Pictures: Candles

The beauty of flames and shadows.

  

Pictures: Ashley Lopez Show

Hosted by Belly Dance Tucson

November 12, 2011

Easy Embellishments

I love the costume styles from Egypt over the past few years—a sleek skirt and a smooth top with a few big embellishments.  Not only is this comfortable to wear, easy to wash, and simply stunning, but this style is simple to replicate at home.

            There are already many tutorials and patterns available to aid you in making a skirt and top.  I would like to focus on all my secrets for finding the perfect embellishments at a great price.

Some Shopping Tips

Tip One:  Teen stores are your friend

Relive the glories of your high school days.  Or finally make the ones you wish you had.  Teen stores like Claire’s, Icings, and Charming Charlies have great selections of costume jewelry at teen-allowance prices.   Recall your teen dance schedule to know when the stores will be stocking up—home coming, winter dance, and prom are key times.  However, be sure to note the stores' return policies.  For example, Claire’s and Icings will not allow you to return rhinestone items (apologetic sales clerks explained to me that, otherwise, girls try to return them after Prom). Charming Charlies has a limited return policy as well.  

Tip Two: Shop holiday sales

I try to not purchase items without an actual costume in mind.  Otherwise, I never get around to using them.  So, I keep in mind when stores are likely to have sales and plan costume-making around those times (as an added bonus, I’m likely to have some days off around the holiday to get sewing).  You can find great deals at the mall on sparkly jewelry around Christmas.  Fabric stores have big sales in anticipation of Halloween (and this is also a great time to stock up on fake lakes and nails at drug stores).

Tip Three:  Sign up for coupons.

Jo-Anne’s Fabrics sends out at least one 40% coupon a month, along with a flyer announcing the month's sales. With a costume taking three to five yards, and rhinestone trim at $20 a yard, this comes in quite handy.  Most boutiques also have an accessories section, so sign up for coupons at any place you usually shop.  And, finally, sign up for coupons from your favorite lingerie store so you can buy costume bras at great prices.

What to Get

Of course, you can always hunt around online for “real” items to order.  But I like to be able to actually see the item, and, without many couture sewing places in town, this is how I make great finds.

Necklaces

These work great as-is for belly drapes, dangled over the top of a bra, or swagged off a belt.  But, you can think outside the box as well.  Look at how Eman Zaki swings a few chunky beaded strands around the hips of her costumes.  You can easily recreate that look.  Also, look at the beads themselves—a necklace too hideous to use as-is may have a great assortment of matched beads at much lower prices than a bead store.  For example, I bought several hideous red necklaces from a Macy’s Christmas sale and pulled them all apart to hang from a bra and belt.

Bracelets

Everything for necklaces also works for bracelets.  You can hook several together to make them longer.  They also make great decorations for bras as two will usually perfectly decorate the top of two cups.  Another idea that I’ve seen (and have planned for my next costume) is to cover a wide bangle with fabric to make a matching cuff for your costume.

Earrings

Cut from their hangers, these are fabulous as accent pieces.  Or, if you want the option of also wearing it as an earring at some point, you can sometimes push the earring back through your costume fabric to hang it in place.

Rings

The current trend of big, elastic rings is a belly dancer’s best friend.  The elastic can be snipped off to free the embellishment, which can then be sewed on to your costume as a focal-piece.  Look at Sahar Okasha for some ideas.

Hair flowers

These, too, can be sewed on or clipped into place as focal pieces and coordinated hair accents.  I have also found some at teen stores that have pins already sewed on.

Hair pins and clips

I have used hair clips to double as hip wrap fasteners.  I pin the hip scarf into place to ensure that it will stay through my dancing, then clip the hair clip around it.  When my favorite embellished hair pins broke, I cut the bobby pin off and sewed the rhinestone flower onto my costume.

Buttons

Fabric stores have large rhinestone and pearl buttons that, once sewed on, look like glued-on stones with the advantage that you can move them around as your costume tastes change.  A friend also puts a dramatic button on the back of her bra to cover any unsightly hooks.