Steampunk Bellydancer/Harem Girl

[amauzume21]

I was passing time, bored as all get out, when a couple of new friends offered to teach me belly dance. Afterwards I was determined to design a steampunk-based bellydance outfit.  

Here's the corset:

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Here's the hip scarf:

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The hip scarf and corset will be in red.

Here's where I need you guys' help. What pattern should the corset be?

Here's the patterns above: http://www.damseldress.com/
Look under materials.

Any help would great.  Please and thank you!

P.S. Any suggestions for legwear?

[teainwonderland]

I love the idea of steampunking a harem girl look... but how are you going to bellydance in a corset? You really need your hips and ribs to be free for isolated motions and a corset isn't really going to allow that...

[amauzume21]

I love the idea of steampunking a harem girl look... but how are you going to bellydance in a corset? You really need your hips and ribs to be free for isolated motions and a corset isn't really going to allow that...

The corset only covers the chest part.  The stomach is free to move.

[Wilhelmina Frame]

Then you're talking about the jacket not the corset.

I wouldn't use that exactly one as I think it is too long in the back.

I've been e-mailing with Damsel in this Dress about having something made and they seem very flexible. I might ask them to make something slightly different that is higher in the back. You might want to look at her blog or etsy site. Also I think she's not accepting new custom orders for about a month so I hope you weren't in a hurry.

[lilibat]

I disagree about the length of the back because in my head I can see a variation of this outfit with a bustle coming off the lengthened back that drapes like the usual hip scarf in front but has a bit more poof like a bustle but with the coins and such in the back. could be done with a few hip scarves over some stiffer red fabric that is then gathered into the bustle. which would be attached to the top, and tie around the front to keep it in place. From the front just looks like a bellydance outfit, then you see the side and WHOA!

[Wilhelmina Frame]

well I also thought maybe the back could be longer. Damsel makes bodices with tails of various lengths also.

[AllisterCain9]

Im just going to start from the beginning. What does Steam Punk have to do with belly dancing or harem girls? Just throwing this out there....

[lilibat]

Im just going to start from the beginning. What does Steam Punk have to do with belly dancing or harem girls? Just throwing this out there....

Well considering eastern dancing & harem girls were around along with other thoroughly over-romanticized exotic things during Victorian times there is absolutely no reason they can't be Steampunked along with everything else in that category. Modern tribal style outfits I think particularly lend themselves to it as disembodied gears make as much sense as hanging coins do in the jewelry made my Afghani tribes that are so popular with tribal dancers. In fact if you want to be picky about it, they make more sense in Steampunk than they do at Ren Faires where they are beyond ubiquitous.

[darkeyes]

I always thought the Slave Leia costume had a rather steamy feel to it, perhaps you could make some kind of brass overlay for the top.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[dnbsdizzy]

Hmmm one issue with this, where is the belly? I know it's tricky to do the steampunk costume thing, (it's the only style I bellydance in and it's soemtimes hard to balence. but I think that you have a good start but I would go with a shorter more choliesque top, something that looks and functions better for the function of the dance. you do NOT want to spend hours slaving over learning those movements only to have their impact destroyed by the costume. the individual peices or great and would work if you aren't performing, but the performance outfit might need to be more comfortable.

I was passing time, bored as all get out, when a couple of new friends offered to teach me belly dance. Afterwards I was determined to design a steampunk-based bellydance outfit.  

Here's the corset:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Here's the hip scarf:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The hip scarf and corset will be in red.

Here's where I need you guys' help. What pattern should the corset be?

Here's the patterns above: http://www.damseldress.com/
Look under materials.

Any help would great.  Please and thank you!

P.S. Any suggestions for legwear?

[AllisterCain9]

Im just going to start from the beginning. What does Steam Punk have to do with belly dancing or harem girls? Just throwing this out there....

Well considering eastern dancing & harem girls were around along with other thoroughly over-romanticized exotic things during Victorian times there is absolutely no reason they can't be Steampunked along with everything else in that category. Modern tribal style outfits I think particularly lend themselves to it as disembodied gears make as much sense as hanging coins do in the jewelry made my Afghani tribes that are so popular with tribal dancers. In fact if you want to be picky about it, they make more sense in Steampunk than they do at Ren Faires where they are beyond ubiquitous.

And every road comes to this same rift. Neo-Victorian, in my own personal opinion is in no way or form Steam Punk. I realized that the canon of Steam Punk pretty much establishes that Industrial Revolution and Victorian era consist of the most common "Steampunk" setting, but that doesnt mean that Neo Victorian itself is steampunk.

And as far as I know, Belly Dancing and Harem girl outfits would include less and less clothing as possible, which doesnt entirely lend itself to be 'punked.

Also, I would argue that mechanical engineering of the Renaissance, all the pulleys and cranes, is much more 'punk then uptight and antique looking victorian counterparts.

[darkshines]

Try watching the latest movie version of Dorian Grey. Or read She by H R Haggard, or any other number of Victorian Imperialist texts. The middle east and steampunk sit very well together....

[TribalWren]

Talking as someone who is a tribal dancer...I have to say that actually I was introduced to the entire genre of steampunk through my involvement with the tribal-fusion dance community and so in my mind the two are quite closely connected. I get your point that on the surface the two don't have any intrinsic link but the point of tribal-fusion dance is to be creative, to meld together different styles and so in turn, usually fashions as well. I think it is through this that it becomes linked to steampunk, which my it's very nature is about 'fusion'.

If we are talking 'regular' bellydance I would argue that going for a harem style is like...awesome! Very creative, out of the box thinking! I see victorian in that because of the great British Empire! In reality victorian style incorporated lots of different styles from around the globe..

If you want more ideas there are a whole bunch of us dancers out there who consider ourselves part of the steampunk community and try to bring that into our costume designs. Check out the facebook page for inspiration!  

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=161194984360&ref=ts

Keep me up to date...I'm working on my own dance costumes at the moment...maybe we could swap ideas!  

[Mina]

the outfit looks awesome. for legwear, have you considered bloomers for a more Victorian 'risque' look? I absolutely love the idea, and I've been trying to get back into bellydance just to have an excuse to make a nice steam punk-ish costume.

[Elycium]

completely irrelevant to the discussion, but Mina, your icon has just made my soul happy.

to the discussion: I've actually seen steampunk bellydance done and quite well too, at a recent convention I attenged.  It looked great.  one girl even managed to hang something from her back that was shaped like a wind-up key which was a neat touch.  I second the idea of using bloomer styled pants.

[H. MacHinery]

And every road comes to this same rift. Neo-Victorian, in my own personal opinion is in no way or form Steam Punk. I realized that the canon of Steam Punk pretty much establishes that Industrial Revolution and Victorian era consist of the most common "Steampunk" setting, but that doesnt mean that Neo Victorian itself is steampunk.

Steampunk orbits NeoVictorian - it very can be very close, or veer out into nearly disparate things.

Also, I would argue that mechanical engineering of the Renaissance, all the pulleys and cranes, is much more 'punk then uptight and antique looking victorian counterparts.

The Eiffel Tower is quite 'punk', ne-c'est pas?

[Vagabond GentleMan]

Steampunk Triabl Fusion Bellydance is like, "The 'IT' thing" in the States right now...or at least in the DC metro area...

I just found these online, don't know where they're from, but like this:

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And here's a link to a page that is a resource for bellydancers...it apparently has an archive of Steampunk-related bellydance stuff.  This one seems to be about hair and hair adornment.  The page seems a little superficial, but then, true to form, has a bunch of pretty pictures and videos and stuff:

http://thegypsykiss.com/blog/?cat=22

enjoy.

[teainwonderland]

Oooh, lovely pics, thanks for posting!

Also: bellydancing outfits don't need to only be the least amouth of clothing possible - if you look up photos/videos of bellydancers you can see that they manage to throw a whole whack of accessories and add-on into their ensemble, so there's plenty of opportunity to steampunk it through that.

[CapnHarlock]

Amazing photos, sir..

That could ALMOST  make the trek into DC worthwhile

[Miss Groves]

i'd honestly NOT go for one of those tops at all.
I love their stuff, but you'll not be able to dance in that.
To dance you need complete freedom of movement.

Have you taken a look at the 'gothic bellydance' dvd? there is a performance on there that could inspire you, the song has a title like 'i see all my increments in monochrome' in it and the other one 'let's spend an evil night together' can't remember more off the top of my head, but that's kind of how i'd see a steampunk bellydancer.

At the end of the day, it's YOUR personal vision and what you'd be comfortable in.

[Cpt. Tobias Warde]

'let's spend an evil night together'

The outfit the dancer has in that one is a very nice one, worth a look (as is Jill Tracy's other songs )

[Asta_Lynn]

Oooh, lovely pics, thanks for posting!

Also: bellydancing outfits don't need to only be the least amouth of clothing possible - if you look up photos/videos of bellydancers you can see that they manage to throw a whole whack of accessories and add-on into their ensemble, so there's plenty of opportunity to steampunk it through that.

I did belly dancing classes for 4 years and my teacher had a costume that weighed around 25 pounds from the bead work she put into the entire thing.

[Mina]

completely irrelevant to the discussion, but Mina, your icon has just made my soul happy.

glad it made you happy

back to the outfit: freedom of movement is EXTREMELY essential, you want more of a SP flair, add tons of jewellery, hair ornaments, maybe some cool real or faux tattoos (depending on your comfort level with needles and ink you can never get rid of), gloves, hair falls, and all sorts of other accessories

[dnbsdizzy]

I thought I would share some examples of steampunk belly costumes I've worn to give some ideas, this set of photos is from steamcon where I danced with abney park in a bustled ten yard skirt, halter and flight helmet.
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=370563853&albumId=1205955

and another sort of gypsy steampunk look
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=11197475&albumID=50303&imageID=64144356 I used standard tribal belly dance construction for the custumes the coin bra skirts and dance pants, but I chose steampunk feeling fabric and oodles of steamy accessories. I do a lot of prop work so I tend to avoid mini hats and things like that, but that is also a nice edition to a costume.

[Miss Groves]

dnbsdizzy- i'm loving the second pic, the broderie bra and the bloomer style trousers are just perfect!
that's how i'd imagine a SP dancer