Belly dance costumes, like belly dancers themselves, come in all colors, ethnic origins, sizes, styles—and prices! As with anything you buy, you usually “get what you pay for”—if it seems too good to be true, it probably is—but sometimes you can pay way more than you need to and still end up with something less than appropriate or flattering, if you don’t know what the “industry standards” are. Photo #1 of Princess Farhana is a typical professional-level costume, which can usually be had for $400–$800. Photo #2 is a costume selling for $1,295—with really nothing outstanding to recommend it, even if it were in the “average” price range!

First let’s discuss what a performance costume should consist of. This depends to some extent on the venue and whether you’re an almost-professional-level dancer—say, a showcase in a Moroccan or Arabic restaurant with a knowledgeable, discerning audience—or perhaps this is just your first outing at a student recital or casual hafla (Arabic term for a “dance party”) with an audience of indulgent loved ones.

In the latter example, you’ll have some latitude and you can get away with a minimal cash outlay until you move up higher on the belly dance food chain. You won’t need a costume as elaborate as those in photos 1 or 2—nor should you spend that amount of money for your first costume.

What you will need: (a) something to cover the bottom half, (b) something to cover the top half (and you don’t necessarily have to expose your midriff), and (c) something around your hips (belt, scarf, sash, etc.) that has “movable items” to spotlight your hip movements. While that explanation may seem obvious and simplistic, there are women out there who apparently were never given the “belly dance dress code memo” or just chose to ignore it. I have seen photos and videos (one was a contestant hopeful on “Britain’s Got Talent”) of women in costumes consisting only of (b) and (c), but nothing on the bottom (a pair of underpants, especially one that is ordinary, everyday wear with no embellishment, does not count)! Please don’t do that! You are not a stripper or a lap dancer, and this only serves to foster the low opinion some people erroneously have of belly dancers!

The “something” on the top is usually referred to as a bra (but it’s not lingerie) and the something around your hips is called, not unexpectedly, a belt, and when speaking of the two of them together, they’re referred to as a “bedlah” (Arabic for “suit”). Many, in fact most, of the current dance costumes being made today do not have a separate belt but rather decorate the top of the skirt as if it were a belt. This obviously simplifies their design and manufacturing process, but I like the separate-belt concept because it allows for mixing and matching the belt and bra with different bottoms for unique looks.

Covering the Bottom Half

The bottom part of your costume should consist of one or more of the following:

(1) pantaloons (aka harem pants)—a pant with a very full leg, often gathered in at the ankle;

(2) yoga-type pants or leggings;

(3) a long (ankle-length) straight, fitted skirt, usually in a stretchy fabric with one or more slits for movement; or

(4) an ankle-length very full skirt, often in a sheer fabric—often a circle skirt (a circle of fabric with an inner circle cut out of the center which is the size of your hips), rather than a gathered skirt (because the circle skirt falls more gracefully and is more figure-flattering).

All of these garments traditionally rest on the hips, or somewhere below your normal waistline.

A few famous fashion-forward dancers (such as Egypt’s Dina) have recently worn short skirts (above the knee) or even biker-type shorts, but unless you are a seasoned professional who knows what they are doing and your reputation can take the censure that will surely follow (as does Dina, one of the world’s top dancers), I wouldn’t do this. There is one exception to this: if you are doing a Melaya Leff (a very specific folkloric dance), the traditional costume is a short flirty dress with a ruffle at the bottom (think, “salsa dress”), but as beginning dancers, you would not be starting out your performance career with this dance. [See photo #3, a typical Melaya Leff costume.]

Covering the Top Half

The top part of your costume will probably be the most challenging for you to find, but there are still many creative options out there, and even more if you can sew even a little bit. Shop for:

(1) An exercise bra or opaque full-coverage bra—sans any sports logos or those tell-tale “stripes” down the sides (consider using a seam ripper to remove these logos or design details) and you will need to trim/embellish it. While you want full coverage of “the girls,” some nice cleavage at the center is fine if you’ve got it, but no “boobage” should be popping out at the sides or from under the midriff band, which means the cup size must be large enough to contain you. I will describe later how you can decorate this garment so it no longer looks like underwear or exercise gear.

(2) At belly dance events or on-line you can buy choli tops; some will even be embellished already. A choli top [see photo #4] is a type of blouse that is fitted and bares the midriff, similar to the garment Indian women wear under their saris. It is often backless with ties to hold it on, and may or may not have sleeves. Many are made of cotton, some are of stretchy cotton knit, and you may even find some in fancy, glittery fabrics. The choli top generally offers somewhat more coverage than option (1) above, but some portion of the midriff or stomach will be exposed. The ones that are not backless have the advantage of allowing you to wear a supportive bra underneath.

(3) If you can’t find (1) or (2) above and/or you don’t want to expose your midriff, look for a stretchy camisole or tank top—the more lycra in the fabric, the better: you want the garment to hug your body—you’ll actually look thinner than if you’re wearing something loose and boxy that doesn’t give you any shape. You’ll need to consider if a bra can be worn under it. Those camisoles with the flimsy little “shelf bras” inside are not supportive enough for most of us to dance in (try doing a vigorous shoulder shimmy in it before you buy). You can always replace any narrow elastic straps with something wider and more solid if you need to. Again, some embellishment, rhinestones, coins, etc. would be nice to keep you from looking too plain, unless your other pieces are truly spectacular. You can attach coin necklaces by draping them from the bottom edge or attach sparkly broaches, rayon or chain tassels, and other jewelry pieces for decoration—look especially for pieces that have dangling bits to them.

(4) Swimsuit tops are also great for costume conversion and can be found in an array of fabrics and colors. They’ll still need further embellishment, but they look less like underwear.

(5) Also on-line or at belly dance events you can find inexpensive fancy tops (many with matching bottoms) that are already beaded, fringed and/or coined, but do not expect these garments to hold up well (the “you-get-what-you-paid-for” factor). They’re usually made in China or India, of very flimsy lightweight chiffon with the coins/beads chain-stitched on—when one goes, they all go. Also, they are “one size fits all,” a concept that just simply is not realistic. Often some type of tailoring or alteration is needed to achieve minimal coverage and modesty even for bodies that are well within the parameters of “average.” [See photo #5.]

(6) You may come across a top or blouse that’s glittery but it’s full-length. [See photo #6, an example that works as is.] If that length doesn’t seem to work for your costume, you can almost always cut it to midriff length, leaving long ends to tie in front (if it’s a button-up style) or sew a casing (that’s just a hem that’s wide enough for elastic to tunnel through) and thread elastic through by attaching a safety pin to one end to use as a “handle” to pull it through the casing. And you can use the fabric you’ve cut off the bottom to make a headband or wrist cuffs, or to trim your bottom piece for a more coordinated look.

See photo #7 for some examples of student costumes using many of the suggestions above.

On any number of occasions I have come across great examples of the garments listed above (both tops and bottoms) at Goodwill or other thrift stores for well under $10, and also at stores like Ross or Big Lots for not much more. But, you’re saying to yourself right now, “That’s easy for her—she’s an average size. I’m a 44-DD (or 32-AA).” Trust me, many’s the time I’ve spied a glittery object perfect for my next costume only to discover it was a 44-DD (or 32-AA). Garments of all sizes and descriptions often wind up their lives at Goodwill, and for a variety of reasons (i.e., they’re not necessarily worn out or damaged). Stores like Ross are actually more likely to have a shipment of off-sizes than average sizes. But you can’t find these gems if you don’t look.

The Important Hip Layer

If you’ve been taking belly dance classes (which is the only way you should be performing), you likely have already purchased a coined or beaded hip scarf and you can certainly incorporate it as you assemble your first costume, so look first for tops and bottoms that will coordinate well with—but not necessarily exactly match—the hip scarves you already have. [See photo #8 for some typical “first-time” costumes utilizing hip scarves to create a coordinated, but not necessarily matching, costume.] You could also use a coin belt. Mésmera always says she likes to wear some “metal” on her costumes and will often add a hefty coin belt on top of a hip scarf or fringed scarf to make a more complete statement and to add some “weight” (visual and actual) to the costume—you can take a page from her book and do the same. Decent coin belts come in a variety of styles and usually sell for $25–$50.

Believe it or not, it is possible to find belts in thrift stores that you can use, with a little work on your part. Photo #9 shows one of the first costumes I put together for myself—and everything came from Goodwill! The bra is a swimsuit top, the chiffon skirt was already embroidered with the curlicues, and the gray leather belt had large crystal jewels set in fancy silver designs. I believe the skirt was already slit on both sides, but that is also easy to do yourself. I added silver sequins and some coins, following the embroidered pattern. I bought very inexpensive silver trim-by-the-yard to put on the bra, along with silver mardi gras beads (not knowing at the time where to find better beads, or how to work with them). And with the gray belt—worn backwards!—I wore my silver coin belt at the bottom to form something that looked kind of like a real belly dance belt.

Even for a first outing, make sure your bra top has been decorated and/or altered sufficiently so that it no longer looks like lingerie. The bra in photo #10 came from Victoria’s Secret and already had the gold embroidery on it (which I embellished with beading), but I felt it didn’t cover me sufficiently so besides adding the customary gold coins, I added the scalloped fuchsia band at the top of each cup.

Of course, a bra that offered more coverage to begin with, or with a larger cup size, wouldn’t have needed all that extra effort, but I was using what I already had, and the scalloped piece added another nice element to the overall design.

Upgrading Your Beginning Costumes for a More Professional Look

As your performances progress, you will want to upgrade your costumes to keep pace with your skill level. Plan your design so that the bra and belt match (same fabrics and design elements); the skirt can be a contrasting complimentary color and fabric. Generally, any sleeves, gauntlets or other arm coverings will match the skirt, and cuffs and headpiece should match the bra and belt. Your veil can either be made in the same fabric and color as your skirt, or in a color that complements the entire ensemble. When you are a more seasoned performer, your costumes should include all the ancillary pieces that you may not have had in your beginner costumes—sleeves, cuffs, or gauntlets; matching headpieces or hair decorations; strong and sparkly jewelry.

You’ve heard the saying “less is more”? Not for a belly dance costume. More is more! You want to make a strong statement that “reads” from the stage or the dance floor and that means jewelry that is fairly large-scale, picks up the light, and/or is worn in multiples (20 bangle bracelets, not one). And consider color combinations that would seem garish in real life—your costumes need contrast to show up, especially in dim venues. Always be on the lookout for sparkly jewelry, even broken pieces, and think outside the box about how you can use or adapt various pieces of clothing and jewelry for your costumes (e.g., long or short sleeves cut off a stretchy top can be used as gauntlets or cuffs, palazzo pants can be gathered with elastic at the bottom to become harem pants, and so on).

Eventually, little by little, I made the green outfit in photo #9 into a more professional-looking costume. [See photo #11 for the later, more professional version of this costume.] I had saved the excess hem I cut off when I shortened the skirt and I used that hem to make the split “sleeves” gathered onto elastic at top and bottom. I covered the bra in green sequins and outlined the silver trim in black bugle beads, and I turned that darn belt back the right-way-round so the larger, fancy part was in the back (which is how a real belly dance belt is designed), and created a beaded appliqué that I attached to the front of the belt [see close-up of belt, photo #12]. I then covered the unadorned areas of the belt with glue and sprinkled on silver glitter, then glued on the same trim plus a strip of the green sequins along the sides of the belt. Instead of wearing the separate coin belt at the bottom (which was difficult to keep in the right place), I added drapes of the silver beads to match those on the bra.

Here’s a bead-sewing hint: In order to get a needle through the tiny holes on many beads (seed beads, bugle beads, etc.), you’ll need to use a beading needle or a needle with a very narrow opening for the thread. It is almost impossible to thread these needles with ordinary thread, so I use waxed dental floss for most of my beading tasks. The waxing makes it a snap to thread the needle, and the dental floss seems to be a little more sturdy than thread, although any beading work is, at best, delicate and prone to accidents.

I also eventually made a belt to match the burgundy bra in photo #10 [see photo #13]. Believe it or not, the triangular-shaped embroidered pieces on the belt were cut from the Victoria’s Secret matching panties, utilized so that the belt would match the bra. I found some sheer fabric for a veil that had embroidery with rhinestone trim very similar to that on the bra and belt. Three yards is sufficient for a veil so I bought slightly more and used the extra to make the fluttery sleeves, and to trim the headpiece that I created. As you can see, I repeated the fuchsia scallop on both the belt top and at the top of the headpiece to create a cohesive design.

So make use of fancy trim-by-the-yard or embroidered ribbon to cover bra sides and straps, glue on some jewels and/or rhinestones, or add coins. You can buy beaded fringe by the yard, or long rayon fringe—cover the top edge of the fringe with some trim to give a finished look, and use the same fringe and trim at the lower edge of a purchased belt or even a simple fabric sash. For a wonderful example of a costume made for very little, and with a minimum of effort, see Princess Farhana in photo #14, a stunning and dramatic costume she created for herself.

None of the costumes I have “created” (made, found, put together) for myself have cost more than $100 or $150 total, including beads and other supplies. Considering that a decent “store-bought” Egyptian or Turkish costume of professional-level quality costs between $350 and $1,200—well, obviously, a little time spent scouring the thrift and discount stores and doing hand-beading while watching TV is definitely worth it!