{"id":145,"date":"2009-12-31T17:37:00","date_gmt":"2010-01-01T01:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/2009\/12\/top-10-costuming-tips\/"},"modified":"2009-12-31T17:37:00","modified_gmt":"2010-01-01T01:37:00","slug":"top-10-costuming-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/2009\/12\/top-10-costuming-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Costuming Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello Gang, As 2009 draws to a close, I’m struck by all the top 10 lists that appear. It seems that everyone is doing year-end reviews of events that have happened throughout the year. So, it seems fitting that this article I wrote back in Sept. should be published now. It encapsulates my thoughts on the essentials of belly dance wardrobing in a simple top 10 list. I look forward to 2010 and all of the new costumes to make, old costumes to renovate, dances to dance and shows to watch. I wish you all a happy, creative and profitable new year!
~ Davina ~ Dawn Devine<\/span>
—-
Top 10 Costuming Tips<\/span><\/span>
Costuming is one of the most fun \u2013 and most challenging \u2013 parts of being a performing dancer. <\/span>Your costuming reflects your taste, style, budge and if you make your own costumes, your talent! It\u2019s a well-known style axiom – you have only one chance to make a good first impression. <\/span>Here are some new twists on classic costuming tips to help put your costume wardrobe to work for you!<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>1 \u2013 Fit is it! <\/span>Regardless of the style of your costume, your size, shape or even the cost of the garment, fit is extremely important. <\/span>The bra should support and enhance the bust. <\/span>The belt shouldn\u2019t slip or twist. <\/span>Skirts shouldn\u2019t be too short or too long. <\/span>Good fit will instantly make your costume look more expensive. <\/p>\n

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2 \u2013 I<\/span>nvest in quality construction.<\/span> Buy the best you can afford! <\/span>If you are making your costume, use construction techniques that you are most accomplished at for the best results. <\/span>When you are shopping, be sure to inspect your costume pieces for good construction details. <\/span>Strong seams, well applied surface details, firm beadwork and sturdy fringe.<\/p>\n

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3 \u2013 Prep your costume before wear.<\/span> To extend the life of your investment, prep before wear. <\/span>Strategically placed drops of glue on the back-side of your costume pieces will secure knots and prevent embellishments from flying off in a spin. <\/span>On hip-wraps \u2013 often prone to abuse and breakage \u2013 mount hooks and eyes rather then relying on tying \u2013 which will abrade the embellishments. <\/span>Take care of any hanging threads, repairs and fitting issues before you take the costume out first its performance.<\/p>\n

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4 \u2013 Coordinate your performance.<\/span> Matching your style of music, movement vocabulary and costume choice will create the most balanced and harmonious performance. <\/span>Tribal costuming, with classical Egyptian movement, and Greek music might lead to confusion \u2013 especially if you are performing to a discriminating audience.<\/p>\n

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5 \u2013 Don\u2019t forget the \u201cfive layers\u201d of costuming.<\/span> Bring all five layers up to the same level. <\/span>These five layers \u2013 Base Grooming \u2013 Makeup & Hair \u2013 Costume \u2013 Jewelry & Accessories \u2013 Props. <\/span>The costume is just one, though large, part of your total presentation.<\/p>\n

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6 \u2013 Don\u2019t forget class-room and event attire.<\/span> Your belly dance wardrobe is not composed of just what you wear on stage. <\/span>Dancers appear in three major settings: in performance, at events, and in class. <\/span>Be sure to invest in buying clothing and costume pieces that will support all of the areas of your dance life.<\/p>\n

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7 \u2013 Keep a \u201cLook Book\u201d <\/span>As your costume wardrobe grows and develops, making your own \u201clook book\u201d will help keep you on target with future shopping and sewing plans. <\/span>What do you put into a look book? <\/span>Whatever you helps you document your costumes. <\/span>Photos of different combinations, spreadsheet of parts and pieces you own, notations about costume and accessory pairings, swatches of cloth \u2013 really \u2013 anything that helps. <\/span>Use a binder, sketchbook, journal or go electronic with a blog, website or simply a folder with your dated photos.<\/p>\n

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8 \u2013 Build good costuming relationships. <\/span>Consider your favorite vendors as part of your personal wardrobing team. <\/span>Let them know what your long-term goals are so they can assist you in building your wardrobe. <\/span>Most dealers keep their clients needs in mind when shopping \u2013 so establish a good working relationship with a vendor and they will keep your ideas, goals and budget. <\/span>Not good at sewing? <\/span>Find a seamstress, tailor or costumer who can fit your costumes for you. <\/span><\/p>\n

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9 \u2013 Invest in a good bag and check it twice.<\/span> No matter what type of bag you prefer, be it a tote, suitcase or backpack, invest in the best quality you can afford and keep it stocked with performance basics so you don\u2019t have to repack each time. <\/span>Tuck in a packing check-list so even if you are in a hurry, you can consult your list to ensure you\u2019re not leaving home missing an important component.<\/p>\n

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10 \u2013 Care and repair before storage.<\/span> Develop an after the show routine that will allow your costume to completely air out before putting it way. <\/span>Take care of any cleaning or repair issues before you put your costume away. <\/span>If your costume gets stored in a clean and wearable state, then you can pull it out in a moment\u2019s notice to go to your next performance.<\/p>\n

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Dawn Devine ~ Davina <\/span>– Sept. 2009
Author \u2022 Costumer \u2022 Dancer \u2022 Historian
www.davina.us <\/a><\/p>\n

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Hello Gang, As 2009 draws to a close, I’m struck by all the top 10 lists that appear. It seems that everyone is doing year-end reviews of events that have happened throughout the year. So, it seems fitting that this article I wrote back in Sept. should be published now. It encapsulates my thoughts on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/VeilDancer-BackView-3Web.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2YZtR-2l","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}