In our early days, we found a style of dress we liked for general folkloric dances. We usually called it the "T-dress" because it's shaped basically like a T-shirt, only longer and looser. It was designed to be made from 2 of what I'll call scarf-veils: 2-yard pieces of lightweight fabric, usually semi-sheer with embroidered designs. These are sometimes marketed to bellydancers as "veils" but they are only 2 yards long (by about 36-45" wide), more like a scarf, whereas the more standard bellydance veil is 3 yards long, which is better for dancing. But these scarf-veils are perfect for turning into a T-dress.
We'll start with some
basic instructions, then add some
info on
alternative options and styling.
Basic Instructions
I'd made a handout for my classes on how to make this dress, so until I get a chance to convert into reasonable HTML, I have this scanned image. If it's too small to read for you, you should be able to click on it to get the full-resolution version, which should also work well if you want to print it.
The scarf-veils work well for this project because they come in nice
designs, in the right size, with edges already finished.
But what if you don't have them?
You could, of course, make the same basic design out of any fabric;
you'd just need to finish more edges.
Another option would be to make a similar dress from one 3-yard veil. As of this writing, I haven't found the instructions I'd created for that (I remember calling it the "Quicker Beledi Dress"), so until I get a chance to get them available online, I'll just summarize how it's done, and hopefully this will make some sense: Basically, it's the same dress but without sleeves. You fold the veil in half so the short ends are together and make a boat-style neck opening in the middle of the folded edge, which is the top edge of the dress. Then stitch up the side seams, and you're done. (My experience is it works best when the side seams are quite short, so you have large arm opening, along with the side slit.)
The pic at right shows 3 of us wearing beledi dresses in both these designs. The two on the right, Adena and Sherezzah, are wearing T-dresses (i.e., with the sleeves) made from 2 scarf-veils. Pari, on the left, is wearing the sleeveless style made from a 3-yard veil. Note how the hip scarf gives shape to both styles, and even helps make Pari's dress look like it has dolman-type sleeves.
Although the designs are different, they are similar enough to look cohesive for a troupe. The boat-style necklines may seem an odd choice, but work well when you add jewelry. Wearing harem pants underneath helps compensate for sheer fabrics and differences in dress length and dancer heights. If you'd like to see more pics of us wearing these dresses, with assorted stylings, you can check out folkloric at ODC 1996, folkloric at K&K, cane dance at a recital, and at The Mummy Returns.
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