Here is a list of the Bellydance Costumes I have made. Photos are beside the name, where available. Please note that the model is a mannequin; I promise I didn't paint my model grey.
Samyra
Samyra is my first creation, and the reason I have this site in the first place.She started as a story character, and as soon as I had the sketch, the story plot disappeared. So I had this character with no story, but a costume design I really wanted to make.
Samyra's Costume
Samyra's costume is made up of a bra top, a skirt, and jewelry. The bra is a simple one; just red fabric. The bra band is covered with silver vinyl belt ribbon and decorated with three kinds of chip stones: malachite, green aventurine, and rhodonite. The skirt band is made of the same ribbon and decorated in a similar way. The skirt itself is made of three layers of four-panel skirts in colors corresponding to the stones in the costume. The longest layer is about ankle-length and is dark green. The middle layer is about mid-calf length and is burgundy. The top layer is about knee-length and is pale green.
Samyra's Jewelry
The headpiece is made of delicate silver-plated jewelry chain. The chain wraps around the head and has a chain to cover the part in the hair. There is a spring ring closure in the back. The front of the piece is made up of a chandelier finding with stones hanging from it, and sits in the center of the forehead.
The earring is a slave cuff that goes around the top of the ear. The cuff connects with jewelry chain to post earrings. The last post earring has a dangle of three stones: malachite, rhodonite, and green aventurine.
The choker is made of the same vinyl ribbon as the skirt and bra bands. It has a clasp closure and is decorated with the same stones. Hanging from the front in a graduated pattern are seven chains; the center chain holds a tiny glass bottle. The chains nearest the bottle are malachite; the chains next to those are rhodonite; the outermost chains are green aventurine.
The armbands are made with the same ribbon and decoration as the choker, except that there are only three dangling chans. They each hold a mix of the stones.
The wrist and ankle cuffs are made with the same robbon and decoration, with no dangling chains.
The bellychain is made of the same delicate chain as the hairpiece. It goes around the waist with a spring ring closure in the back. It connects to the navel with a non-piercing spring-hoop ring. The ring connects to a chandelier finding, which holds the same pattern of stones as the hairpiece.
The slave bracelets and harem anklets are made of the sale jewelry chain as the hairpiece and the bellychain. They close with spring rings and the chain goes around the hand (foot for the anklets). It meets at a chandelier finding, which contains a mixture of the three stones. This connects to a loop of chain that goes around the middle finger (or the second toe for the anklets).
Juno was inspired by a photograph of a peacock. She is named after the Roman goddess whose bird was the peacock.
Juno's Costume
Juno's costume is made up almost entirely of peacock feathers. I make sure all feathers are naturally molted from the birds before I purchase them. It is comprised of a bra top and a skirt. The bra top is a simple strapless design of fabric covered in blue peacock body feathers. The skirt is made of a bikini-style bottom, also covered with blue feathers. On the back is a tail made of peacock eye-feathers in varying lengths. To cover the stems of the uppermost eye-feathers, there is a covering made of green peacock saddle feathers.
Juno's Jewelry
The jewelry in this costume is attached to the costume, except for the hairpiece. All of it is made of freshwater pearls.
The hairpiece is made of peacock crown feathers, when I can find them. When I can't, it is made of peacock-blue sequins and white seed beads. The feathers are sewn into a small circle of a hat base and the base is glued onto a French-clip style barrette. A string of freshwater pearls is looped around the bottom for decoration.
The necklace loops around the neck with a single string drape attached to the bra. It hooks at the back of the neck with a spring ring. Another drape attaches to the front, drapes around the sides, and attaches in the back.
The belt loops around the top of the skirt and over the hips. It hooks in the back with a spring ring.
Calypso was designed on a whim; I heard the name and had to go for it.
Calypso's Costume
Calypso's costume is made up of a halter-style bra, harem pants with an attached belt. The bra is in cerulean blue with a dark blue strap and a dark blue band. Pearls line the top and sling below the cups; a scallop shell sits in the center of the front. The harem pants are also in cerulean with a dark blue waistband and dark blue ankle bands. Pearls and a scallop create a half-belt over the left hip. The belt is navy blue strips of cloth that hang from the band of the pants, and sea stars hang from a few of the strips.
Calypso's Jewelry
Calypso's jewelry includes two pearl bracelets and a pair of pearl earrings. A dangle of seashells clips into her hair.
Athena was created on a whim; I was actually trying to design Calypso at the time!
Athena's Costume
Inspired by Halloween costumes, Athena is comprised of a white bra top with gold ribbon trim, a red semi-cape with gold ribbon trim, and a short, pleated white skirt. Her shoes lace up to the knees (in gold, of course). The ribbon on the top wraps around the waist to mirror the shoes' laces.
Athena's Jewelry
Athena wears a wreath made of gold leaves around her head. She also has gold earrings, a gold necklace and a gold bracelet.
Nova was inspired by a photo of supernova Tycho's Nova (SN 1572) in constellation Cassiopeia. The colors were too pretty to pass up.
Nova's Costume
Nova's costume is made up of a bra with a sleeveless choli vest, gloves, a skirt, and a hip scarf.
The bra is a deep purple; the choli vest is black satin. The gloves are sheer navy blue tulle, and loop over the middle finger only. They are studded with multi-colored rhinestones. The skirt is plain black satin, and the hip scarf is made of the same sheer tulle as the gloves. It is also studded with rhinestones.
Nova's Jewelry
The jewelry is simple. Nova has earrings made of plain beads in the same colors as the rhinestones. She also wears a choker make of the rhinestone-studded tulle.
Claire was supposed to be Morgan, but she just looked like a Claire, all drawn out.
Claire's Costume
Claire's costume is comprised of a plaid tartan circle skirt, a white peasant-style crop-top covered by a plaid tartan choli-style top, and a brown purse.
Claire's Jewelry
Claire wears a simple gold locket and gold bracelets.
Jehanne is probably among my most ornate and heaviest costumes. Her name comes from the way Joan of Arc signed her own name.
Jehanne's Costume
Jehanne's costume is mostly chainmail. I use aluminum rings to keep the weight down. She is comprised of a chainmail bra with three pyrope garnet dangles in the front, a chainmail belt with three pyrope garnet dangles in front and three in back, and a teal brocade straight skirt. All the chainmail has pyrope garnet beads scattered on it.
Jehanne's Jewelry
Jehanne's jewelry is all chainmail as well. It is made up of a headpiece that covers the entire head and drapes down to the shoulders with one pyrope garnet dangle in front, and two chainmail bracelets. This chainmail also has pyrope garnet beads scattered on it.
Rio is my plainest costume.
Rio's Costume
Rio is made up of a sand-solored strapless bra, a sand-colored mermaid skirt, and sand-solored sleevelets that cover form the elbows to the wrists. There is a river-blue wave that creates a strap over one shoulder, winds down the stomach, and connects at the skirt, forming the river that gave this costume her name. The "tail" of the skirt matches this same blue.
Rio's Jewelry
I'll get back to you on this one.
Gypsy was my second bellydance costume.
Gypsy's costume is rather simple. It is a black bra, decorated with red beads down the straps and the cups and coins under the bust, and a black circle skirt covered with a silver-coin-draped red panne velvet hip scarf.
Gypsy wears large silver hoop earrings and silver bangle bracelets on each wrist.