This week, the costume I dubbed “Blue Mermaid” is on the move. I boxed the costume up and sent her winging away to her new home on the East Coast.
Remodel, Renovate, and Recycle
This costume arrived at Studio Davina last November. I did some quick renovations to the bra and belt to get them onto the stage and in motion.
The bra is magical. The skirt is a dream. Unfortunately, the belt was lovely, but a bit of a mismatch. While impeccably made, the stones were sparse. It was a match between a professional Egyptian imported bra and a more amateur level belt. 
Shalimar of North Carolina and I had a deep consultation. With enough time, I could bring this belt to a new layer of doneness to make a better stylistic match. The design brief included:
- Remodel: Make the costume more versatile by removing the skirt from the belt. As a working professional dancer, having a mix-and-match skirt wardrobe is essential for Shalimar.
- Renovate: Bring the belt up to the same level of finish and shine as the bra. Create a design connection between the bra and the belt for a more harmonious marriage of pieces
- Reuse: Use as many leftover bits and pieces of embellishments in my inventory. The fabric was left over from a previous blue costume I made for Shalimar. The AB rhinestones were left over from a pink costume.
Good for the budget – Good for the planet
I’ve been sharing this project over in my Facebook Group throughout the summer. The most two asked questions are “What glue do you use?” and “Where did you get the rhinestones.”
First, if I were to use glue, I would reach for a bottle of Beacon 3-In-One Craft Glue. But all the pearls, stones, and sequins on this belt were sew-on. Although I sewed slowly over the summer, it was only about 12 hours of sewing. To save time, I choose larger embellishments that covered more territory with fewer stitches.
The rest of the supplies were pulled from my inventory and were primarily leftovers from past projects. In my community, few places sell bulk quantities of surface embellishments. Amazon helps me access materials I simply cannot source locally.
- Flat Back AB Rhinestones
- Lake Blue Rhinestones in setting
- Rivoli Glass AB Sewon Rhinestones
- Assorted AB plastic Stones
- Rhinestone Chain – Three Row
With luck and good fortune, Shalimar will capture photos and video of this costume in motion.
And now the studio for the post-project cleanup.
Happy Dance and Costuming,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Sept. 2025
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