make me like the idea of belly nets/covers?

[ashadanzatrice]

hi dancers...

so as the weeks tick by toward 37, and i continue to watch my belly stretch bigger than it ever got to in my first pregnancy (non-preemie-size second baby this time, hurray!!!!), i am trying to lower my expectation of bouncing instantly back to a fairly cute tummy like i pretty much did the first time around. we'll see how things look when the dust settles, but i am realizing i need to allow for more stretch marks and stretched-out places on my skin than last time... i figure the more of an ultra-realist/slight pessimist i am right now, any bouncing back that does take place will be a lovely surprise!

assuming the "worst," which is really not even too bad anyway - especially since i only do this for fun, it won't affect my career! - what are your favorite sources for body stockings, belly nets, covers, etc? i'm short waisted and hourglass shaped, so would like to go with something form-fitting, rather than a big beaded or coined drape that would hide my waist once i actually get it back. love the idea of sheer net with beads and sparklies. got links/pics to inspire me that i can still wear bedlah, whatever this kid does to me?

(otoh, if the best case scenario happens, i'm totally gonna pierce my navel once it reestablishes its rightful place....)

[wigglewhiz]

No, I shan't. Because I hate bodystockings. Not hating on anybody who wears them, but I refuse to see them as "necessary" because you may have stretch marks.

This is because I'm pretty stretchmarked myself. And I hate bodystockings. They're so fiddly to wear with hooks and eyes or poppers, and they come undone, and they're ROASTING hot when you're dancing and and and...

OK, I'll stop ranting now. BUT, if you do still fancy going the whole belly cover route - there's Kharis's body stocking with sparklies, they're lovely. http://www.bellydanceuk.co.uk/pagebodystocking.html And somehow I think the fishnet thing is a little more interesting than just mesh - mesh looks a bit odd to me. There's also Sugar Petals of course - http://www.sugarpetals.com/body_stockings.asp . They have lots of different options for styles, including sleeves and goodness knows what else.

Do you have a rhinestone applicator thingie? I sewed sew-on rhinestones to my frist body stocking (those little rhinestones with the metal claws), but it was a real pain. I think you could have brilliant success buying yourself a plain bodystocking and glueing clear, AB or gold (ah, the bellydancer's neutral palette!) onto it. Or get lots and bling 'em out in colours to match your costumes!

But personally I'm still not into them and wouldn't wear one again myself - just tooooo hot and too damn fiddly!

[danidance]

I think they can look interesting. Kharis's would be my choice as well. Shanna always wears a body stocking and she looks beautiful in her costumes, for example.

I do hate the power mesh ones on me - they squish in my belly button in a weird way and make me look like a cabbage patch doll. In fact, power mesh just tends to look best on those who don't actually need it due to "fluffiness" - typical. :)

There's a gorgeous option by Pharonics - go look at the Dahlal site and find the Elegant Illusions by Pharonics. Very pretty. Dahlal links never work, annoyingly, but here it is in case:

http://dahlal.com/default.aspx?n=1&lpc=1&lpo=6

[Nat242]

The link worked!

[Souzan]

Here is my take on it. I am short waisted too. Using a net that is the same color as your costume helps to elongate the torso. I often wear the full one that are like a leotard with cut out for the bra. Helps to smooth at lumps and bumps and get rid of back rolls. No worry about stretch marks, scars, or uneven skin tone. And the net reminds me of my posture.

Souzan

[Lauren_]

Originally Posted by danidance

I do hate the power mesh ones on me - they squish in my belly button in a weird way and make me look like a cabbage patch doll.

LOLOLOL!!!

I hate them mainly for one of the reasons Wiggle cited above -- they're just so fussy to get on & keep in place.

But I like the effect of fishnet. Someone here on Bhuz advised me to try cutting the legs off a pair of Danskin fishnets and using that, and I really liked the way it looked, just never got happy with the attaching-it-to-the-bra part and always felt like I needed a vest or U-top to hide the edges just in case.

I'd rather wear a dress, personally.

[dunyah]

I do like wearing dresses but the body stocking allows for versatility in mixing and matching bedlah and skirts for different looks.

For some reason, even when I was younger and had a great figure, I didn't like dancing with a bare belly. I felt I could dance more more freely when covered. Some psychological hangover from a regular Midwestern upbringing, perhaps? My family wasn't particularly conservative, just average American conservative, LOL.

Now that I am older and there is <cough> more of me to love, I want to present the prettiest picture I can to my audience and for me I usually feel that costumes with some coverage flatter my body more. Though I am losing weight now and I am so happy about that.

I think the one-color look over the torso does tend to be slimming for most folks. Also wearing a dark color and having bright accents down the center of the body can be flattering.

I haven't found the stockings extremely hot or fiddly. But I often wear a vest with them to help camouflage the dreaded arm "wings." Even though I drum and play music so much that my arms are fairly well toned, that upper arm area is just difficult and on me looks better with sleeves of some sort, I think.

I am working on an amethyst and silver bedlah that I plan to wear with a matching body stocking with long sleeves and an amethyst skirt. I am hoping the effect will be elongating and slimming.

The bottom line is I want to look good and feel comfortable while I am dancing. So what is great for me won't necessarily be great for you, but chacun a son gout. (Each to her own taste.) (Don't know how to put the little accent marks into the French, darn it.)

[dunyah]

Congratulations on your pregnancy, Ashadanzatrice. And best wishes for a healthy baby and a good birth experience. And a quick return to dancing and having a waist! :-)

[tahiradancer]

Asha - I do the cut off the legs of a pair fishnet panyhose thing. Actully, you cut it off right above the crotch and turn it so that the seems are down your sides. Yu can then either pin it to your underwear or stitch it in place.

Finally, get some small hooks and stich them into your bra band. Then hook what used to be the waitsband of the pantyhose to the bra throught the mesh where is meets the waistband.

Does that make sense?

You can get these fishnets in a lot of colours. And if you are being ambituos, you can stitch sequince andbeads onto it to bling it up.

One caution about using fishnet: it will catch on things. So if you have heavliely beaded gauntels, etc on, becareful or you could end up with something being torn.

{{{HUGS}}}

[dunyah]

http://www.mydivascloset.com/noname33.html Nylon fishnet pantyhose in 14 colors for $4!

[tamrahennatx]

I like Souheir's body stockings. She always coordinated them with her skirts, and it's a fantastic retro look.

I don't like cutting the legs off of fishnets, because on me the fishnet doesn't fit snugly enough to my torso. Souheir's zipped up the back and had darts for shaping. They really accentuated her nipped-in waist! What I don't know is how she kept them in place - by hooking them to the bra or with tiny straps...

Also, with the torso covered, she was able to show more leg without her look seeming too naked. Such a sweet, classic look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbWs8F2nVjQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfRATlwjxqo

[ashadanzatrice]

ooh, thanks to all for the ideas and encouragement.

something in the diy/blinged-out kharis style is what i have in mind, i think... if, indeed, i go the net/cover route at all. (charis is my first daughter's middle name, too, so that would be kind of cool.) i know i'm not a candidate for the sausage effect of power net... i consider myself medium-size (10-12ish again soon, hopefully) and that kind of thing just seems to make me look bigger - plus, at least thus far, i still want to show off most of my hard-earned jiggliness! on the other hand, i agree that il cheapo fishnet lingerie doesn't really hug my curves. at least not the kind i've worn, um, recreationally in the past. though i've never tried altering that in any way to make it fit...

i do love that souheir look. don't know if i have the legs for it, though.

[sabrinabellydancer]

congratulations on your pregnancy!
you shouldn't feel the need to hide yourself. however, if you do chose to wear a body stocking the ones from sugar petals are very nice. the white ones are dyable to match your costumes, as suggested above. i have only worn the power net style, but they are comfortable. they feel kind of like wearing a good supportive leotard.

i also like the hooks around the bottom of the bra technique. if you use the powernet, you can put the hooks right through the net to hold it up. of course this eliminates the possibility of a quick change unless you have a zipper put in the back and then it doesn't look as nice.

hope your pregnancy goes smoothly and as comfortably as possible. i'm sure you will be a lovely dancer again with or without the body stockings.

[Lauren_]

FWIW, the Danskin fishnet tights are EXTREMELY strong & elastic/stretchy, really hold you in like power net, not at all like 'recreational' fishnet materials.

[NandaDncer]

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I like Souheir's body stockings. She always coordinated them with her skirts, and it's a fantastic retro look.

I don't like cutting the legs off of fishnets, because on me the fishnet doesn't fit snugly enough to my torso. Souheir's zipped up the back and had darts for shaping. They really accentuated her nipped-in waist! What I don't know is how she kept them in place - by hooking them to the bra or with tiny straps...

Also, with the torso covered, she was able to show more leg without her look seeming too naked. Such a sweet, classic look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbWs8F2nVjQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfRATlwjxqo

Oh she is fabulous, Madam Zaki is The body stocking poster girl.

Just as you said, Classic.

The ultimate sharqi princess, long chiffon skirts split up to there, beaded separate bra and belt (remember them?), serene expression... *sigh*

[ashadanzatrice]

Originally Posted by Lauren_

FWIW, the Danskin fishnet tights are EXTREMELY strong & elastic/stretchy, really hold you in like power net, not at all like 'recreational' fishnet materials.

that's what i was thinking, after i posted. rockettes and such never have saggy stocking legs!

[kamilia]

I second (third? fourth?) the Danskin recommendation. Any brand of professional fishnets will do, really. They are the only ones that don't snag on sequins, which can make you trip over your own skirt and that's just not graceful at all...

Wide gauge fishnets do the trick, too. I've gotten some at Victoria's Secret that don't snag too much. It's great if you really need some fast. Even if they don't snag as much as recreational fishnets, they don't last half as long as the professional kind.

I've found some wide-gauge fishnet fabric online, and I'm thinking you could make a sweet custom net with it.

Just be careful of the distinction between "toast" and "sunset" (or whatever the colors are) when ordering the professional ones. There is this reddish color that you sometimes get when trying to order nude, but it works great with warm colored costumes (like red, orange, gold, copper...)

Whenever you sew with net, I think the best seam you could use is a rolled one. I've found these feet even for conventional machines, so I guess you don't HAVE to have a serger.

The best nets I've seen have the wide elastic taken off the top, are secured most of the way around the bra with something like a whipping stitch, secured at the bottom to a pair of underwear, and have a zipper going from the top of the net going down into the underwear. I bet you could keep the legs on if you wanted to do it that way, too (they stretch like...insert simile here...)

This is the old Egyptian style, I think, but it seems worth the effort. It's always ready for you without the fuss of pins; i bet you can wash just the net and the underwear without getting the bra wet; and if you sew some sequins or rhinestones into the net from the beginning, anytime a hole appears you can just add a little more decoration to cover it up. Decorated nets are great!

I have been wearing one since I was 18, so I think it does more than just smooth out stretch marks or cinch in some "extra" flesh: I think it makes the costume look more finished, elongate short torsos (like someone said before), and for us very very pale chicks, help cut down on the "Casper" effect of white against orange, for example. I've been lazy lately with the nets, and I really regret it!

Some costumes, like the newer ones that come up closer to the waist or ones with extra belts that go around the belly, might do the job without the net, too. Those are nice...

I've heard customers and owners say very mean things behind dancers' backs about their bodies, and I can only assume that they're judging parts of my body, too (like my potato farmer legs). Actually, come to think of it, someone did make a not so nice comment about my legs once...so I cinch them up with nets! I don't like bowing down to such petty standards, but I think there are more advantages than disadvantages to wearing one.

FIN

[antimony]

I just saw this glitzy one on Etsy

[Michelle75]

I've never worn a real one. I did the whole fishnet up under my bra deal. Can anyone tell me if the real ones help with muffintops? They look like they would for small to medium ones.

Anyone?

[tamrahennatx]

Originally Posted by antimony

I just saw this glitzy one on Etsy

This is a great design - I'm going to investigate further...