Playing Dressup - Not looking like McMehndi!
Posted by Anne Beltestad on April 30, 2001 at 18:48:15:
In reply to: What do you wear? posted by Diana on April 29, 2001 at 20:34:50:
As Kenzi mentioned, we at Gilded Lilies get dressed up...part fun,part advertising, part doing honor to the ancient traditions.
At first I found it awkward, and have had some difficulty integrating
"henna clothing" with my own personal style. Now, though, after a
year of trial and error, I've found my groove - mix tribal bellydance
with modern Indian, make it comfortable so I can lift heavy objects,
but graceful. I end up wearing a lot of choli-type tops with pants
and a skirt, a leotard-looking shirt and/or cardigan over if it's
cold, and various "exotic" jewelry. I also stick with a color
scheme...black, red, burgundy, purple, and brown so it all looks good
together. That way you can stretch a few items a long way. The dark
colors help hide henna stains. Layers are good, comfortable shoes
that you can slip in and out of, and accessories like jangly jewelry,
bindis, bracelets. Long flowing skirts. Tunics, etc. You can find
a lot of this stuff at thrift stores or yard sales.
I've always liked playing dressup and find it fun. It also sets us
here in Seattle apart from the black-paste-of-death-slinging McMehndi
artists. We stand out, and people recognize and remember us from
festivals. Hopefully, it helps!
Follow Ups