Final Touches on Debut Costume From 2007

This is it.  The costume in its final glory with all the changes I made.

Updating the Snapper Suit

I made a few more updates to my Red Snapper costume. Let us first take a look at the new panties. In truth, they're the old panties -- really old panties. I bought these from Victoria's Secret when I was in college and wore them maybe three times before I decided I needed cotton only next to my most sacred bits. They've been in a drawer since. (Ignore the white boy shorts with black trim beneath them as best you can. I didn't bother with nude safety panties for rehearsals in the living room.) I used some rhinestones on the front before. They just weren't flashy enough so I used the same trim as on the bra around the waistband. I also took some of the beaded trim and glued the swirly trim on top of it before hand stitching a little noisy trim band around each leg opening. Now they make lots of noise when I shake them. I think this is my favorite new feature on the new costume.

I also added a real skirt. The elastic skirt I had before was more of a temporary solution. Without a running car, I haven't been able to go to the fabric store to pick up some shiny fabric. Instead, I took my belly dance skirt that had the same fabric that the bra once had as a covering, and I shortened it. It's above my knee now. I removed the zipper and added ribbons to tie it closed. I trimmed the hem and little tease slits with the same fringe as I used on the bra. It's easy to remove and has nice movement when I shake my tush.

Something that's been really useful in this process is rehearsing in the costume pieces I plan to use for performance. I've had time to work with each piece, make mistakes with it and improve it. I'm so familiar with my costume that I'm very confident that I'll pull of this performance Saturday.