Where to buy male costumes?

[Juno]

I just started belly dancing, and am interested in where I can find male costumes. Do most males just make custom outfits?

Many men wear some sort of vest top. I'm thinking maybe I could just buy a women's top and modify it.

Or, I could just go with lost of jewelry, like the guy at the bottom of this page: Male Belly Dancing But, jewelry might be even harder to get, and I certainly can't make it myself.

Thanks,
Juno

 

[Shanazel]

For the effort you'd spend altering a woman's top you could make yourself a man's top that fits from the start. My best advice to anyone wanting a costume is learn to sew. Even if you find one off the rack it will likely need some alterations, and if it doesn't need alterations some day it will need repairs. Good luck and welcome to the forum. Visit the meet and greet subforum and tell us about yourself!

 

[Mosaic]

Most men either make their own costumes or get someone to make them, if you don't sew or your wife doesn't sew seek out a dressmaker with pics of what you want and work something out with the dressmaker, also speak with your teacher she may also be able to help. Take a look at Zorba's website you may find tips and ideas there ( Zorba is a member here) Zorba, "The Veiled Male", also look up Tarik Sultan also one of our esteemed members I am sure you will find ideas for costuming from tarik as well. good luck & enjoy the journey.
~Mosaic

 

[Zorba]

Just to add to what Mosaic said - surf through my links page - I have a link to every male Belly Dancer's website on the planet (That I know of). There's plenty to look at, and plenty of ideas to get.

Anything at, or below the hips you can buy off the shelf. Tops are, of course, the problem. Jewelry, headpieces, etc can also be purchased anywhere.

 

[Zorba]

Here's another possibility. Take a look through my galleries for my "yellow" costume. The top started life as a "shisha vest" - a made in India vest that was probably intended for drummers. Drummer's vests are usually too long for Belly Dancers - but this particular one I was able to split into two - the bottom became a belt, and the top remained a short vest.

You may be able to do the same - or at least trim down an existing vest.

 

[khanjar]

Weird, just too weird, just when I was half an hour ago searching the pages of fleabay for black fishtail pants to fit me, somehow finding myself on Zorba's website via Yasmina's and reading something entirely different in a quest to find male dance wear and there thinking to email Zorba with some information, I come here and see this thread, Male dance costumes, where to buy. Synchronicity at work again I think, or the law of meaningful coincidences.