Cleaning Modern Assiut – Assuit

Vakasha wearing Modern Assiut

I recently received this message over on FaceBook.
(You can find me here – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davina-Dawn-Devine/84640936617)

Hi Davina,
I bought a modern Assiut dress from a friend. It smells musty. How do I clean the poor dress?
Thank you!!  Much love,
Parizadah

Rather than limit the response to just my friend or just to FaceBook, here’s my recommendations for cleaning modern Assiut.

Hope this comes in handy for you!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina

Washing Modern Assiut

First – pound down the assiut.  Use a rubber mallet and take a whack and beat the stitches flat.   If it’s used, the former owner may have done this already – but assume she didn’t. If it’s brand new, this is an essential step. I like to use a wooden cutting board for this process.  Don’t pound assiut on an unyielding surface such as concrete or the embroidery wire can cut the fibers.  The goal of this process is to ensure that the stitches are as flat and secure as possible before laundering.  It also makes the dress more comfortable and less scratchy to wear.

Next – place in a mesh lingerie bag and machine wash on delicate setting in warm water.   Use gentle detergent or soap and a good fabric softener after the rince.  Wash ALONE…  many of these dresses don’t have colorfast dye – so – they run or crock.  Remember, modern assiut is made of cotton – so it can take regular old detergent.  Just keep it in a bag so the assiut mesh doesn’t catch on any moving parts and distort the garment.

Finally – Dry flat or hang dry on a very supportive hanger.  Remember the mesh will stretch more when it’s wet.  So laying flat is preferred.  But if you have to hang it – hang it until dry and then fold it up and put it away.  Do not store assiut in a hanging – gravity will pull the mesh out of shape. It’s best to store modern assiut rolled or loosely folded.  Avoid creasing the fabric and potentially damaging the metal stitches.

Remember: For vintage assiut, only hand wash gently in specialty soap such as Eucalan, Forever New, Orvus or Restoration (Restoration is my favorite for vintage textiles) and ALWAYS dry flat.

Special Issues:

Does your dress have coins on it?  No worries – use this same method of laundering. The washing machine will not damage coins, just be sure they are contained in a lingerie bag.

Does it have beads on it?   Test the beads for color fastness.  Some beads run or fade in laundry.  If this is the case, then hand wash it with soap in a basin or tub.

Is it falling apart?   If it has holes in it, or beaded parts that are coming apart – and you want to preserve as much as possible – then hand-wash in a basin or tub and lay flat to dry.  When it’s clean and dry, take the time to mend it before wearing to avoid further damage.

If the dress is still musty after washing?
You can try one of these other techniques:

1 – Put in a plastic box with a highly scented candle or bar of soap – the scent will permeate the fibers.

2 – Lay/hang it in the sun – the sun has amazing cleaning powers.

3 – Hang it near incense and let the sent perfume the dress.  This is an authentic method straight from the Middle East.

For fine washables - Eucalan

4 – Spritz with your signature scent.

5 – Make a sachet of baking soda and place it and the garment in a sealed plastic bag to absorb scent.

6 – Use a de-scenting product such as Fabreze(tm)

7 – Use a antibacterial product such as Endbac2(tm)

8 – Spritz with a solution of half water and half vodka – this is an old theater trick, and acts as an antibacterial.

And remember – these are all instructions for MODERN assiut.  Do not use harsh products or methods on vintage assiut!

Here are links to places where I buy my specialty cleaning products:

Lacis - http://lacis.com/catalog/

Manhattan Wardrobe Supply - http://www.wardrobesupplies.com/store/finewash.html

Tribal Style Belly Dance Costuming modeled by Moria of Bellydance Super Stars

Belly Dance Fashion:
Bellydance Superstars
in AND magazine

Several of the featured performers with the Bellydance Super Stars troupe recently appeared in an article about belly dance costuming over in AND Magazine.  Accompanied by a smoking hot collection of gorgeous photos of these talented dancers, the text of this brief article breaks belly dance fashion into two main categories, Oriental and Tribal.  Although this breakdown might seem overly simplistic, it does reflect one of the great stylistic divides in the world of belly dance costume.

Oriental – This term, which I think is a great replacement for the now outmoded term “Cabaret” or the cumbersome “Show Girl,” features beads, sequins and rhinestones.  The goal of this style is glitter and flash, shimmer and shine.  For many people, this is the image that leaps to mind when you hear the word belly dance.

Tribal – Built on the same formula of bra, belt and skirt, the tribal style chooses heavy-metal embellishments pulled from a variety of old-world, indigenous cultures including coins, chains and jewelry components.  Even though the term tribal is a relative newcomer in the belly dance world, this type of cultural pastiche has existed since the early part of the 20th century.

In my personal view of the belly dance world, I personally believe that in order to be more inclusive and have a more complete breakdown of costume and fashion, two more broad categories need to be added.

Ethnographic – Ethnographic or folkloric is an essential category of costuming which plays a vital role in the world of belly dance performance. Costumes in this category allow dancers to bring to the stage authentic presentations from distinct parts of the globe.  Dancers wear ethnographic costuming to create a culturally specific story using regional movement, music and costume.

Fusion – This is a handy catch-all term that I would like to extricate from the exclusive domain of Tribal dancers and bring back into general use.  Throughout the long history of belly dance in the US, dozens if not hundreds of costuming styles have been “fused” to bring different flavors and vibes to match any music or performance needs.  From Bollywood-Fusion to Afro-Fusion, the whole world of fashion is used by designers to create a myriad of distinctive and unique styles.

The Bellydance Super Stars show is a well crafted  piece of dance theater.  It’s a show-girl show featuring beautiful star dancers, a lovely chorus line all clad  in gorgeous costumes and dancing to fantastic Middle Eastern music.  The show is structured to showcase the skill and beauty of belly dance at its highest, and most polished level.  From early on in the Super Stars shows, the producers chose to contrast and  highlight the Oriental vs. Tribal dichotomy.

Read the original article on AND that inspired this post here – and be sure to take a long look at the lovely photo album included with the piece.       http://www.andmagazine.com/content/and_3605.php

Find out more about the Bellydance Super Stars - http://www.bellydancesuperstars.com/

Oriental Style of Belly Dance Costume worn by Sefanya of Bellydance Super Stars

Assiut Exhibition Opens at Lacis In Berkeley, CA

I’m exceptionally pleased that Lacis in Berkeley, CA is launching an exhibition of assuit -assiut fabrics in their upstairs gallery throughout the month of March.  Dozen of examples of vintage assiut shawls, clothing and related accessories will be on exhibit.  As you can see from their promotional image to the right, there are both natural and black shawls, exhibited in a manner so you can see nearly the entire length of the cloth.

I’m making plans to head up there soon to check out what looks to be a fantastic exhibit.
If you cannot make it, visit their website and enjoy the digital slide show they have put up for view.

Visit the Laci's Museum website to view an amazing slideshow of vintage assiut fabrics.

One of my pin boards on the Pinterest website

Pinterest
Hot New Tool for Designers

One of my favorite design tools is the mood board or inspiration board. I routinely build collages that inform, inspire and delight the eye and fuel my own creative process. Recently, I went over to the new website, Pinterest and began to explore. What I have found, to my delight, is that it becomes a great digital mood board. As I surf the web, I simply hit a little button on my browser and “pin it”, select a photo from the page I’m looking at and it gets uploaded to one of Pinterest boards.  I can quickly collect visual information from dozens of sources, edit and arrange it into logical groupings, annotate the uploads and share them with my friends.  You can even upload your own images.  I recently started to collect images of Assiut/Assuit as I’ve been working on my new book.

I’m an avid magazine reader, and I’ve noticed that magazine editors, such as Nina Garcia and fashion bloggers such as Erica over at “PS I Made This,” have started adding some really well edited and useful content.  I’ve cruised this site and have found people planning weddings, decorating their homes or simply day dreaming about their dream wardrobe.  It’s fun, inspirational and easy to use.   Check it out!

~ Dawn
My Pinterest Profile 

My Pinterest profile

Assiut/Assuit in Motion – Liquid Silver

Apparently, I’m obsessed with assiut/assuit cloth.  Which is probably good, since I’m working on a book about this magical fabric.  However, several folks have sent me email queries along the lines of:

Hey Dawn, I’ve heard assiut/assuit referred to as “liquid silver” but when I
see assiut/assuit it looks quite stiff, can you explain?

Modern assiut/assuit can be quite stiff, and the patterns are often widely spaced upon the mesh ground cloth.  The modern fabric is made almost exclusively from short-staple cotton on modern machines which create smaller holes.  The stitches are fewer and further apart, giving this cloth a primarily black appearance.

In contrast, vintage assiut/assuit has a higher metal content and was made with finer linen fibers in a more open, looser mesh.  This allows the fabric to drape and move in a more supple way.  When this fabric is completely coated with individual metal stitches, it drapes heavily, conforming to the shape of the body beneath it, but maintaining the sheen and luster of metal.  The weight of the pounded metal in the cloth, gives the fabric a unique character during movement, that is better shown then described.  So below, I’ve assembled three videos, one modern and two that date to the 50′s, that show the unique movement and drape of heavily embroidered vintage assiut/assuit.

Adriana wearing custom bra by Dawn Devine - Visit her website to find out more about this lovely professional dancer and instructor. http://www.adrianabellydance.com/

Top 10 Reasons to Make a New Costume

10 – You have been taking classes for a year and your teacher said those magic words ‘Recital.’

9 – Your best dance buddy got a beautiful new costume and she wants to do a duet.

8 – You finally have enough cash to afford a lovely piece of assuit or other equally expensive and drop-dead gorgeous fabric.

7 – You’ve lost/gained 30 lbs and have earned a whole new wardrobe to go with your fabulous new figure!

6 – You just took a Gypsy-esqe workshop and now need a new full skirt to dance with.

5 – This season’s ‘In’ color isn’t IN your wardrobe – yet.

4 – There’s a show coming up and EVERYONE has seen every costume you own.

3 – You couldn’t resist that shimmy belt, and now you need a whole ensemble to go with it!

2 – You just saw someone else wearing that Exclusive, Custom, Designer original you bought at the last festival.

1 – Because you CAN!

—-

Special thanks goes out to Adriana who is one of the featured models in my upcoming book about assiut/assiut costuming.  Visit her website for more details about her performances and classes throughout the greater San Francisco/Bay Area.

Transforming a Vintage Assiut/Assuit Dress
Step One – “Before Video”

As I work on projects for my upcoming book, All About Assiut/Assuit, I’m trying to catch some photos and videos of me wearing costumes made from this fabric.  In December, I had the opportunity to wear a dingy and sadly in need of repair assiut dress with lots of coins.  The dress is a bit of a mess.  The coins, originally gold toned, have corroded in places to black, copper, dull silver and even green.  Yuck!  In addition, this dress had missing coins, broken crocheted threads, tears in the mesh and was – to sum it up  - a hot mess.   Here I am, dancing in the “before” version of this dress before it hits the workbench and I take the shears to it for its transformation.

Every (American) Dancer Needs A Red Costume

Bay Area dancer Setareh wearing a Red Assiut Costume

There are many costuming options for a dancer to choose from. From the glamour of beads and sequins to the earthiness of tribal and folkloric costumes, the options can be overwhelming. Many dancers start by selecting a specific feature. Color is one of the most obvious first choices, but there is a rainbow of colors to choose from. Where does one begin? White has been popular over the last few years and purple is always a winner. Green, the color of money, could send the job opportunities through the roof. Pastels, neons and jewel tones are all available to tempt a dancer’s eye. But without a doubt, the most versatile color of all is red.

Red? Not black, that most basic and “safe” of colors? Not blue in shades from sky to cobalt? But red! For the American dancer a red costume is a foundation for an entire year’s worth of specialty and theme costumes. In February, paired with pink accessories and heart motifs, the red bra and belt set is sure to set hearts afire at those special Valentine’s dinner shows.

In May, for Memorial Day, a red costume can symbolize the loss of loved ones on the field of battle. Simply accessorize with gold, alluding to the medals worn by our country’s heroes.

In June, the red costume can be the perfect color to brighten dad’s spirits on Father’s Day. While in July, a white skirt and long blue gloves can turn the red costume in to the perfect patriotic outfit to celebrate the Fourth of July. In September, mix up the white and blue accessories for those Labor Day events.

Add a pair of saucy little devil’s horns and a spike tail and become a dancing devil for Halloween. Or you can use add a black cape and a pair of fangs and become the ultimate vampy vamp. In November, you can pair a red costume with orange, rust and yellow accent pieces to capture the colors of turning leaves for Thanksgiving celebrations. And for those December holiday shows, a green skirt and gold accents will transform a red costume into the perfect ensemble for Christmas shows.

Specialty shows, parades and theme events will always be a little more fun if you have a costume that fits the bill. Why not invest in a red dress or bra and belt set that can be reinvented for each major holiday with accessories and accents that fit the bill? Every dancer needs a red costumes, have you made yours?

Note: This is a republishing of an article that appeared on the Costumer’s Notes eZine many years ago.  Recently, I was chatting with Lynette over at Gilded Serpent eZine and she suggested that I use the word American in the title – because the article is really targeted at dancers in the US, and I agreed. Thank you to Setareh for allowing me to share this lovely action photo.  The rest of the article is the same, and it’s as true today as it was then! Happy Holidays! ~ Davina ~ Dawn Devine