{"id":6308,"date":"2018-06-11T20:55:40","date_gmt":"2018-06-12T03:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/?p=6308"},"modified":"2018-06-11T20:55:40","modified_gmt":"2018-06-12T03:55:40","slug":"faux-assiut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davina.us\/blog\/2018\/06\/faux-assiut\/","title":{"rendered":"Mixing Faux and Modern Assiut"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Swirl is my informal performance group composed of my proteges and myself.\u00a0 For our spring performance at HaflAdira in Willow Glen, CA, we put together a set of coordinating costumes using a combination of existing costume pieces, faux assiut, and modern assiut.\u00a0 Here’s how these costumes came together.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pulling From the Closet<\/h2>\n

Before we started costuming, we\u00a0decided to do individual costume inventories.\u00a0 Zemira had this gorgeous black “Bessie”<\/a> skirt\u00a0from the Fat Chance Bellydance studio. in her collection and this was the perfect opportunity to integrate into our trio.\u00a0 Vakasha owned a Melodia “Mythica” skirt in the black and silver colorway.\u00a0 I have a Melodia skirt in the same fabric but in the “Cleopatra”<\/a> cut.\u00a0 Since these three skirts coordinated beautifully, we decided to use these as our starting out point saving us time and money!<\/p>\n

To make a complete a head to toe costume, we decided to unify the look by using matching body stockings.\u00a0 Zemira and I already had these in our wardrobe and Vakasha picked up hers from Dahlal Internationa<\/a>l.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Faux Assiut from Melodia Designs<\/h2>\n

It became clear that we were going to have to craft a trio of bras to out of the glorious Melodia faux assiut fabric.\u00a0 As a team, we invested in an Infinity Scarf to be our sacrificial garment.\u00a0 I took this tube and cut it apart.\u00a0 There was enough fabric to create all three bras with a significant amount of cloth left over.<\/p>\n

Zemira also bought an Infinity scarf to wear as a hip treatment over her solid black skirt. Since her scarf didn’t have fringe, I elected to use a similarly shaped piece of modern assiut to echo the shape.\u00a0 Vakasha used a pair of V-shaped assiut triangles for her hip treatment, and when viewed together, they worked in visual harmony.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Custom Bras to Coordinate<\/h2>\n

To craft our faux assiut bras, we began with underwire and padded bras either from our wardrobes or new from the store.\u00a0 I really feel that it’s important to get the bra that really works not only for your size and shape, but also to give you the coverage and support that you are happy with.\u00a0 No two commercially made bras are the same, and the only way to find one that works for you is to go shopping and try on a lot of bras.<\/p>\n

Once the bras were in my workbench, I pieced the faux assiut fabric onto the cups, to create three different styles.\u00a0 Each bra is laid out symmetrically, from different parts of the assiut pattern.\u00a0 Before I sew, I pin both cups into place to ensure that they match as closely as possible.\u00a0 Then I hand sew the fabric into place.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Embellishing with Saroyan Coins<\/span><\/h2>\n

Once the faux assiut was appliqued onto the bra bases, we decided to pull some silver coins from our collections.\u00a0 Vakasha had some leftover Saroyan silver “Nefertiti” coins left over from a previous project. I had some “Venus” coins and together we pooled our resources and used what we had to embellish all three bras. These coins are currently discontinued, but there’s a small quantity left on the Saroyan website<\/a>.\u00a0 If they spark your\u00a0interest, be sure to head over there soon before they are completely gone.<\/p>\n

These costumes are comfortable, stylish, and were actually quite affordable.\u00a0 I was so happy that we shopped our wardrobes and worked together as a team to create these ensembles that we can wear together or alone.\u00a0 I feel like I have a new capsule wardrobe that I can use as a base to create a variety of different looks.\u00a0 I’m excited to experiment with different options in the future.<\/p>\n

Do you like these costumes?\u00a0 Check them out in action below.\u00a0 And remember, if you go to YouTube, be sure to like it if you like it!<\/p>\n

Now, I’ve gotta get back to the studio to make another costume!<\/em><\/strong>
\nDawn Devine ~ Davina<\/em><\/strong>
\nMonday, June 11, 2018<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Watch Our Performance<\/h2>\n