My absolute favorite part of performing is making the costume! As a diehard DIY-er I love the idea of making something out of nothing. The added challenge of financial and functional constraints make the creative process even more exciting!
But if the thought of doing anything crafty and creative sends you into panic mode – fear not! DIY-ing a pole costume is easy as 1-2-3.
1. Inspiration!
You have your song, you have your story, and you have a character – all these things should manifest into something visual. If you’re doing a literal character, go onto google images to gather photos and looks you love. You’ll start to see repeat color schemes and patterns that may be incorporated into your look. Don’t forget to include hair and makeup in your inspiration gathering – it can really up the ante of any look!
If your character is not so easy to define, use color to tell your story! Doing a breakup song? Use blues or blacks in your costume. Something happy? Go with bright colors like yellow!
Sketch out your costume. This helps you figure out a direction when you start shopping for the materials. Also consider functionality with the pole. If you’re shoulder mounting – probably not a good idea to bedazzle the back of a bra strap.
For my piece, I went with something a little more literal – a Goddess (song name hehe). But there’s many forms and variations. The vibe I wanted to give off was a little sassy, feminine, and strong. I felt that the Grecian Goddess looks were too ethereal and soft. I wanted something fiercer so my inspiration search went towards a more Egyptian style Goddess. I wanted to have the neckline as the main focus in my costume so in my head the bra would have a halter/high neck cut so I could bedazzle it out almost like a beautiful necklace.
2. The Base
Rather than making something from scratch find your base pieces that you can add stuff on top of. These base pieces are usually solid colors and rather basic in style and design. Even a basic black racerback bra can be Cinderella-ized into a bedazzled wonder!
3. The Add-Ons
Now for the fun part where your costume will truly come to life!
Pole dancers love sparkle so one easy way to go is to add bling! Gemstones, rhinestones and sparkles. You could cover the whole base pieces in bling or only do certain portions and make interesting shapes and patterns. Other trims
- Feathers
- Contrasting fabrics, tulle
- Appliques/Lace
- Ribbons
Because this is a costume, the construction doesn’t have to be perfect. If you don’t know how to sew you can easily also use glue (which is also much faster!).
4. Test it out!
And finally don’t forget to test out your costume before you perform in it! Some times certain trims may get in the way or things are not attached securely enough. Nothings worst than having a costume fail during your performance.
Happy costume making!
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