Where to buy beautiful coverup?

[Lauren_]

I'm looking for pretty coverups, priced up to $75.


Interested in anything pretty -- nice galibeyas, jilbabs, abayas, caftans...especially anything glittery is interesting to me!

Has anyone seen pretty ones in unusual places (been to all the usual bellydance suppliers...)

[danidance]

Lauren,

You got that latest Dahlal mailer with the sheer caftans right? they were kinda nice.

You might check African shops - here's the first thing that popped up on google. a couple are quite cute - I'm sure you can shop around & get good prices - maybe ebay?

http://www.wilsdom.com/store/page13.html

these are $22.99 (or so it says on the website - a plus sized shop http://sanctuarie-net.stores.yahoo.n...ecacadr1x.html

[dunyah]

I found a large piece of a beautiful, glittery, drapey knit fabric in gold. The fabric is wide and was the perfect length when folded in half. I cut out a neck hole and voila! Because it is stretchy I can take the sides of the back pieces and tie them together in the front, creating a pretty silhouette (or you could add ties if you are handy with a needle.) I make the back neckline drape lower than the front. So the front is a high boat-neck and the back drapes down to the upper back area. Tying it in front accentuates the booty area

I like this because the neckline is large enough to go over the head without mussing anything. The fabric is very lightweight, glittery and has a beautiful drape.

You could do something a little different with any wide fabric that you like, cutting out the neckline and then just stitching up the side seams where you want then. The material outside the side seam just kind of drapes down and the side seams, while of a generous cut, still define your shape a bit more than having the seams at the full width of the fabric. You could make the neck opening very wide and put in some snaps to attach after it is on, to keep it from sliding off your shoulders.

Hope this makes sense.

[perizaad]

Originally Posted by dunyah

I found a large piece of a beautiful, glittery, drapey knit fabric in gold. The fabric is wide and was the perfect length when folded in half. I cut out a neck hole and voila!

I've done this too. I recommend saris for this. Lauren, if you have a sari shop nearby, go explore! You can find all kinds of beautiful, embellished fabrics at great prices. And its so easy to make a cover-up as Dunyah has described.

[shems]

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I'm looking for pretty coverups, priced up to $75.


Interested in anything pretty -- nice galibeyas, jilbabs, abayas, caftans...especially anything glittery is interesting to me!

Has anyone seen pretty ones in unusual places (been to all the usual bellydance suppliers...)

I like these:

http://bellydancestore.biz/gallery.p...&no=25&catId=3

http://bellydancestore.biz/gallery.p...&no=28&catId=3

http://bellydancestore.biz/gallery.p...&no=18&catId=3

http://bellydancestore.biz/gallery.p...&no=41&catId=3

She had these custom made for her, so as far as I know you can't find them anyplace else. They open all the way up the front too so you don't have to pull anything over your head.

Here is the page back so you can scroll through yourself, there are some other style galabiyas as well.

http://bellydancestore.biz/gallery.php?pg=2&catId=3

:-)

[beki]

My sister had a good experience ordering an embroidered abaya from http://www.desertstore.com/ but their abaya collection is not too impressive right now... some of the caftans are awfully tempting though.

[Lesgemini_Zafirah]

Hi, Lauren! Jewel of India (Bipin Jain out of Florida) has some really nice ones. Email/PM me here and I'll email you a picture of the pretty cover-up (sorry--still such a "techno-remedial" 'bout resizing/posting pics, etc.) that I bought from him at the Suhaila Bal-Anat WS in St. Louis a few months back; I'll also dig up and have his email address for you by then.

Hugs-N-Shimmies, Zafirah

[Ainsley]

I bought a gorgeous abaya (I'm on the far right) from eBay vendor Aalrasheed. Mine doesn't open in the front, but the design is such that I could probably alter it to do so pretty easily if I had enough confidence in my sewing skills.

Even when you take shipping into account, they're quite reasonably priced. Here's a cute one he has up right now. His stock is always changing, though, so if you don't love anything he has up at the moment you might consider waiting a bit to see what else he posts.

[baseena]

What about where to get a summer coverup, something light. I'm cooking in my caftan!

Baseena

[lizajuk]

Originally Posted by baseena

What about where to get a summer coverup, something light. I'm cooking in my caftan!

Baseena

We have a nice line in waterproof capes in the UK .They go nicely with Wellies (Wellington Boots/Galoshes)

But I still my lovely Moroccan Dress 2 piece ( top would make great cover up and buttons up front)that is on my gallery for sale. I would let it go a little cheaper than my original price but not a lot as it is just a lovely item and worth it. Open to offers above 60 GBP plus shipping.
Off to Turkey tomorrow morning so if I don't reply to anyone you know why..I am seeking the sun! It's either that or start building that ark!

[bintbeled]

Originally Posted by Lesgemini_Zafirah

Hi, Lauren! Jewel of India (Bipin Jain out of Florida) has some really nice ones. Email/PM me here and I'll email you a picture of the pretty cover-up (sorry--still such a "techno-remedial" 'bout resizing/posting pics, etc.) that I bought from him at the Suhaila Bal-Anat WS in St. Louis a few months back; I'll also dig up and have his email address for you by then.

Hugs-N-Shimmies, Zafirah

I loooove Bipin's coverups! They open all the way down the front, PLUS they have pockets for finger cymbals, hotel room keys or whatever. I complimented him on these features, and he said he listens to what dancers want and adapts the designs accordingly.

[kina]

Originally Posted by bintbeled

I loooove Bipin's coverups! They open all the way down the front, PLUS they have pockets for finger cymbals, hotel room keys or whatever. I complimented him on these features, and he said he listens to what dancers want and adapts the designs accordingly.

can someone please post contact info? I'm afraid to go looking on my own. My last foray resulted in a $100 orange caftan suitable for khaleeji, but NOT a coverup

[bintbeled]

Originally Posted by kina

can someone please post contact info? I'm afraid to go looking on my own. My last foray resulted in a $100 orange caftan suitable for khaleeji, but NOT a coverup

Here's the website:

http://members.tripod.com/indjewel/

and contact info:

Telephone
772-871-0389

FAX
772-871-0389

Postal address
P.O. Box 16333, West Palm Beach, FL 33416

Electronic mail
General Information: indjewel@bellsouth.net
Sales: indjewel@bellsouth.net
Customer Support: indjewel@bellsouth.net

[kina]

thank you!

[reina]

Marshalls had some pretty ones in leapoard, zebra, and paisley prints not too long ago, under $20.00, short sleeve, pull-over kind. Good luck.

[mahsati]

Originally Posted by Lesgemini_Zafirah

Hi, Lauren! Jewel of India (Bipin Jain out of Florida) has some really nice ones. Email/PM me here and I'll email you a picture of the pretty cover-up (sorry--still such a "techno-remedial" 'bout resizing/posting pics, etc.) that I bought from him at the Suhaila Bal-Anat WS in St. Louis a few months back; I'll also dig up and have his email address for you by then.

Hugs-N-Shimmies, Zafirah

Bippin has the *best* cover-ups. I adore both of the ones I got from him!

[Lauren_]

I e-mailed with Bipin today, but wound up finding just what I wanted at Dahlal this afternoon!

Thanks everyone for your help.

[najla86]

one thing to be aware of with caftans is the opening of the neck. I have a really nice embroidered red one that my grandma bought back in the 70s or 80s when she did a lot of world traveling. It's fabulous--bright red cotton with pretty tone-on-tone embroidery, super-easy to wash, but it has one drawback.
The fit is slim and the neck does have an opening slit that goes a few inches down, but it can be very difficult to get off quickly, and has a nasty habit of getting stuck in my hair or trapping my arms above my head! I would take Dunyah's advice about a slightly larger neckline or one that opens all the way down, so that way you won't need any help if you're trying to uncover quickly.