Belly Dance Costuming:
The Classic Look

This article will introduce you to the primary components of a professional-quality belly dancing costume. You can make your own items, or purchase them from various vendors. If you are inclined to make your own costumes, see Belly Dance Costume Patterns elsewhere on this web site for information about three pattern companies who make patterns suitable for belly dancing costumes.

This is the costume that most people think of when they think of a belly dancer. It is usually made out of glittery fabric and decorated with sequins, beads, rhinestones, and other glittery trims. Your choice of trims will determine whether your costume looks like a professional dance ensemble or a practice outfit just for fun. It will also, of course, have a significant impact on the cost and length of time it takes to make the costume.

This look is not at all an authentic representation of what anybody actually wore before the 20th century in the Middle East, so it would not be suitable for events where people are attempting to re-create the past as realistically as possible, such as Society For Creative Anachronism (SCA) or Renaissance Faires. The only component shown in this illustration that might be suitable for a historic costume is the Turkish/Arab vest, but it would be worn with other things.

The basic elements shown here consist of: A -- Head scarf B -- Turkish/Arabic Vest C -- Decorated Bra D -- Sleeves E -- Belt (Also Called Girdle Or Hipband) F -- Circle Skirt If made out of natural fabrics and decorated with coins, it offers a more folkloric (but not historically accurate) effect. Accessorize it if you like with ethnic-looking jewelry and/or a coin belt. This combination would be particularly effective for dancers who like to dance the "tribal" style that originated in the United States and has spread to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries.

In Egypt, the costume would probably omit the head scarf, vest, and sleeves. The bra and belt would be covered with sequins and probably decorated with beaded fringe. This combination of bra/belt/skirt costume is known as bedleh in Arabic, which means "suit". In various parts of the world, dancers have added on their own creative ideas for decorative components, such as the vest inspired by Orientalist paintings and the head scarf and sleeves. The photo to the left shows Shira wearing a costume purchased in Egypt. The circle skirt is cut with a zig-zag bottom, and is made with two tiers. Instead of a scarf, she is wearing a beaded headband across her forehead. On her arms she is wearing crocheted gauntlets, also purchased in Egypt. PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by John Rickman, San Jose, California.

In the photograph at the top of this page, Shira is wearing a variation on this costume design. She has on three of the circle skirts made of tissue lamé, each in a different color. The red one is tucked into the hipband for a flouce effect. On her torso is a black net body stocking. The bra and belt set are white with gold trim. PHOTO CREDIT: Photograph taken by Evelyn Whitlock, Strawberry Point, Iowa. In the photograph to the right, Shira is wearing another variation on this design that she purchased in Turkey. The bra has epaulets on the shoulders, and she is wearing a necklace beaded to match the bra/belt set. Instead of a scarf, she has a matching beaded headband across the forehead. PHOTO CREDIT: Photograph by John Rickman, San Jose, California.

Many dancers forget that their heads should be in costume too. They might apply some makeup, but overlook the importance of doing something special with their hair. The end result makes them look unfinished. A pretty scarf, jewelry, or hairpiece adds an extra flair that finishes the transformation from a normal everyday person to a Dancer.

This rectangular head scarf is one option for completing the look, and it's very easy to make! You can either make it out of the same fabric and trims as your skirt, or you can select an alternate sparkly fabric that coordinates well with other items in your ensemble.

Instructions on how to make one of these scarves, including a photograph and suggestions on ways to wear it, appear elsewhere on this web site.

This versatile vest can be made in glittery fabric for a nightclub look, or a natural fiber such as cotton for a more folkloric look. It can be paired with either a skirt or pantaloons. You can outline the neckline and armholes with single-strand sequin trim, or leave them plain. Some large-busted dancers feel that this vest gives their bustline a little additional support beyond what a bra alone might give.

Some dancers feel a bit too bare, a bit too exposed wearing just a decorated bra on top. Adding a vest like this provides just a little coverage, and also balances the fullness of the skirt somewhat.

You can either cut it with a straight line across the back, or you can put a point in the middle. You can decorate the point with a tassel.

For a practice costume, you can make a pair of pantaloons and one of these vests out of a comfortable fabric. Then, in class you can wear a leotard, one of these vests, the pantaloons, and a hip scarf. Replace the leotard and hip scarf with a bra and matching belt, and your costume is dressed up for performing!

A pattern to make this vest is available, made by a company called Atira's Fashions. Click here for more information on sources for belly dance costume patterns.

The belly dance costume bra consists of a sturdy bra purchased at your favorite lingerie store and then decorated. When trying on bras, take along whatever padding you intend to use so you can see how your bustline will actually look in the completed bra. Either front-hook or back-hook is acceptable--choose according to which one gives your bustline the most attractive shape when you look in the mirror.

Select a bra that has a hard shell on the cups, not delicate lace--coins and beaded fringe are heavy, and you need to pick a bra that's sturdy enough to hold up all that weight.

Sometimes dancers replace all the straps on the bra to give it a new shape. For example, they might convert standard one-over-each-shoulder straps to a different style to make the bra look less like underwear. If you are a "C" cup or larger, avoid using a halter strap that goes behind the neck--all the weight of your breasts plus the decorations will give you a genuine pain in the neck after wearing it a while! Instead, either criss-cross the straps in the back or put a T-bar across the back to keep the straps from falling off your shoulders while you dance.

Cover the cups and all the straps with suitable fabric--good choices are velvet, lamé, brocade, or sequin-covered fabric. Then decorate by attaching either coins or beaded fringe. Make sure that the completed item no longer looks like underwear. Add a secondary clasp at the opening, so that if one set of hooks gives way, the secondary set will keep it from flying open.

Like the Turkish vest, sleeves can give you a little more coverage on the top half of your body, making you feel somewhat less exposed. Their fullness also helps balance the fullness of your circle skirt.

The picture to the left provides a close-up look at the sleeves and head scarf. PHOTO CREDIT: Photograph by John Rickman Photography.

So far as I know, this style of sleeve was invented in the United States. (If anyone reading this can provide me with documented evidence of their origin, I'd be happy to include that information here on this web site.) These sleeves are stand-alone, not attached to the vest or any other part of the costume. Their puffiness provides a very feminine look, and they look great on just about everybody.

Some dancers are sensitive about having arms that are either too thin or too flabby. These sleeves are great for them, because they cover most of the arm and eliminate one of the worries that can interfere with the dancer delivering her best show.

The belt at the hips performs several functions. It:

• Covers the elastic on the top edge of the skirt.
• Provides extra decoration at the hipline to call attention to hip movements such as shimmies and hip lifts.
• Balances the look of the bra.

The belt can be as simple as a narrow band with decoration sewn on it, or as elaborate as a hand-beaded confection. It should be made of the same fabric as that used to cover the bra, and decorated with items that match the ones used on the bra. So, if you decorate the bra with coins, you should apply a similar coin design to the belt.

The nice thing about a coin belt is that it makes noise when you shimmy. That calls attention to your movement and enhances the dance. Beaded fringe also looks very pretty, but it won't jingle the way coins do.

The circle skirt drapes gracefully from the hips to the ankles, and is flattering on most body types. It is made of a series of half-circle panels that are attached to elastic casing at the hip edge. Most circle skirts consist of three such half-circle panels: two in the back, and one in the front. The shape of this skirt means there won't be much bulk at the hip line, but there will be fullness at the hem.

The circle skirt can be worn by itself if it is made of opaque fabric. Dancers who prefer a little coverage on their legs can wear pantaloons underneath--either sheer or made of an opaque fabric. When dancing outdoors, pantaloons are a particularly good idea because a gust of wind might blow the skirt up and expose more than the dancer intended.

As shown at the top of this article, wearing multiple circle skirts in different colors and then tucking one of them into the hipband can give an attractive effect. These multiple layers look especially dramatic when spinning. A row of glittery trim around the hem makes a nice accent, particularly when spinning.

Some dancers will wear an overskirt of a fabric that flares directly out away from the body while spinning, and then underneath a skirt made of inexpensive nylon tricot that hugs the legs more closely while spinning. This offers the dramatic flared effect that makes the spin look impressive, but ensures that the show remains on the level of "suitable for the whole family".

Instructions on how to make one of these skirts, along with suggestions for decoration and variations, appear elsewhere on this web site.

One great trim for belly dancing costumes is single-strand sequin trim. It usually appears on spools, and consists of just a single row of sequins sewn together to make a narrow trim. This is usually low-cost and easy to find in mainstream fabric stores.

Another inexpensive trim that looks good is soutache braid. It comes in gold and silver, and you can find it in the Notions section of the fabric store, usually on the display next to the zippers that has all the packaged bias tape, rick-rack, etc. It's a bit too lightweight for trimming a veil, but would look nice on some of the items shown on this page.

Pailettes look like overgrown sequins, and they can add a lot of sparkle to your costume.

Fabrics that work very well for all the items shown on this page include:

• Charmeuse (has a satiny sheen and drapes beautifully)
• China Silk (inexpensive, has a nice sheen)
• Tissue Lamé (very sparkly, but a bit stiff)
• Laminates (often called liquid gold or liquid silver)
• Crepe (not as shiny as you might wish, but drapes nicely)
• Cotton Broadcloth, especially with stripes or paisley design (for a folkloric look)

You can also use sheer fabrics such as chiffon and georgette for some of the items on this page, such as underskirts, sleeves, vest, and head scarf. Sheer fabrics are not suitable for pantaloons you plan to wear by themselves or a skirt you plan to wear without any additional layers--audiences generally don't want to know what color of underwear you're wearing.

Velvet and brocade can be very nice for the bra, belt, blouse, vest, sleeves, and pantaloons, but they are too heavy for the circle skirt--they won't flow nicely, and if you make a circle skirt out of them you'll find that the elastic won't be strong enough to hold it up.

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