Accessories

Adding accessories completes your belly dance outfit. You can now go out and buy all the wonderful jewellery in the shop you would not have bought on any other day to wear for your belly dancing. Accessories range from style to style and taste and preference.

However when wearing jewellery with your costume, you must try not over do it as you do not want to look like a Christmas tree. You still want to look professional and elegant all at the same time while feeling glamorous and beautiful.

Remember that when you are wearing your accessories you can wear things on:

1. Your fingers and hands
1. This would be your costume jewellery rings
2. Beaded / coin hand bracelets
2. On your wrists
1. Bangles
2. Bracelets
3. Please do not wear a watch when you dance
3. On your upper arms
1. Snake bands
2. Coin arm bands
4. On your neck
1. All your various necklace jewellery
5. In your ears.
1. All your various earring jewellery
6. Around your ankles and on your feet
1. Anklets
2. Toe rings
7. Your stomach.
1. Stomach chains
2. Belly Rings
8. On your head and in your hair
1. Various head decorations such as head veils, turbans, tribal hair etc
2. Jewellery
3. Hair Accessories such as clips, flowers etc

This is not to say that you must wear something on each of the body parts described above. This is merely examples of what you can wear and you should not feel limited to only wearing a necklace or a bracelet. You can vary they way you dress or simply enhance your costume with the use of jewellery.

Arm Coverings

Now I know that some of us feel self conscious about having our arms exposed as well as our stomachs. Well the good news is that you do not have to expose your arms and stomach if you do not want to.

Arm coverings are a great way to feel more confident in a sleeveless top by simply covering our arms. A few great arm covering ideas are:

1. Gauntlets made from stretch net or stretch lace
1. Please note that you cannot merely stretch the lace around your arm and sew it closed.
2. Gauntlets are made to the length and shape of your arm
2. The puff arm sleeves for the gypsy look
1. A beautiful sheer or solid material sewn to an elastic on either end.
2. Measure the elastic for your upper arm and for where the elastic will sit on your lower arm
3. The material is very puffy and hangs loosely.
4. The elastic is covered with a fabric matching your sleeve material or you can use stretch sequin instead of elastic.
3. Beaded arm bands worn on the upper arm.
1. Stretch sequin to fit your upper arm
2. Beaded strings sewn onto the stretch sequin which hang freely
4. Flare sleeves:
1. Fabric cut into a ‘V’ type formation sleeve and sewn onto elastic measured to the length for your upper arm.
2. The elastic is covered with a fabric matching your sleeve material or you can use stretch sequin instead of elastic.
5. Handkerchief sleeve.
1. Cut 4 small or medium size squares out of a sheer fabric or fabric of your choice.
2. Measure elastic for the upper part of your arm.
3. Cover the elastic with a fabric matching your handkerchief squares or you can use stretch sequin instead of elastic.
4. Sew the handkerchief squares equal spacing apart from each other onto the elastic or stretch sequin.
6. A top with ¾ to full length sleeves.
1. If you do not want your arms out at all, you can create tops for yourself which come with a sleeve.
2. You can create various styles of tops with various styles of sleeve patterns.

These are a few ideas which you can use for arm coverings or for some variation in your costumes.

Remember that you are not only restricted to one style or the authentic beaded bra / belt belly dance costume sets. Our bodies are all different and you must feel comfortable in what you are wearing.

Stomach Coverings

If you want to cover up your stomach there are various ideas which you can use. Here a few examples:

 

 

 

 

 

1. Body Stockings
1. A lot of my students have found the body stocking really great.
2. It can be made in the colour which will closely represent you skin tone
3. You can wear your body stocking and a top where your stomach comes out without actually having your stomach out
4. It is a solid material and you cannot see through it.
2. Mesh / Lace Coverings
1. Often attached to your top and belt or made like a body stocking as well.
2. The stretch mesh is some what see through whereas your stretch lace is very partially transparent.
3. Long layered fringing
1. You can extend the length and thickness of your fringing attached to your bra or top to cover your stomach without having to change your belly dance wardrobe completely.
4. Tassle
1. Tassle is great idea to add onto your tops to cover your stomach.
2. They come in different colours and length and can be sewn on in a single or double layer.
3. What is great about tassle is that it is really light yet effective when you move.
4. You can add in a beaded string here and there into your tassle if you want to add a bit of shine.
5. Veil Draping
1. Dina the costume goddess has great ideas on how to use your veil to cover up your body / stomach with various draping techniques
6. Top patterns which cover stomach
1. If you would like you stomach covered completely without using any of the above ideas, you can buy a pattern and sew a top that you like in shiny or patterned material that you like such as liquid lame, patterned velvet and so on.

Harem pants & skirts

Tops vs. Bras & belts

Colour co-ordination & costume care