I have found a lot of great places to shop for inexpensive bellydance stuff like, accesories, hip scarves, jewelry, music, videos, cd's, costumes, bras, belts, coin belts, beledi dresses, keyhole vests, circle skirts, bodysuits, bindis, tikkas (Indian forehead jewelry), henna, bodystockings, sheer
bodysuits in NUDE or BLACK with seams on the side (finally!), veils, glass fringe, choli tops, gypsy costumes, tribal wear, cabaret style, custom made, sarees, shalwar kameez......well you get the idea...ANYTHING the bellydancer may need! (I have my favorite items that each vendor carries in RED)-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If YOU have found a great (preferably inexpensive) web site please email it to me ! MIKESTUPH@prodigy.net
(These are mostly shops that I have personally shopped at, and in no way do I get paid for
posting these -feel free to email me your questions-Also if you have been burnt by any of these shops or others, feel free to let me know also ! We have to look out for each other!)
GREAT TIPS ON MAKING COSTUMES (FOR SEWING DUMMIES LIKE ME) AT BOTTOM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find anything here, and great service &prices too !
(my new favorite site- especially for cholis)
A super nice lady with great stuff and
great prices ,GREAT CHOLI selection in many
colors and she can make things - just for you !
I love her Choli tops, and circle skirts especially !
She also has the chain bras, and chain belts, and much more.
YOU"VE SEARCHED AND HUNTED AND TRIED TO SEW THEM YOURSELF, and I FINALLY found sheer BODYSUITS, with seams ON THE SIDE, instead of right in front in NUDE or Black ( other colors) and they are only $9.99 !! The first day I found them I bought 4 !!
If you want the belly coverage, and also want it to cover your legs (for those turkish costumes especially!)
you can buy bodystockings in MANY colors and style here, including, mesh, fishnet, crochet, and more..starting at around $7.Please note this is a loungerie store-not a bellydance supplier.
Great selection, great prices.Lots of Egyptian imports too. Beaded glass fringe cheap here !
I love their wrap-on-skirt, and beledi dress!
A Washington D.C. based vendor with great deals especially on hip scarfs and bindis.
A mother and daughter run business (who are also bellydancers ) Best sword prices I've seen !
Great choices especially of choli top, and matching harem pants, and more.
GREAT selection, many varied styles, turkish,
gypsy, cabaret, tribal ! I just bought an adorable gypsy outfit at her bazaar for only $100 (whole outfit) !
She also has a WONDERFUL (the best list I've seen)selection of quality videos with quality teachers!
(no Bidashi bellytwins videos thankfully !) She also has a great selection of MUSIC !
Click on the catolog to shop online.-Bra covers, belts, veils, jewelery, you name it !
Great selection. Key Hole vest, choli tops, matching sets of harem pants, choli, and veils, and much more !
I really like the service and varied products here lots of videos and music available. A tip:But if I were you
I would AVOID buying the bellytwin videos sold here ( i.e. N & V Bidashi sisters)
Bindis, bindis, and more bindis here, great prices, and selection !
Also Chain belts (great prices), Chains, anklets, forhead ornaments,and henna !
This site is actually aimed at (although still in English) Indian women living abroad, so you can avoid the overcharge many sites extend to sites aimed at Americans. And by the way, if you go to "buy in less" you can find sarees (new) for starting at $14....yes i said $14 dollars.
I also found some great shalwar kameez (starting around $20) for our trip to Egypt...or if you just want to dress up nice !
Great Indian fashions, Great prices !! Similiar to above store !
Beautiful choisce of silks, Indian clothing, sarees, chagras, and more
Similiar to above sites, with unique selctions of Indian clothing!
Unique Indian Clothing !
Great selection, although a little more expensive than above stores, since it is aimed more at exports
You will be shocked at the great deals you find when you search bellydance, or similar words !
Search in ZSHOPS and you will find a vendor who sells
entire bellydance (new) costumes for $198 ! You can't beat that !
Also try searching the auctions at amazon, you never know what you will find.
if you are looking for MUSIC to bellydance to, I recommend any of Hossam Ramzy's stuff. You can also find videos here too.
MY COSTUME EASY TIPS for sewing dummies (yes -that would be me!)
Veils, Circle skirts, & harem pants (the basics i can make, the rest I buy above!)
Veil-
find 3-4 yards of your favorite fabric, depending on your height (arm span). Hem, and you are done (use a friend's sewing machine if you don't have one to spare yourself the pain of hand -sewing) !
... If you want a circular veil find one of those little round tables (make sure table's circumference is big enough), and pretend the fabric is a table cloth, then go around where it hangs on the floor, and cut- then hem ! Voila, you're done. Be creative, and tye-die ( I use R.I.T-found at most stores) or put glitter on, or you can glue on a border with fabric glue. *Be careful that the decorations will not weigh your veil down too much.
CIRCLE SKIRT
There are a few different easy ways for this:
1st way. Buy 5-6 yards (yes that's alot, but that is how you make it full) of 45"fabric.Lay out entire fabric on clean floor with pretty side facing down on the carpet. Figure out how long you will want your skirt. I make mine 39" (my hip to ankle length) since I am 5'7" tall.
Fold fabric down from the top, and pin ( I use safety pins) about 4 inches down from top - making it even of course, all the way across. ( I will fold mine over 6 " so it becomes 39" length.)
Sew a straight line, just above the safety pin.This will leave an opening in the top that you can slide something through, just like you slide a curtain rod through curtains. Buy 2" elastic, and cut it for your hips/waist or wherever your skirt will ride.
Put a safety pin on the end of the elastic ( to help it slide) and feed it through the skirt. Sew the elastic together, after it is fed through the skirt, and you have decide how tight it should be. Now you can hem the bottom of your skirt, or better yet, use fabric glue to glue on a border. You can also sew the slit togehter or leave it open. If you can not sew in a straight line, or your machine won't handle the fabric because it is too thick, you can take it to your local seamstress, and they should have no problem sewing it for you. They may even enjoy hearing what you will use it for !
2nd way. (picture of mine here) Buy a circle skirt with elastic in the waist...get a bigger size if you want it to ride down on your hips more (you can also luck out and find these at the good will) at your local store..... Also Buy a 70" round table cloth in your favorite color, or material ( preferably cotton or polyester....avoid vinyl). ( i buy the ones with ruffles on the bottom so I don't have to hem it)
Measure the biggest part of your hips circumference, and add a few inches to that. remember that measurement. Take the table cloth and spread it out on a clean floor. Cut out from the very center the same circumference as your hip measurement plus the few extra inches.
Then put on the bought circle skirt, grab some safety pins, and pin the table cloth over the skirt how you want it.
the after it is pinned you can leave it on, or put onto a sewing doll, or a willling friend (my husband woudln't go for that!)
And whip sitich by hand...You will not need to turn the outfit inside out to sew. Just sew by making a circle around both fabrics.
Only sew about 10 inches, then tie it off, and start a sewing strip to avoid stretching or breaking of thread during wear.
Email me for questions, it is easier than it sounds.
HAREM PANTS
Make the waist in the same way that you make the 1st circle skirt....by folding it, pinning it and sliding the elastic thorugh. When done with that Lay on floor, and cut in the very middle. you will be cutting out the legs here. DO NOT cut all the way to the waist...leave enough room for your derriere (gluteus maximus) and thighs. Do NOT Sew the leg pieces together yet. Your almost done.
Now get 2 pieces of elastic and cut it to fit your ankles. Fold the hem of the pants over like you did to make the elastic waist in the 1st circle skirt. Be careful to make the fold go up inside, so the ugly part is not seen. Sew the hem of the pants, and feed the elastic through each leg. Sew the elastic together....now you can sew the legs together. Remember to sew inside out, so when you are done it will look pretty.
Email me for questions ! Sorry i didn't use sewing terminology...I don't really know any ! -Hope this was some help to you....I'd love your feedback !- Stephy