Harem Pants
I am sure you have seen one or another time on TV such as in the cartoon Alladin or an Arabian type film what a pair of harem pants looks like.
For those who are unsure of what I am talking about, a harem pants is a very large puffy pants made in a soft material like the picture on the left.
Your harem pants can vary in style from narrow tailored pants through to wide legged pants. I own a lovely very wide legged harem pants that looks like a skirt when it is worn and puffs open when you spin.
It all depends on you which style you prefer. Harem pants come in different colours and are the base for any of your costumes worn underneath your belly dance skirt.
Obviously if you are wearing a tight fitting skirt with slits only coming up to your knee, you would not need to wear pants underneath. Your harem pants are for all your other skirts which flare open when you dance and have high slits.
Harem Pants Material
Your harem pants should preferably be made out of a solid type material such as stretch satin, lame or any soft material which will hang comfortably on you.
If you choose to wear a harem pants which is slightly see through (much like the patterned chiffon material you find in fabric stores), please wear the following underneath it to avoid your audience staring or hoping to see what is underneath your skirt:
- Jockey shorts / underwear
- Cycling pants
- Yoga tights
- Good old granny panties
It is preferable to wear the above in beige which should blend in with your skin or in black or matching to the colour you are wearing. It would indeed look shocking if you wore an orange pants and pink cycling shorts underneath it.
Your harem pants should be closed or have a slit on the outsides of either leg. Please note that the point of a harem pants is not to expose what is under your skirt and therefore the slit should be no higher than you knee.
I have seen dancers who wear a harem pants with slits that come right up to their hip and personally feel in that case that they might as well not be wearing a harem pants because they are not covering up but rather attempting to show off.
Skirts
There are so many skirt styles out there which one could use for belly dancing that if I were to go into detail about each one, this section of our costuming article would 
indeed be very long.
Skirt styles are again dependant on personal preference and our body types.
You might feel more comfortable in a loose fitting skirt without slits than the next dancer who prefers a tight fitting skirt.
I personally prefer the 2 circle liquid lame skirts as in the picture on the left made by Martha.
They are really lovely when you turn and I can include a skirt dance in my performance by simply grabbing onto it and have loads of material to flick, spin and play with.
Always remember to wear your harem pants underneath.
Skirt material
The type of material you use for your skirt will make all the difference by means of your skirt ending up standing away from your body like a tent or soft and flowing like it should be.
Make sure you choose the correct type of material when you make your skirts. Great material to use which come in a variety of colours are:
- Liquid Lame
- Stretch Satin
- Georgette
- Micro Fibre
And any other material which is soft and flowing.
If you are unsure which skirt is best for you, speak to your teacher who should be able to give you sound advice or contact us for all your costuming requirements.