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Dina has been sewing for more than twenty-five years (yes,
she started as a toddler!)
She's also an artist (Maryland Institute of Art) and perfected
her sewing techniques apprenticed to various designers, freelancing
for small theaters, restyling vintage garments, and altering
wedding gowns.
Dina fell in love with belly dancing costumes upon her very
first lesson. Now the pleasure of wearing her own designs, and
seeing others wear them, is as much pleasure as dancing. She's
become expert as well in altering those troublesome ready-made
Egyptian costumes, and modifying designs to flatter individual
figures.
She holds workshops in Seattle to teach design and construction
of cabaret costumes, and analysis of figure characteristics.
She will also give private lessons, or resize or repair a secondhand
costume. She's thus earned her Costume Goddess title.
You may contact Dina by sending e-mail to dina@costumegoddess.com. |
And now, for a gallery of photos showing some of her costume
creations!
The first five photos shown below illustrate how Dina gives
the same bra/belt set costume several different looks through
the addition of a variety of sleeve styles.
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In the photo to the left, Dina is modeling velvet gauntlets
that match her pantaloons with a chiffon scarf attached.
In the photo to the right, she's wearing big sleeves. When
she wears these sleeves, her arm movements tend to be flamboyant
rather than snakey or subtle -- the costume influences her dancing
style. |
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This next combination is the same red costume as above, only
worn with long lace sleeves attached. Dina put this look together
to go with her Spanish-style music, "Amayaguena". |
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These chiffon shoulder drapes offer Dina another way to vary
to effect of her red costume. |
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This is turquoise and silver with a "feathery" style
skirt of silk chiffon and flesh-colored mesh sleeves with sequinned
appliques which match the sequinned lace pants. The bra is studded
all over with turquoise, blue, amethyst and diamond jewels. In
the second photo, Dina is joined by her friend Katia who is wearing
a purple and green costume that the two of them designed and
made together. |
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This is a baladi dress which Dina admits she pretty much shamelessly
copied from Hadia's instructional video Number Five, The "Raks
Baladi" section. Dina's is sheer turquoise on black stripes,
with sequinned trim, paillettes on front and black fringe on
bottom. She is wearing it with sheer black pants, a beaded copper
hip scarf (hard to see) and copper shoes and copper metallic
head scarf. It's open down the sides and she's wearing a black
bra--a plain one, because a decorated bra might snag the fragile
dress fabric. |
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This is Dina's idea of a Gypsy-style costume with a sheer black
peasant blouse with coin-festooned bra worn on top, and sequinned
ghawazee-style vest over that. Several scarves and coined belts,
multi-color cotton gauze skirt, lots of jewelry and face-framing
gauze scarf drape. Dina uses this for Turkish, Gypsy and international
music--it may not be authentic, but it sets the mood!! |
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In this photo, Dina appears with her pals Yemaya (on left) and
Mahira (on right). Dina is wearing a costume with silver and
gold tassels on white velvet with white jewels and silk chiffon
"Feathery" style skirt and arm bands. It is accessorized
with a metallic white choker with tiny coins. Pals Yemaya (on
left) and Mahira. |
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Yemaya asked Dina to help her make a costume similar to the one
worn by silent-era movie actress Maud Allen in this photograph. |
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In this photo, Yemaya appears on the left, breathtaking in her
finished costume of iridescent liquid green with draped ropes
of pearls, pearl belt and bra adorned with pearls, red, green
and purple jewels and rhinestones, and green silk chiffon veil.
She made the pearl headpiece and arm bracelets herself. The beauty
on the right is Mahira and the lucky guy in the middle is Mahira's
husband Ian, at Seattle's Mediterranean Fantasy Festival, July
1998. |
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This photo shows a back view of Yemaya wearing her pearl costume,
chatting with her sister Robin. |
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Dina's warrior princess costume with black leather skirt, boots
and gauntlets, chained and studded bra and belt hung with skull,
skeleton, tooth and hatchet and goddess pendants, Arabic dagger
in sheath and scabbard, studded armband and sword, and artistically
placed battle scratches. She wore this performing to the music
"Ancient Days" by Raja, which appeared on Atea's "Fast
Moves" video. |
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