Transforming a Vintage Assiut/Assuit Dress
Step One – “Before Video”
As I work on projects for my upcoming book, All About Assiut/Assuit, I’m trying to catch some photos and videos of me wearing costumes made from this fabric. In December, I had the opportunity to wear a dingy and sadly in need of repair assiut dress with lots of coins. The dress is a bit of a mess. The coins, originally gold toned, have corroded in places to black, copper, dull silver and even green. Yuck! In addition, this dress had missing coins, broken crocheted threads, tears in the mesh and was – to sum it up – a hot mess. Here I am, dancing in the “before” version of this dress before it hits the workbench and I take the shears to it for its transformation.
Bay Area dancer Setareh wearing a Red Assiut Costume
There are many costuming options for a dancer to choose from. From the glamour of beads and sequins to the earthiness of tribal and folkloric costumes, the options can be overwhelming. Many dancers start by selecting a specific feature. Color is one of the most obvious first choices, but there is a rainbow of colors to choose from. Where does one begin? White has been popular over the last few years and purple is always a winner. Green, the color of money, could send the job opportunities through the roof. Pastels, neons and jewel tones are all available to tempt a dancer’s eye. But without a doubt, the most versatile color of all is red.
Red? Not black, that most basic and “safe” of colors? Not blue in shades from sky to cobalt? But red! For the American dancer a red costume is a foundation for an entire year’s worth of specialty and theme costumes. In February, paired with pink accessories and heart motifs, the red bra and belt set is sure to set hearts afire at those special Valentine’s dinner shows.
In May, for Memorial Day, a red costume can symbolize the loss of loved ones on the field of battle. Simply accessorize with gold, alluding to the medals worn by our country’s heroes.
In June, the red costume can be the perfect color to brighten dad’s spirits on Father’s Day. While in July, a white skirt and long blue gloves can turn the red costume in to the perfect patriotic outfit to celebrate the Fourth of July. In September, mix up the white and blue accessories for those Labor Day events.
Add a pair of saucy little devil’s horns and a spike tail and become a dancing devil for Halloween. Or you can use add a black cape and a pair of fangs and become the ultimate vampy vamp. In November, you can pair a red costume with orange, rust and yellow accent pieces to capture the colors of turning leaves for Thanksgiving celebrations. And for those December holiday shows, a green skirt and gold accents will transform a red costume into the perfect ensemble for Christmas shows.
Specialty shows, parades and theme events will always be a little more fun if you have a costume that fits the bill. Why not invest in a red dress or bra and belt set that can be reinvented for each major holiday with accessories and accents that fit the bill? Every dancer needs a red costumes, have you made yours?
Note: This is a republishing of an article that appeared on the Costumer’s Notes eZine many years ago. Recently, I was chatting with Lynette over at Gilded Serpent eZine and she suggested that I use the word American in the title – because the article is really targeted at dancers in the US, and I agreed. Thank you to Setareh for allowing me to share this lovely action photo. The rest of the article is the same, and it’s as true today as it was then! Happy Holidays! ~ Davina ~ Dawn Devine
I adore watching old videos of classic Egyptian dancers. The costuming is so inspirational, and it makes me want to hit the drawing board to create unique and retro designs. Recently, I decided to hunt down a relatively unknown, but extremely accomplished dancer, Hermeen.
Information about her is quite slim. According to most bios, she was born in Alexandria, Egypt, of Armenian descent. Hermeen became a professional dancer and appeared in at least 24 movies. Sometimes she was just a dancer, other times she had small acting rolls. She later married her frequent co-star Egyptian actor Shokry Sarhan. Other than these few facts, there has been little written about Hermeen.
What we can tell from surviving video clips is that she was an accomplished and versatile dancer. In the following clips, you will see her dance in a variety of styles including a fantastic Spanish dance with castanets ablaze! There are also examples of her dancing with a cane, and in one scene we catch a glimpse of her flexibility with a few seconds of floor work. Her spins are to die for, she has an amazing range of motion in her hips, and her connection with the music is undeniable.
Hermeen
Check out this collection of her videos on YouTube.
Rubber Tipped Pliers from Fons & Porter - available from JoAnn's
Rubber Tipped Pliers from Fons & Porter - available from JoAnn's
Getting a Grip – Rubber Tipped Pliers
Do you do beading? Have you tried to sew through the many layers of a stiff built or a heavily padded bra, only to have your needle get stuck somewhere on it’s slide from one side to the other? Even if you push really hard with your thimble, sometimes it’s nearly impossible to get a grip to pull on the other side. What do I do? I use a pair of rubber tipped pliers!
How do they work? You can use pliers to grip even a short length of needle tip. The rubber gives you adequate grip to really pull the needle through, and since you’re using your entire hand to grip the pliers, it’s more comfortable too.
The pair I own comes from Fons & Porter and I picked it up in the quilting section of the JoAnn’s near my home, but you can find other brands from different outlets. I use them in conjunction with a metal thimble – for maximum push – and bees wax to condition and smooth the thread.
Rubber tipped pliers allow me to stitch through more complex beading. One of the ongoing projects I’m working on is adding appliques to an already beaded bra. This would have been an impossible sewing job if not for these pliers.
Free to subscribers of Costumer's Notes Monthly Newsletter - Sign up through November 30.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who helped me with getting my Costumer’s Notes Monthly Newsletter into production. Today it went out, with a coupon link to download a free coloring book! We will be sending out this newsletter throughout the entire month of November. If you haven’t signed up for Costumer’s Notes, all you have to do is put your email in the box at the top of the right column.
Once a week, throughout the month of November, we will send out the October edition of Costumer’s Notes with the link. On November 30, the coloring book will then be available for sale for as a downloadable .pdf for $2.95.
Thank you to the team that helped put this book into production.
Kristina Reinholds, graphic designer
Jerry Case, technical support, design and layout
Michael Hyde, editor
Jamie Hanrahan, editor
Joe Engledow, editor
Zemira/Alisha Westerfeld, creative consultant and model
Setareh, muse and model
Lulu, model
Without this team of talented and supportive individuals, neither this Belly Dance Costumes to Color Book or the Costumer’s Notes Newsletter would be here, and so much fun!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart ~ You’re all the best at what you do, and I’m so happy and proud to be working with each and everyone of you!
And thank you to my readers too! I hope you enjoy the coloring book!
