Tailoring an off-the-shelf-costume

By Michelle

Who can afford to go to Egypt and have a costume made just to their size, shape and taste? Not this dancer. Besides, even if you are able to do that, what do you do when you gain weight/lose weight/change your tastes? Below, I tell you how to make your costumes really fit your body and your style. Before you begin you must repeat one mantra: it is only a costume, do not be afraid of it!

Beyond adjusting hooks and eyes, I never used to alter my expensive Egyptian costumes. I accepted them as they were and saw any flaws in the mirror as my own figure flaws. A friend of mine, however, has never had any compunction against ripping a costume apart and putting it back together so that she owns it, rather than it owning her. I finally took her advice and approached my ill-fitting costumes with seam ripper in hand. Again I repeat: it is only a costume, do not be afraid of it!

The Bra

Let's face it: it's hard enough to get a regular bra to fit well. How do you expect a creation that weighs ten pounds and covered in rhinestones to fit any better? Let's remember that the ultimate purpose of the bra is to make you look good, and ultimately, it is to make one particular area look good. Your mantra while working on the bra is: it's all about placement. It matters not if you are small breasted or overly endowed, if you breasts are too low or too far apart or too flattened out, you won't be happy with your look.

Begin with the straps. Most bras have two over the shoulder straps that are made long to accommodate a broad range of dancer bodies. You may have to shorten the straps. To do this, simply snip the lining from the BACK of the costume, then snip the threads holding the strap in place. A good friend is a blessing at this stage so that you can hold your cups where you want them while she measures where to reattach the straps. You have several things to consider before you sew them back on, however. First, do your shoulders slope down at all? If so, your bra straps may constantly slip off your shoulders. If this is the case, move the straps closer together in the back so that they form a V shape. This will keep them from slipping down. For larger breasted women: do not try to use these flimsy straps to hold your breasts up. If you shorten the straps too much, they'll simply pull the entire back of the bra up, making an unattractive line and all too often, causing the dreaded "back fat." If your straps are wider, consider sewing them together in a halter style. This will help with support. Just be careful, however, because the heavy bra combined with the weight of your breasts can be very uncomfortable as the strap bites into your neck. (This is why a wider strap works best for this scenario.) If you keep two straps, and have left them long so as not to pull up the back of the bra, try sewing a piece of bias tape between them to keep them from slipping off your shoulders. I cover it with a matching sequin string so it looks like part of the original costume. Remember, these straps are not your support--that comes from the cups.

Next, you need to adjust the hook and eye closures. While you certainly don't want the bra too loose (can you imagine if something escaped?!) you also don't want it too tight (refer to dreaded "back fat" reference). Make the bra fit comfortably-snug but easy enough for you to hook it yourself without performing contortions. This strap will help support your breasts more than the shoulder straps, but only if we remember the mantra, its all about placement. There is not a chest out there (exempting the man-made ones) that doesn't benefit from carefully placed pads in the bra. For small-breasted women, the pads can fill up empty cup space, but for all sizes, the pads should provide a comfortable shelf within your bra so that they are supported and positioned for attractive cleavage. Successful padding comes not when you simply stuff socks into the cup, but strategically place pads BELOW and to the outsides of your breasts. If you have a lot of room to fill, socks are an easy fix: simply roll them tightly and whip-stitch them closed, then sew into the lower half of the bra cup. If you need only placement, consider the football shaped shoulder pads. These are not as bulky as socks but take up just enough room to give you nice lift.

In some instances, the bra cup may seem a weird shape. One of my girlfriends had a pretty bra that despite her best padding and not inconsiderable endowment, mashed her flat as a pancake. We ended up taking the bra completely apart, turning the cups to angle in, then sewing everything back in place (You will never need to do this with the Farfesha bras, however-they are all nicely molded).

Another thing to consider before we move on to the belt is the fringe. While many newer styles have just a little fringe at the apex of the cups, many styles have lots of fringe (like our Basic and Rhinestone styles). While this is a dynamic and very sparkly look, you have to consider your body type before you decide to leave all the fringe on the bra. If you are long through the torso or pear shaped, lots of fringe will work just great. If you have a short torso or, like me, don't dip in at the waist much, consider removing a little of the fringe from the lower cups. In other words, fringe which hangs straight across the chest can actually accentuate figure flaws rather than hide them. On two costumes I've removed 3-4 inches of fringe off each cup, leaving only a nice belly drape in the middle.

The Belt

For me, the belt is usually a snap to tailor. I love the two piece belts because you can really take them in without ruining the look of the belt. With the two-piece belts, simply position the middle of each piece directly below your belly button and spine, respectively. A handy tool here (besides a helpful friend) are wooden clothes pins. They can hold your belt closed while you make adjustments to the placement, they are quick to attach, and they don't damage the sequins. While most two-piece belts have hooks and eyes on each side, I usually sew one side closed once I've fit the belt to me, and move the hooks and eyes on the other side so I only have one closure to worry about when dressing. If the belt is a one piece, you are limited in how far you can take it in, but these styles usually have a straighter line which does not require exact centering. If you have a small or flat derriere, make sure your belt is tight! I hook my belt a little high and then tug it down into place so it is secure and sure not to slip off. If you are bootylicious, you may have the opposite problem of the belt riding up. Another of my girlfriends constantly fights her belts. The two-piece belts work best for her as she's able to angle the pieces to allow the back piece to sit a little higher on her posterior. Some belts come with a natural curve to the back of the belt, but it's often difficult to find one that fits your natural curve.

There is another option that works for this dilemma as well as those belts (or dresses) that require just a smidgen of altering to bring it in to your size. In one costume I made my girlfriend, I simply stretched and stitched a piece of elastic in the back of the belt. I took a 3-4 inch piece of stiff, 1 inch wide elastic and tacked the ends 5-6 inches apart. This will draw the belt in slightly, add a curve to the belt, and keep it snug on your backside.

Again, consider the fringe. My absolute favorite belts are those with the V shaped fringe. I think this gives a beautiful line, accenting the hips nicely. Many other belts work great with straight fringe but a word of caution. Too much fringe on a straight line can cut you in half and just isn't flattering. Don't be afraid to remove or alter fringe on the belt either! For one belt I made, I attached 12 inch fringe straight across the belt. I quickly realized that the fringe overpowered my moves rather than accented them. I removed the fringe and cut it into 2 inch strips. I then sewed these strips back on, leaving a 2-3 inch gap between each strip. Much better! Yet another girlfriend had a belt that had a scalloped top and a swath of straight fringe across the bottom. She simply opened up the lining, removed the fringe (which comes on a long cord) and zigzagged the fringe behind the belt so that it had a scalloped line to match the top edge of the belt.

Ultimately, the costume should make you look and feel good. It should not detract from your moves or cause you to compromise your dance to accommodate its whims. Enjoy, conquer your fear, and snip away!

Farfesha Belly Dance © 2004