I have a suggestion for the *muffin top* that comes from elasticized skirts & pants. I like to use a fitted waistband - it's a 3" wide curve, like a capital "C"...pleat or gather your skirt or pants to this. The advantages are it won't go pull down over the hips if you happen to step on the skirt/pants and it eliminates the muffin top. Mine are usually a bit longer than my hip measurement and overlap (back or front) with sturdy hooks for closure.

And congrats on the weight loss!

Kudos to you on the weight loss!!I have similar issues. I have a c-section "smile" from when my son was born that acts similarly. I find if my belts are not straight across but are shaped or scalloped it helps. I tend to wear my pants and skirts a bit higher than my slimmer belly friends. I also found the glory of to the shoulder gloves and filmy, not quite fitted sleeves. Otherwise I just wear an attitude and have fun dancing.

Well, first of all---Congratulations on that amazing weight loss! And in keeping it off since 2003.

Basically costume should do two things---make you look your best, and make you feel your best :). I think we're all way harder on ourselves re. our looks than we are on other people, so try to keep that in mind. No one else is probably even noticing your extra jigglies (unless they're admiring your smooth shimmies... I know I admire the shimmies of the ladies in my class who have something to shake. I have to work twice as hard to get mine to look half as good :P (Not to mention making sure my costume always 'stuffs' my hips and has lots of shimmy-ing stuff on it). So anyway---you know it already, but here it is again: no one else is being as critical of your looks as you are. At least, not if they're someone whose opinion is worth considering :).

As to costuming---there's nothing wrong with an elbow-length (or longer) sleeve if that makes you feel prettier. Personally I love gauntlets, too, just for how they look, though they don't really scream "ATS" to me (not sure if that's exactly what you're doing though). As to belts/hip stuff, having a belt that's a little bit loose at the top edge, or one that's thicker (maybe even padded), might reduce that "squished up extra skin" problem from the skirts (many cabaret belts are padded to reduce the "muffin-top" effect :) ). A sheer body-stocking might be another possibility---something to control/reduce the jiggle without really hiding the skin underneath. Ghawazee coats are also beauiful and smooth over a myriad of flaws, if they fit with your troupe's costuming. (They're also great winter costumes, but maybe that's not as much of an issue for you as it is for me ;) ).

Ok, I just flipped through your pics and I think that, like me, you could probaby benefit from some extra hip-padding :)... bustle up skirts to the side, stuff flowers in your belt, tuck poufs of cloth in at the side, or just have belts that tie in big bows at the side... anything to fill in that overhang and visually balance off your impressive upper body :).

But above all---do what you need to to feel beautiful :). If you need certain costuming to feel it, that's all right. You're only a year into this---let it come. Be kind to yourself. Let yourself enjoy the costuming that makes you feel comfortable, and let yourself stretch out to where you "want to be" at your own pace. The real beauty in the dance comes from how wonderful it makes us feel---feel that, and you will be beautiful no matter what. And the best costume and the most perfect body won't make it look good if it doesn't make you feel joy.

/end platitudes.

And again... congratulations :)

power netting.
it will hold things in place, but looks sheer. this is what cher uses to pretend her stomach is still how it looked in her 20s

You can come sit right next to me, and we can talk about this all day. Congratulations on your weight loss! I'm in your same boat, I went from a size 24/26 to a size 10/12. It feels so good, doesn't it?! But, at the same time, we are always our own worst critics and will look at that sagging skin, and forget what we've accomplished. I know. I deal with it every single day. It's not about what others see. Others don't see it, but we certainly do, and that's what makes it hard.

Yes, belly dancing usually means showing your belly. Except...I have loose skin thanks to over 170 lbs of weight loss. No one wants to see that. I'm in your boat too. My ribcage and upper torso is pretty good looking. It's the belly button and below that I'd rather not show off. Discount Dance Supply (dot com) has a lot of mesh leotards and covers that work awesome for this. Some of them are nude to give the illusion of covering your stomach. Others are colored if you want to cover, but still show a little off. The leotards aren't fabulous for movement in belly dancing, but some basic knowledge of sewing and cutting will make them work for you.

They also have them in long sleeved so you can take care of the arms as well. Just wear some crazy bracelets, cuffs and jewelry which will cover the elastic at the wrist. Shrugs, tie off tops that are long sleeved, sleeves that start just at the shoulder are all good for covering arms. Again, if you have a basic knowledge of sewing you can easily make these sleeves with elastic and fabric of your choice. I'm not sure if you do any type of tribal dancing or not, but if you do then you're more in luck. A long sleeved choli is also a fabulous cover for the arms.

sorry, i just thought of this:
"belly drapes that are attached to the bra covers actually cover the part of my belly that I like. I have a nice strong ribcage, and the skin issue starts right around the belly button area and goes down to my pelvic cage."

i've seen stockings (or lace, or w/e) that come from the belt and attach at the middle of the bra (see the "mesh" i the 3rd drawing www.shira.net/cg/tummy.htm from the costume goddess's info on shira.net) i've also seen ones that are basically necklaces that attach at the same place, and just drape around the back

Congrats on the wt loss! You Rock!!!
Hi! I totally understand the arm thing!
In my pic I am wearing lace tights as a top and arm cover. (get ones you like, cut the crotch out, turn upside down, dance) The cool thing is that they sit off the shoulder and the "top" part of them hold the "sleeves" up.
Hope this helps!
K

just found another way to show off the top of your abs while covering the lower part: www.kboutique.com/items/oth...kFront.JPG

Wow and congrats! I can identify, but from the perspective of being 64, and having 'bat wings' as Bette Middler once referred to herself. For me, it's congenital and from several weight flucuations in my lifetime!) I got some great ideas from everyone here, too. My entire belly, including the ribcage just ain't as firm as before, but my lower abdomen actually looks better than the upper. Strange huh?, but then I just had one baby. So, I use stretch lace, a sheer mesh body suit from Sugar Petals, and fake tan stuff in the summer. In the Calif summer, I sometimes NEED to wear a tank top to class, and wear upper arm 'sleeves'. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, right?

I sort of have the same problem and I don't know what to do about it. I'm large on top and small on the bottom. I don't have any cellulite on my thighs, but I have a little fat hanging over the ribcage of the bras, under the arms and around a tiny part of my back near the underarms.

Do you think liposuction will work with taking some of the fat off? Losing weight isn't really a solution for me because I get smaller and smaller on the bottom and the top hardly budges at all. It's the way I'm made I guess.

Any suggestions? help...

Azeeza