Costuming help!

[Arianne]

Well, see, I'm going to be going faire-hopping this summer. Now, of course I'm goin to be a pirate--but I'm travelin with a gypsy dance troupe--and I dance as well. We do tribal dance, really bellydance. And see, I needs a good pirate wench costume--with a gypsy flair, and the ability to move VERY freely to dance, which means a bodice could be mighty tricky. Anyone care to help? Thank ye much!

[Red Maria]

I have a persona with an ME background so I wear things like Ghahzee coats, harem pants, keyhole vests etc. Any tribal look will do. The whole reason for trabl bellydance is that dancers needed some way to fit into a Ren. Faire enviroment cause cabaret outfits just wouldn't work.

Hope that helps.

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Well,

start of by posting a picture of yourself in your bio....

it will help to fantasize.. i mean visualize what would be a good costume for you....

Really, most of the Pirate Themed faires are very liberal about what they allow as "pirate" so just use your imagination!

Of course, wasn't there a Pirate Ship that captured a Indian Mogols ship that was full of the kings wives/daughters?

I bet they were "dancing" for quite a while after that!

[Arianne]

Well, I know fairly well how to do gypsy costuming, as my instructor has been going to faires for years and is an amazing costumer. I just need to figure out how to make it look...piratey.

[Francois]

Arianne

Your garb would depend on a few things before you decide. First thing to consider is. Do you want to be authentic and look period or be a ren fair pirate. Second, you should pick I time period. A pirate from the late 1500's dressed different from a pirate in the late 1700's and so on.

Remember if you do a period pirate most women dressed as men to hide the fact they were women. Of course with the exception of Anne Bonny, Mary Read , and many other women you can find on this link.

http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/pirates/wome...menpirates.html

I do an elizabethan (1540) Pirate and a rev war (1775) pirate. I also do a French cavalier (1620 musketeer). I try to be as authentic as I possibly can in each period. If your interested I can send some photos.

From my point of view a wench is a wench, a pirate is a pirate.

François

[Iron Bess]

  Remember if you do a period pirate most women dressed as men to hide the fact they were women. Of course with the exception of Anne Bonny, Mary Read , and many other women you can find on this link.

[

Oh jeeze.... with the rig I have to carry topside... I could never get away with that!

[Capt Grey]

Get ye some slops

Picture from Jas Townsend

A sash, loose-fitting shirt, and head scarf and....viola!

[Rumba Rue]

Oh jeeze.... with the rig I have to carry topside... I could never get away with that!   

Yea that pirate flag is really heavy.

Rumba Rue

** **

[Atala Syrcuse]

If ye knows how ta sew or knows someone who does, this might help.

It's a Simplicity pattern #5359 if'n ye wants ta buys it online er #0634 if'n ye gets it at a store. Hope that helps.

[Arianne]

My dear Julie who is teaching me the ways of gypsy dance can show me to make the harem pants, and an panel circle skirt if rather easy. the only part i'm stuck on is the bodice. How do I make something like that so I can move freely? Should I make a short one, exposing my stomach, cover it with a shirt or something? Hmm.

[Duchess]

When I'm blending my interests, I find a Gawahazee coat works quite well. Though they take a bit more sewing skill than harem pants or skirts. I have also used the Fat Chance belly Dance choli pattern. It takes some measuring and carefull piecing together but properly constructed it will you tighter than duct tape if you want. :) It is also easily modified if you would like to cover your stomach. Just simply add a long rectangular panel to the bottom band of the pattern.

For the Gawahazee coat picture

https://pyracy.com/gallery/details.php?...525&mode=search

and I'll try to post one of the choli, with a drape too.

The Duchess

[Atala Syrcuse]

Why not a poofy shirt, a waist sincher and a short vest? Like the one in the picture I posted?

[Duchess]

Why not a poofy shirt, a waist sincher and a short vest? Like the one in the picture I posted?

The key word there is cincher. Anything remotely stiff or tight on the tummy greatly reduces the affectiveness of ones belly rolls and undulations. And those things are the "meat and bones" of belly dance.

The Duchess

[Red Maria]

I came across this painting in a Sotheby catalog. While not GAoP it is one of the better 19th c. Orientalists paintings. The painter at least spent sometime in the ME and observed some women's clothing. To be sure the dancers are proably not spot on but women on the couches are pretty good.

http://search.sothebys.com/jsps/live/lot/L...&go.x=17&go.y=5

[Redd Oktober]

WARNING - SHAMELESS PLUG

Well...If'n ye don't want ter sew it...and if'n ye personal message me, I could put ye in touch with me uncle who has been a tailor in the Ren Faire circuit for some time. He recently finished an exotic pirate/gypsy line. He has many other pieces that you can mix and match. He doesn't have a website, but I'll be happy to get you in touch.

-Redd

[Shaelyn Remick]

Trust me I understand this problem as it's one I suffer often enough myself. I'm working on something right now, you might like the idea.

It's a half bodice so it leaves my waist and arms free to move (could even use a turkish vest come to think of it), a short cut-off chemise with a long 12 yard gauze skirt with bloomers/haram pants under. With the skirt it gives you a lot of options for hip belts and sashes, layer a few of them togther. Hell you can even add a coined hip chain for effect.

Sadly mine is only half done and I'm demanding a leather bodice, which naturally I can't make so it's being purchased! The rest is fairly easy to make/buy if your not the best with sewing.

[Belladonna Bess]

Well, I be mighty pleased to see so many bellydancin' pirates. Not certain I can help, but I would probably recommend going for the keyhole vest style, even though it isn't so piratey.

The one I made recently is velveteen and lined, so it is strong and gives plenty of support (Iron Bess, I know what ye be referrin' too, there's never been any chance of me dressin' up as a man). But it leaves all the essential muscles unrestrained.

I've tried to add this as a picture but I can't seem to get it to work, so here is is as a link.

Belladonna as a bellydancer not a pirate

As to how ye make it piratey, I would suggest tucking a flintlock into yer hipscarf and/or buckling a dagger to yer leg. OK, maybe not.

How about adopting a persona that keeps talkin' like a pirate, but then denies any connection with piracy. "I be an honest respectable traveller, I be. Not a pirate. Nay, most definitely not. Now, where's that scurvy bilge rat of a first mate gone?"

This is because ye be in disguise as a gypsy.

For me I like the costuming, but it is all about getting into the persona.

[Patrick Hand]

with a long 12 yard gauze skirt

I saw a photo of a red gauze skirt over a yellow one, and am thinking of making one for my bosses daughter, she would be wearing a pair of pantelets (short bloomers underneath)

I figure I will gather the gauze for both skirts into a single waistband, and then "distress " the hem. One side will be "hiked up" to show some leg.... but she WILL be wearing shorts under them anyway......

OK .... its not exactly bellydancing wear.... but it should allow plenty of freedom of movement.....

[Red Maria]

There's a book you should check-put called First Seen: Portraits of the World's peoples ISBN 0899511074. Pages 54-75 are photographs of women in various traditional ME garb from the 1850s. While not 17th-18th c. style chagned slowly in the ME so even 19th c. photographs will give and idea. There are Egyptian, Turkisk,Algerian and even Ouled Nail. See if you can get it as an Inter-Library loan at you local library.

[Jolly O'Grog Rogers]

Tanks me matey... I was interested in makin' me a good set of clothes, but I needed some help as to how to find such information. I can make good grog, but makin' me own clothes is a new hobby! Arg!

[morgan_thelimey_grimmway]

I also encountered your problem M'Lady.

I wanted something personna fitting yet danceable.

What I came up with was sort of improvised gypsy/pirate with jingles.

This was for a household yulefeast, and so I kept a colour scheme too. I layered various ruffley skirts so that each layer showed ( you can't see in the picture, but they were green) And pulled them all up slightly in one side ( adding a wenchy feel but also increasing mobility) The bodice was a store brought spur of the moment bodice, but happened to have extremely flexible boning that still held a good shape. ( some sort of plastic ( possibly you could get away with a bunch of rigaline, though I find it pokes through the fabric eventually)) Then I layered a contrasting shawl around the waist, as the tassles accentuate movement, and then a couple of triangle jinglies over that. And of course, the hat to finish it off.

You could find a nice soft soled tall boot or even some mocassins to go with it.

I hope this helped you.

[Red Maria]

Christie's auction of 19th century art on April 19 has alot of Orientalism in it. Here's the the catalog:

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/search/...bjectID=4473529

You might try and cut and paste it into your browser. Lot items no.36-62 female and male ME dress of the 19thc. They are even some sculptures so you can get an all around look at the dress.