Eshta original for $350

Eshta has some lovely designs in her thread in the Retail Swap Meet. Some are under $200.

The one thing I would say if you're going to buy a costume is do some research. Don't buy something just because it is inexpensive or because it comes from Egypt. There is unfortunately a lot of crap out there that is just a waste of money.

If you live anywhere that there are festivals or competitions, go and look and see what actually works for you before buying anything. I wasted so much money on stuff I couldn't even wear because buying a costume is so different than buying a shirt. There are many deals to be had on the Swap Meet once you know your taste and what will fit you.

... and don't forget second-hand costumes. There are a few dancers who make good money and don't want to be seen in the some costume show after show who may be willing to sell something very nice for a fraction if the new price.

pre-owned, pre-owned, pre-owned. whether it's a hanan or an l rose choli and trumpet skirt that you're looking for, you can get it for 1/3-1/2 off retail in the swap meet section.

with the assumption that this is a case where you hope to go pro or have shows coming up where a more professional costume would be appropriate (and not a case of sequin overexposure): my advice to my students (and you may disagree!) is to spend the money on something that you'll be able to use at a professional level further down the line. it's better to stretch a bit and buy a $300 used pharaonics, than to spend $175 on something crappy that you'll just end up having to sell down the road at a loss - and still find yourself needing to buy that $300 pharaonics.

You can also play around making skirts. I have next to no sewing experience, but I found it pretty easy to make a mermaid skirt following a pattern and it came out pretty good.

You might want to check out lrosedesigns.com. By sticking with a basic fabric (as opposed to the deluxe fabrics), and not adding a lot of extras like optional skirt slit, you can get a very reasonable, quality costume (like a top, trumpet skirt, gauntlet gloves, and headband) for less than $100.

Originally Posted by elisagamal

my advice to my students (and you may disagree!) is to spend the money on something that you'll be able to use at a professional level further down the line.

Something like and L. Rose trumpet skirt and gauntlets is a great example of this. I continued to get plenty of use out of the ones I bought as a student once I started doing pro gigs, by simply switching out the original accompanying L. Rose top and hip scarf for a basic bedlah. And L. Rose stuff is sturdy - machine washable and lasts for many years without showing any wear.

I bought a pair of the L.Rose pants for fun, and they are beautiful workmanship. Very impressive.

I'll whatever (fifth? sixth?) them. I've seen numerous troupes take a basic gold or silver bra and belt set and rework it with different tops and skirts. It does really look like a new outfit.