An Earth Shaking Costuming Idea!!!

anala · 12-30-2007, 03:44 PM

Everybody...request that the beading in costumes that you buy from now on not

be run thru the bras. The beading can be done on the fabric that covers the bras and then fastened onto the bra with strong upholstery thread in 5 or six strategic areas....imagine...you get a costume that you now can take an ill fitting/squashed/pointy/ badly shaped or just plain too big (yeah right..like that's gonna happen) or too small bra out by removing the cotton lineing ,clippping the 5 threads that tie the 3 layers together and wa - la new bra shape/size etc. Now you and I know they wont do that just cause you ask...but enough of us ask - it's gonna be a new trend...and then, in time, just like in Alice's Restaraunt...hordes of angry belly dancers will be jumping up and down yelling...no bead thru, no bead thru....some one will do it...advertize it..and make a fortune selling costumes and cup replacements!!!!!...are you out the Dahlal??? Bella??? I can hear you breathing!!! I know you must do market research by lurking in places like this.....God...I love Ethiopian coffee on Sunday mornings....

Souzan · 12-30-2007, 04:08 PM

Anala,

Many dresses are made just that way, including Pharaonics. The bra is just tacked in at various locations and can be changed out. I also have Madame Ablas that are made with reinforced bodice to hold the heavy beading but you add your own bra.

Souzan

Samira_dncr · 12-30-2007, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Souzan

Anala,

Many dresses are made just that way, including Pharaonics. The bra is just tacked in at various locations and can be changed out. I also have Madame Ablas that are made with reinforced bodice to hold the heavy beading but you add your own bra.

Souzan

Wow...the thing you learn here!! I have never seen that. Awesome.

Either way...Anala, I think your thought was brilliant.

anala · 12-30-2007, 04:28 PM

Not brilliant - just highly caffinated!! I have a Pharonics bedlah, and it is not made that way...but the dresses are? This dress I am working on now was bought from a bhuzzard and is very high quality - but it had a very oddly shaped bra...and I now have beads all over the floor. Sniff....ah well I knew it was going to happen as sooon as I cut that first thread and took a peek inside, hense the need for strong coffee...but I just couldnt dance with oddly shaped breastesses, ya know?

Azhia · 12-30-2007, 04:36 PM

Weeelll, like broken & reset crookedly limbs and pieces of metal implanted in the eyeballs (yes, these are real!), oddly shaped breastesses could be a new thing. How about a third one! OH, yeah, Princess Farhana already did that. ;0)

Bellydancefanatic · 12-30-2007, 04:57 PM

Anala, you have so much energy! I just love you! I'm getting ready to post a forum about costuming, because I need help. Your forum came right on time too!

Thanks!

anala · 12-30-2007, 04:58 PM

She did? Okay off topic, but what the hell its Sunday...and it's my thread! Was up with the princess? I know nothing about her...have watched a vid clip that I thought was a bit "odd" shall we say..nothing non traditional...it was just a bit "off" and I said to myself...hmmm..and went on to something else....

anala · 12-30-2007, 04:59 PM

Girl this aint energy...this is the last flush of flowers on an old tree!

Bellydancefanatic · 12-30-2007, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anala

She did? Okay off topic, but what the hell its Sunday...and it's my thread! Was up with the princess? I know nothing about her...have watched a vid clip that I thought was a bit "odd" shall we say..nothing non traditional...it was just a bit "off" and I said to myself...hmmm..and went on to something else....

Really? Do you remember where you saw that clip? I would like to see it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by anala

Girl this aint energy...this is the last flush of flowers on an old tree!

!

theesfield · 12-30-2007, 05:30 PM

I just bought a dress off Bhuz and that is exactly what I am doing..replacing the cups. This is actually the first costume that I have purchased (and I have many many) that was not sewn through the bra cups! I was so relieved to find that out!! So, my new Naked dress will have larger cups in it shortly, and I am estatic about that!

Nilaja

anala · 12-30-2007, 05:51 PM

I dont remember....wait...yes maybe I do...Go to Rosey's profile and I think she put up some vids that she likes...

Nilaja...I am very jealous..and I hope you get arrested in the naked dress!

Souzan · 12-30-2007, 06:02 PM

I just replaced the cups in two different dresses. With one the cups were only tacked in. With the other, it was tacked in with a small beading motif at the outer edge of each cup that was sewn through the outside fabric layer of the bra only. Easy to cut around. The bedlah bras are not done the same way probably because of the weight of the embellishment needing additional support. Keep in mind that a dress has drape, even in the embellished bodice area so it is not necessary to totally stitch eveything to the bra. I have two Madame A costumes that are short sleeved structured tops with sarong type belts and chiffon skirts. You wear your own bra underneath but it would be easy enough to tack one into the costume top as well. The only Pharaonics dress I have is a wear your own bra one, but looking at other dancers Pharaonics most I have seen have replaceable bras.

Souzan

tahiradancer · 12-30-2007, 06:13 PM

I also have replaced the bra in a couple of the dresses I own. And I agree with Souzan that msot bras are done this way in order to support the weight of the beads, fringe, etc.

There used to be soemone here who would get a bedlah and move every bead onto a bigger bra. Because she could never find bras which fit here and because she hated the feel of traditional egyptian bras.

{{{HUGS}}}

anala · 12-30-2007, 06:18 PM

Its not the feel so much as that odd flying wedge shape...what am I the prow of a boat? I am sitting here with 3 spools of thread and 3 needles and itty bitty piles of rice grains, small seeds, and fish scales...sigh

NajlaHalem · 12-31-2007, 10:57 AM

speaking from many years (and many costumes) of experience...that's easier said than done. That is the best way to do it for dresses, as the bra is secondary, and the dress doesn't hang off the bra, but usually shoulders or some sort of strap.

costume bras are hard and supportive and most need that for all of the beadwork. Doing a huge amt of beading on just fabric could lead to bunching and shifting of fabric, which would not look good on the cups.

but I make all bras/belts to fit, step by step, so someone who purchases one of my designs is never going to run into any fit problems to begin with ;) It's a little different with your grab bag of sparkle from Egypt!

anala · 12-31-2007, 04:36 PM

Even for bras...I cant help but think that the beading could be but on a layer of fabric and burlap or pelon like underlayment material and then attached to the "football" like bra with as many upholstery threads as needed - that are not an integral part of the bead work itself.

anala · 12-31-2007, 04:37 PM

but I make all bras/belts to fit, step by step, so someone who purchases one of my designs is never going to run into any fit problems to begin with

Wanna be my new best friend?

NajlaHalem · 12-31-2007, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anala

but I make all bras/belts to fit, step by step, so someone who purchases one of my designs is never going to run into any fit problems to begin with

Wanna be my new best friend?

LOL

It's a good idea, and I've seen a few bras where it was tried, but when I opened them up it turned out that they had a tough time realigning it (the embroidered/beaded fabric) back onto the bra cups and straps so that they were even (fabric looked to have come up short). This meant that taking them off this particular bra and then trying to put it onto another bra would be very difficult, as you're suddenly dealing with a whole different shape/pattern, for which there may not be accurate coverage (with fabric or beads being in place).

anala · 12-31-2007, 09:33 PM

That's the issue I usually run into, however I keep high quality siver and gold lame handy in various shine/unshine, light and dark to compliment the beading. and I run that up over the naked portion of the cups to make up the difference. It usually adds a bit of retro look which I like.

Candi · 12-31-2007, 10:18 PM

This is all so true.I have a great frock that I bought at Mahmouds at the Khan el Khalili in Cairo-so it was cheap and i love it but there is a good inch or so of pokey bra that I'm not in.Heck I don't need to look any bigger I frighten people as it is but the decoration is sewn through the wretched thing its going to be a real project to remove it-actually think i'll pay someone else to do it-you are right -decorate the frock then sew in the useless bra.