[Shadiyah_dances]

Hat boxes with silica gel packets or sachets of baking soda in the box are great! Pillow cases work well too as they allow air to circulate and reduce chances of mold & bacteria buildup. I've found plastic boxes, even with silica gel cause odor problems.

I learned from another dancer that actually hat boxes of various sizes work great for bedlahs and even lycra costumes. Never hang the lycra as it will stretch.

When I take multiple costumes to gigs, when I have to change, I wrap them in bath size towels, let them air a bit between sets, then wrap then back up to take home. This helps to absord the sweat. When I get home, everything comes out, gets sprayed down with a 50/50 solution of vodka/water to eliminate smells (hookahs) and kill bacteria. I hang them (lycra skirts folded in half on a heavy duty pants hanger) in the window of my studio/costume room with the windows open to air out for 1-2 days. Smells gone and helps prevent bacteria buildup. When they are all dry, then I carefully fold then back into the hat boxes and store them on a shelf. Wrinkling so far hasn't been a problem and I thought it would be too!

If your costume has it's own matching jewelry, you can store it in the box so it's really quick to grab a costume and go or keep it in the car for emergency subbing gigs!

Of forgot to mention, full skirts and cover-ups are hung on a rolling rack... ;)