Join the "I Hate Harem Pants" Club

[mish_mish]

Since my very first day of belly dance class, I have hated the look of harem pants. They are reminiscent of MC Hammer, they make short people look shorter and thin people look fat. They make you look bulky under skirts. Sheer harems are worse, split harems are hideous--making your entire leg appear to balloon out. Unless you are 7' tall and 100lbs, you WILL look fat in harem pants.

What popular costume item do you secretly (or not so secretly) hate?

Second on my list are the really severe V shaped belts.

Third, hermes sandals.

By the way, I have PMS, the stitches from my gum surgery are poking me relentlessly and they don't come out until May 9, I can't eat anything FUN, and my husband is mad at me because I double booked us for something...so I'm feeling b*tchy and want to take my frustration out on helpless costume items.

NOTE: If you own these items (I do or have owned them at some point), this is not a knock on you or your taste. I fully acknowledge this is my quirk.

[Souzan]

I love my harem pants. They are so comfy! When I wear them to class everyone wants to know where I got them.

For cold, windy outdoor shows they keep your legs warm!

Souzan

[annwyn]

LMAO, i was like this a few days ago......remember my thread in the swap about how a purple bella could cure depression, still never got one and i was told (not in a mean way at all) that i was "stalking" the swap pages.....and yes i was....but it was PMS not me ;-) anyways.... I HATE the long finge that hangs off the center of bra cups on turkish costumes....drives me nuts reminds me of lots of tassels hanging off the nipple.....it make me want to go around with sissors and cut it off every ones bra, but i might get slaped for that.......

[mish_mish]

NO NO! Souzan, this is the HATE club. We will take away your harem pants! They are not your friends--they talk about you behind your back. They have magical powers. Harem pants are BAAD!

Shun the non-believer! SHUN!

[tigerb]

The ONLY time I wear my cotton harem pants is midsummer when our dance studio is outrageously warm.

Otherwise, I agree that harems are "Crisco" (shortening and fattening!).

[tamrahennatx]

[mish_mish]

The barfing bra cups...they throw up fringe. Yes, this deserves an honorable mention.

If you wear one of those bras, a v-shaped belt with 8 feet of fringe AND harem pants---AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mish_mish]

This is what happens when I take my pain meds!

[danidance]

I've worn sheer harems under a sheer skirt. I'd rather do that than flash my nethers. sheer soft ones are okay for layering.

But generally, I dislike them immensely.

[Samirah-NH]

I can't stand those sequined butterfly tops that tie in the back with the teeny tiny little spaghetti straps. There's no room there for a bra, so I can NOT wear those. I need a bra top or a top I can wear a bra under, because without a padded bra, I have no boobs.

[jmdruadh]

I almost always wear chiffon harem pants under a matching chiffon skirt; you can't really tell that I'm wearing them, but they keep the ensemble nice and opaque, and cover my legs when I spin. I also liked a pair that I saw in one of the bellytwins post-workout performances (a sword dance) in brocade with open (but modestly tacked here and there) sides. Then again, the twins are very tall and slender, and could probably pull anything off...

I do second the objection to hermes sandals, though. I want to like them, I really do, but they don't give any support, the cords cut into my feet, and *everyone* looks flat-footed in them. I have seen very few flat shoes that don't look frumpy with a cabaret costume. (Not including the super-bare modern dance halfsoles.)

My personal dislike: the "wall of fringe" look on a bra. Now, layered, nicely cascading fringe can look very nice, particularly on dancers with small-to-medium busts. But the gobs and gobs of super-long, all-one-length fringe is unflattering to EVERYBODY, and especially to me (at 34DD, I need the "girls" deemphasized, and as little of my waist obscured as possible).

[mish_mish]

The wall 'o fringe sets make shorter, big busted women look even more so. I know a lot of people love that "classic belly dancer" look, but I think it's not flattering at all.

Attention infidels, defense of harem pants will not be accepted!

[mish_mish]

Originally Posted by tigerb

Otherwise, I agree that harems are "Crisco" (shortening and fattening!).

BWHAHAHAHAHAH! You're in the club!

[ouroboros]

I don't like black ballet slippers (for performing). Worse - gymnastic slippers. brrrr!

[sha-ri]

Transparent tissue-skirts from organza or something similar - transparent and stiff. I see them at the moment on lots and lots of the cheap costumes

[lizajuk]

Fringe which is no such thing because it is 6 inch long strands of beads ending a single plastic pailette and spaced around belt or edge of bra at intervals of 2 inches.
If homemade this may be forgiveable
....but on a costume bought in and left in that pristine condition...blergh.......

[*maria*]

I would like to be an official member of the I Hate Harem Pants Club.
I DETEST and DESPISE them. Hands down the worst of the worst costume item.

I don't think they are flattering on anyone UNLESS you are very tall and very thin. And even then......

Signed,
a fellow PMS sufferer.......

[resullivan]

No pms yet....but give me a few hours. It IS that time of the month here too.

As far as harems go, I only like them if they are somewhat tapered, or I feel like they make my legs look huge. And I am short, so it does not help. Maybe if I was bigger up top, it would feel like they were balancing me out, but well I am just not. Under sheer skirts, or circle skirts that rise when spinning, they are a necessary evil.

And I have decided liquid lame harem pants can be somewhat nifty.....but I'll choose a skirt or wide legged yoga pants over harems any day.

[danidance]

I remembered my absolute can't stand it costume item:
tissue lame anything. It's cheesy and stiff. I know lots of people like it.

[jmdruadh]

One more to add to the "can't stand" list: those big loose gauze beledi dresses with pailletes all over them (or worse, only on the front).

Now, if you have a well-fitted and good quality one that FITS, wear it for an appropriate style of dance (i.e., saidi), and accessorize it well (*nice* hip scarf, head scarf, big earrings, necklace, suitable undergarments, etc.), then they can be fine, and even look nice.

But if all the details (and context) aren't *perfect*, it either says "I feel fat" or "I can't be bothered to put together a real costume".


(Teachers and troupe directors: please don't make your dancers buy these unless you can really make them work. It's so hard to make them look even decent, much less flattering.)

[stardancer]

I hate hate hate harem pants. They make everybody look dumpy. I also hate hermes sandals with a cabaret costume. They look like s*it! Here you have this gloriously beaded, expensive creation with these sandals that look like they came out of the old movie The Ten Commandments. They are especially ugly when the dancer's skirt is a wee too short and you can see all the lacing around the ankles. Blecho!! Of course no offense to anyone that wears them.... live and let live I say. However, you won't see me wearing them unless the floor is a noticable hazard and I have no choice but to protect my feet.

[mish_mish]

Stardancer, were we separated at birth?

The sandals TOTALLY look like they come from "The Ten Commandments"!!!

Somehow, a cabaret costume with gladiator sandals just don't go...

[mish_mish]

Originally Posted by lizajuk

Fringe which is no such thing because it is 6 inch long strands of beads ending a single plastic pailette and spaced around belt or edge of bra at intervals of 2 inches.
If homemade this may be forgiveable
....but on a costume bought in and left in that pristine condition...blergh.......

YES! Those are terrible, especially when sold in every color of the rainbow on ebay with the caption, "Intensity of the sparkle cannot be appreciated in the photographs."

[mish_mish]

When I wear harem pants, I feel like the fat harem girl in the Aladdin movie.