Top 10 Costuming Tips

Hello Gang, As 2009 draws to a close, I'm struck by all the top 10 lists that appear. It seems that everyone is doing year-end reviews of events that have happened throughout the year. So, it seems fitting that this article I wrote back in Sept. should be published now. It encapsulates my thoughts on the essentials of belly dance wardrobing in a simple top 10 list. I look forward to 2010 and all of the new costumes to make, old costumes to renovate, dances to dance and shows to watch. I wish you all a happy, creative and profitable new year!
~ Davina ~ Dawn Devine
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Top 10 Costuming Tips
Costuming is one of the most fun – and most challenging – parts of being a performing dancer. Your costuming reflects your taste, style, budge and if you make your own costumes, your talent! It’s a well-known style axiom - you have only one chance to make a good first impression. Here are some new twists on classic costuming tips to help put your costume wardrobe to work for you!

1 – Fit is it! Regardless of the style of your costume, your size, shape or even the cost of the garment, fit is extremely important. The bra should support and enhance the bust. The belt shouldn’t slip or twist. Skirts shouldn’t be too short or too long. Good fit will instantly make your costume look more expensive.

2 – Invest in quality construction. Buy the best you can afford! If you are making your costume, use construction techniques that you are most accomplished at for the best results. When you are shopping, be sure to inspect your costume pieces for good construction details. Strong seams, well applied surface details, firm beadwork and sturdy fringe.

3 – Prep your costume before wear. To extend the life of your investment, prep before wear. Strategically placed drops of glue on the back-side of your costume pieces will secure knots and prevent embellishments from flying off in a spin. On hip-wraps – often prone to abuse and breakage – mount hooks and eyes rather then relying on tying – which will abrade the embellishments. Take care of any hanging threads, repairs and fitting issues before you take the costume out first its performance.

4 – Coordinate your performance. Matching your style of music, movement vocabulary and costume choice will create the most balanced and harmonious performance. Tribal costuming, with classical Egyptian movement, and Greek music might lead to confusion – especially if you are performing to a discriminating audience.

5 – Don’t forget the “five layers” of costuming. Bring all five layers up to the same level. These five layers – Base Grooming – Makeup & Hair – Costume – Jewelry & Accessories – Props. The costume is just one, though large, part of your total presentation.

6 – Don’t forget class-room and event attire. Your belly dance wardrobe is not composed of just what you wear on stage. Dancers appear in three major settings: in performance, at events, and in class. Be sure to invest in buying clothing and costume pieces that will support all of the areas of your dance life.

7 – Keep a “Look Book” As your costume wardrobe grows and develops, making your own “look book” will help keep you on target with future shopping and sewing plans. What do you put into a look book? Whatever you helps you document your costumes. Photos of different combinations, spreadsheet of parts and pieces you own, notations about costume and accessory pairings, swatches of cloth – really – anything that helps. Use a binder, sketchbook, journal or go electronic with a blog, website or simply a folder with your dated photos.

8 – Build good costuming relationships. Consider your favorite vendors as part of your personal wardrobing team. Let them know what your long-term goals are so they can assist you in building your wardrobe. Most dealers keep their clients needs in mind when shopping – so establish a good working relationship with a vendor and they will keep your ideas, goals and budget. Not good at sewing? Find a seamstress, tailor or costumer who can fit your costumes for you.

9 – Invest in a good bag and check it twice. No matter what type of bag you prefer, be it a tote, suitcase or backpack, invest in the best quality you can afford and keep it stocked with performance basics so you don’t have to repack each time. Tuck in a packing check-list so even if you are in a hurry, you can consult your list to ensure you’re not leaving home missing an important component.

10 – Care and repair before storage. Develop an after the show routine that will allow your costume to completely air out before putting it way. Take care of any cleaning or repair issues before you put your costume away. If your costume gets stored in a clean and wearable state, then you can pull it out in a moment’s notice to go to your next performance.

Dawn Devine ~ Davina - Sept. 2009
Author • Costumer • Dancer • Historian
www.davina.us

Back at the Drawing Board - Period Impressions: Costumes of the Maghreb

New Book Coming Soon from Ibexa Press

Period Impressions:
Costumes of the Maghreb
By Dawn Devine ~ Davina


I’m back home after two weeks in sunny San Diego, California where I was hard at work as a staffer for Comic-Con and then off to play in Mexico at the Vita Spa. Now I’m back in my office and at the not-so-proverbial drawing board. Below is a sampling of illustrations from my latest book project. With a new set of Copic Lining Pens and the inspiration of spending so much time with the incredible collection of talented artists at the convention, I’m ready to go. This week, I will be working on getting back into the swing of drawing every day, and so I suspect that over the course of the next few weeks, I will loosen up and my illustrations will gain in strength, character and complexity.

Period Impressions – Costumes of the Maghreb is an overview of the evolution of dress styles across North Africa. Successive waves of conquest and cultural domination have each added their own special spice to what has become an exotic mélange of sartorial flavors, visually dazzling and regionally distinct. This book will include historical notes, pattern layouts and construction details for both men's and women's costumes.

I’ll tell you more about this book in upcoming posts – I hope you enjoy these samples from my collection of illustrations. There will be more to follow soon.

~ Davina ~ Dawn Devine
www.davina.us • http://www.facebook.com/DavinaDevine

Image Details From Top
• Berber Woman from the High Atlas Mountains
• Berber Man wearing Selham and Jallaba
• Man Pouring Tea - Khaftan and Vest
• Moroccan Musician playing Qarkabeb and wearing a Gandoura

Snippets and Clips - Belly Dance Books on Google Book Search

Hello Gang,

As some of you know, I've been working on my latest book, Period Impressions: Costumes of the Maghreb 500ce - 1500ce - For Middle Eastern Belly Dancers and Musicians. As this book nears completion (I'm in the drawing phase ~ yeah!) I've been checking and double checking my research and conducting a literature review. And wow - what a discovery I've made!

Google Book Search, a feature of Google that I've been using to check some old sources, has quite a few snippets and clips of belly dance books. If you are in the process of building your dance library, you might want to visit Google Book Search and check out samples of excellent books. Below I've included a few links to books that I recommend and include in my "Reading List for Dancers." Take them for a test-drive and enjoy!

~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina

Bellydance by Keti Sharif - This is the first 22 pages of this introduction to Middle Eastern Belly Dance. This portion of the book includes a great introduction to Middle Eastern instruments, and this is definitely one of the better belly dance history books.

Bellydancing for Fitness by Rania Bossonis
While I don't recommend trying to learn belly dance from a book, I started my own career by reading a book. There is something tactile and wonderful about looking at a book, memorizing the poses, reading the hints and tips. While videos are great, and classes even better, a book can hang out next to the bed, be easily pulled from a shelf, and shared with dance sisters away from TVs and computers.

Ancient Egyptian Dances by Irena Lexova'
This is the first 18 or so pages of this classic book that systematically analyzes Egyptian paintings of dancing girls to create a theory of ancient dance. I find this book fun and entertaining, challenging me to consider my own theories.

A Trade Like Any Other by Karin van Nieuwkerk
This is a fantastic book, recommended by many dance scholars as a must-read. In this 16 page sample, you get a sense of the voice, tone and point of view of the author. She presents her theories and methodologies in this introduction, so if you like what you read, you can seek it out and buy it. I have a copy of this one on my shelf!

Women's costume of the Near and Middle East by Jennifer M. Scarce

One of my favorite costume history books, this is essential for any researcher of Middle Eastern costume history. This sample skips all over the book, randomly providing a page here, a section there. Definitely worth looking at in this sample if you are interested in historical reenactments.

The Virtual Costume Exhibition

I love museums... In fact, while I was in graduate school I worked in a museum studies program, and used my education to provide excuses to visit as many museums as I can. My main focus, of course, is costuming; in my pursuit, I have been to London, Rome, Paris, New York and beyond seeking out exhibits.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of textiles, most costume exhibitions do not allow visitors the opportunity to take photos, and few museums have enough cash to create illustrated exhibition guides for sale. However, the web is mighty, large and mostly free, so many museums share their exhibitions with us via the web. Yeah! So periodically I surf the web looking for exhibitions and here is a crop of my recent discoveries.

From Paris to Providence: Online Exhibition of Fashion, Art and the Tirocchi Dressmakers Shop, 1915-1947. This exhibition is focused on one design house and is filled with both images of garements and details of the elaborate beadwork that was part of fashion during this era. Be sure to check out the amazing collection of flapper-style beaded dresses in the Art Deco section - Yum! Right: 1930's handbag from the exhibition.


Gothic - Dark Glamour - Fashion Institute of Technology - I've got friends who embrace the Goth style and integrate it into their costuming and daily wear. I found this exhibition and recommend it whenever someone buys patterns made by the Goth Dance Diva, Tempest. There are so many inspirations throughout this lush exhibition website, but be prepared to really explore, the site itself is a work of art - and just note - turn down the volume on your computer!
Image Left: Dress by Yoshiki Hishinuma from the exhibition.

Chic Chicago - Modern Fashion from 1861-2004. This exhibition is filled with lovely lovely photos of some fantastic garments. Especially look out for the Worth and Pingat gowns. Visit the Website to read about the exhibition, but more importantly, view the Slide Show!

New York City Ballet - Bedecked Bedazzled and Bejeweled: Costume Ornamentation at the New York City Ballet - This is a great exhibition of photographic details of the embroidery, beading and applique work crafted in the costume shops of the ballet. There's an introduction to the exhibition and a flash slideshow with images of their costumes.

Versailles - Fastes de Cour et Ceremonies Royales
Okay - Take a peek at this video of the curators and exhibition designers at work setting up an amazing exhibition of French courtly dress at Versailles. There are some stunning glimpses of the courtly wear as they appeared in the exhibition. This website has some amazing photos of the palace too!

LACMA - Images of Fashion from the court of Louis XIV - Like this amazing mantua on the right. Explore the virtual Exhibition. More information about the Mantua on the right circa 1700. This is an amazing garment, and I had the pleasure of seeing it in person when I was doing research at the Doris Stein research for my undergraduate degree. If you like more modern clothes - Check out: Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection.


Of particular interest to me, as I work on the upcoming Period Impressions book, I found a copy of the illustrated book "Habitus Variarum Orbis Gentium"(Costume of the Various Peoples of the World) by Jean Jacques Boissard 1581. His illustrations are charming and full of detail. Especially of interest to me is plate 46, "North African Women", located at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In this plate, you can really see the shape and hang of the Haik, a rectangular overwrap, a descendent of the Roman Palla that is still being worn in parts of Morocco today.

Byzantium Ensemble for Sarah of Wicked Smileys

This spring, I worked on a lovely folkloric style ensemble for an accomplished dancer, but new performer, Sarah of Wicked Smileys. She performed with Troupe Celine twice this spring, first at Spring Rakkasah and at an Asian American cultural festival. Her ensemble is composed of four garments. Her Byzantium bra features a row of multi-colored inch-wide ribbon, 8 inch chainette fringe topped with three rows of Pakistani coins.

Sarah's belt is an assemblage of components that began with a blue embroidered belt with a row of kuchi drops. To extend this tiny belt, we mounted a collar from Pakistan onto grosgrain ribbon and filled in the space between with additional drops. To add texture and dimension, we further embellished the belt with a row of Turkomen buttons that matched the buttons we used to accent the stretch velvet baladi dress.

To get the rich, dark appearance that Sarah craved, we used a vivid red double-plush 4-way stretch velvet cut with the grain going upwards. Because the velvet had such a great hand and enough stretch to really mold around the body, I kept the cut simple, with shaping down the side seams and no darts. The neckline was cut low below the bust to reveal the bra. To add style and make the garment look beautifully polished, we added the sumptuous finishing details of fully lined sleeves and Turkoman buttons. The result is simple and elegant.

Sarah already had a functional pair of black harem pants. On her feet, she choose to wear classic Hermes style sandals. I also crafted jewelry using a kuchi drop with her signature Smiley motif and a pair of earrings.

But, what makes this collaboration so effective is the amazing headdress Sarah created to match this ensemble. Her work is breathtakingly complex and lovely.

Ultimately, this ensemble took into account Sarah's figure. The long lean lines of red velvet emphasized Sarah's height and the black fringe on her bra helped her waist appear slim and sculpted. Being stretch velvet, it's both easy wear and easy care (machine wash, hang dry.) I look forward to seeing her wear it in the future.

Need a Headdress?
Wicked Smileys by Sarah Lyons

Need Harem Pants?
Simply Stylish by Kathi Richards

Need a Byzantium Bra?
Byzantium Collection Bra by Davina
Dress, Belt, Jewelry by Davina

Bras of the Stars - Update

The Dancing with the Stars season is almost over, and Threads Magazine has posted a fantastic interview with the designer of all those sizzling hot costumes, the Emmy Award winning Randall Christensen. The gallery on his website has both front and back images of his designs, including many a fantastic ensemble that can be transformed, adapted or just used as is for belly dance. Although the prices are steep, I know many a dancer who has paid a princely sum for a unique costume.

I - for one - am totally inspired by his designs and really enjoyed his interview! Other pieces on him and his designs include:

Buddy TV has a great interview with Randall Christensen on their site.
Phoenix New Times - Another Article about the designer

His website is not to be missed! You could own a costume from Dancing with the Stars like the one on the left. Perfect for a sexy zambra mora, flamenco fusion, or Gypsy inspired performance. Totally couture!

#68L-0106-CA-JF
Peasant Top/Floral Skirt Latin Dress. Worn by Edyta Sliwinska Dancing the Paso Doble in Show #4. Size S. Price: $3200.

Resources for Re-enactors

I've been recently spent some quality time working on a research project. A book I began quite some time ago, is rapidly reaching its deadline, and so I dusted it off and started looking through my notes. To refresh my mind, I took a moment to do a quick internet search for new sources, and I found a few things that you might be interested in. I hope you enjoy these links and find them as valuable and interesting as I do.

This upcoming book Period Impressions for Dancers and Musicians will be a handy resource for SCA members, Renaissance Fair performers and performers looking for historic folkloric costumes to wear during traditional dances. Look for more information for

~ Davina ~

Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History which has images, contextual articles that presents the flow of art history. There are quite a few articles about the Middle East, Islamic art and its relationship with the west. I particularly love this textile fragment. Read more about it and other works of art on their website.

If you are interested in the traditional dress of Saudi Arabia, there is an excellent website hosted by the Mansoojat Foundation, a UK charitable organization whose mission is to preserve and document the traditional clothes of Saudi Arabia. Their website is filled with gorgeous images of thobes from various parts of the country, with documentary text and descriptions. It's worth taking some time to check it out.

The entire book, Oriental Costumes, their Designs and Colors by Max Tilke from 1922 is available for view from the Reference Department of the Indiana University Libraries.

Tilke's finely rendered drawings of traditional garments from accross North Africa, the Middle East, Asia Minor, Central and Eastern Asia. His drawing allows us to identify the textile as an Ikat, and you can see the locations of the seams. This book is an excellent tool if you are trying to create a period dance piece, or are looking for models to inspire a historical costume.

US Belly Dance Belts Thinner than Italian Belts

Italian promotional poster - From Russia with Love - including fantastic belly dance image and Gypsy chick fight. Which got me wondering - what does the English language version look like? So I looked around and found the US version... Check out the differences in what the belly dancer is wearing. In the US version her costume belt is far lower and she is drawn with more clarity and detail. The artwork looks less like the same artist, and more like it was "redrawn" to produce a more aesthetically or culturally appealing message.


If you are interested in seeing

Bras of the Stars

Showgirls are Showgirls... Belly Dancers, Burlesque, Broadway, Vegas.. we all have one thing in common - we all LOVE to wear a hot and spicy embellished bra!

This season on Dancing With the Stars, we've been treated to a host of incredibly sexy, complex and lovely dance bras. Here are just a few of my favorites.

This first bra worn by Melissa Rycroft is cute-cute-cute. The bra has been worked into a cute little cropped top with a ruffled edge around the neckline and adorable cap sleeves. This style of top would look fantastic with a Mediterranean fusion costume. And isn't that jeans-style belt treatment adorable?

Another fantastic ensemble is this light and fluffy two-piece ensemble worn by Edyta. Her bra is covered with rows of pleated fabric applied as a surface embellishment. This technique, used for centuries is known as ruching and is very popular in formal and ready-to-wear as well as dance costuming.

This costume is so fantastic, had such great flow, I couldn't help but imagine an entire troupe in this simple, yet elegant ensemble. The sleeve treatment is fantastic, and though Edyta doesn't need them, they would cover a multitude of problems.

The silk has such dramatic flow, fluffy and light. This patterned effect can be achieved with a spray-bottle of dye or fabric paint. Just be sure to use a light hand as you spritz your fabric and follow the directions of the product you choose to use.
(Check Dharma Trading, they have a large selection and tons of information on dye, fabric and dying techniques.)

One inexpensive and easy to make style of bra is simply a "shimmy bra" covered with rows of rayon chainette fringe. This lovely ensemble features a parti-colored two-toned color scheme made with four rows of 2" fringe. Here Jullianne wears one, beautifully exicuted, proving that simple can look fantastic!

For dancers with petite bustlines, this style will add fullness when still and tons of movement as you dance. A simple row of sparkling trim can be achieved with rows of sequins, glass beads or a rich combination of beads and sequins together. To make a completely matching bra and belt, echo the same number of rows of fringe. Or, if you are feeling particularly flirty, you could make a straight skirt with a long slit, and apply rows of chainette all the way to the ankle.

Alternately, a chainette belt will look fantastic with a classic chiffon skirt or over a slinky mermaid skirt. You can find chainette fringe on the web. I buy mine from Lace & Trim online, but chainette is available from most retail fabric stores.

So if you are looking for inspiration visit the ABC website to view photos and full-length episodes of the latest season.