Plus Size Belly Dance Costumes

Those who practice the art of belly dance are not limited to women of a certain size, making plus size belly dance costumes a necessity. The key to a good belly dance costume is selecting the right style and accessories.

Belly dancer costumes combine the elements of bright colors, flowing fabrics, shiny metals and jingling sounds to draw attention to the movements of the dancer. The classic belly dance costume includes a bra, a full circle skirt and armbands. Some plus size belly dancers prefer the easy movement and coverage of harem pants. Dancers who don't want to expose their midriff often dance with long scarves, sheer veils or in one-piece, full-length dresses.

The style of your plus size belly dancing costumes should focus on the most attractive parts of your body. A flattering costume design can redirect the eye away from the areas of your body you want to play down or hide.

You can avoid making your hips look larger if you avoid the bulk created by the yards and yards of fabric in the traditional circle skirt. A slimmer, mermaid-style skirt will accentuate your curves without adding extra inches to your hipline.

A hip belt worn straight across your hip will make your hips appear wider. A v-shape belt worn right above the hipline focuses the eye in the center of your body and not on the width of your hips.

Sheer veils are a wonderful way to cover your tummy while you create mystery and allure. Several veils can be tucked into the front of your belt and then draped diagonally over your stomach and shoulder, and then tucked securely into the back of your belt.

Sheer arm veils can be attached to armbands to cover your upper arms. Patterns are available for a long-sleeve, midriff-length jacket called a cholis which would also be an excellent way to draw attention away from your upper arms.

Sheer veils come to the rescue again here. Tuck and drape the veils the same way you would to cover your mid-section, if you feel the need. Not every plus size woman wants to cover every inch of her body.

Accessories add to the fun and allure of the belly dance costume. Accessories can also enhance your dancing by adding sound, color and movement to help you attract attention to a particular part of your body. The most popular accessories include:

• Bracelets
• Drop earrings
• Finger cymbals
• Veils and shawls
• Anklets

Belly dance costumes are relatively easy-to-make. They are usually less expensive to make than the cost of purchasing ready-made Halloween-type costumes (which can cost from $25 to $80 in costume shops) or professional ready-made or custom costumes (which can cost from $100 to more than $1,000). Patterns for glorious costumes are available online and in fabric stores. The patterns are easy-to-sew and let you pick your favorite colors and fabrics. For additional cost-savings, why not practice your moves with an outfit you can make for about $30 from a t-shirt, a pair of tights and 3 yards of chiffon?

A limited selection of plus size belly dance costumes is available at dance wear shops year-round and at party shops prior to Halloween. The fabric selection is very limited and sizes are usually available only up to a size 14.

Belly dance bras are often only offered up to about a size 44C. Many plus size belly dancers use sport bras which they cover with veils.

For skirts, dresses, shawls and veils, your best size and fabric selection is online at:

• Salomestent.com – styles up to a 76" hip
• Moondancebellydance.com – styles up to a 60" waist
• Zarasemporium.com - custom-fit plus size belly dance belts
• Fcbd.com - FatChanceBellyDance Store (San Francisco)
• Womanwithin.com – sport bras to size 56G
• Shira.net - belly dance costume patterns

• Belly Dancer Costumes
• Big Beautiful Bellydancers – a yahoo.com networking group
• Bellydance Plus! – information and ideas

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