FAQ
Ordering a costume with Mischief Maker Couture:
I want to order a custom made costume from Mischief Maker Couture Design. What does this process look like?
The process toward bringing your new custom made Mischief Maker Couture costume to life begins with contacting us to schedule your consultation. The designers will then personally meet with you via video chat to discuss your ideas, needs, and expectations for your dream costume. Throughout the chat session, we create a rough sketch, in real time, so that by the end of the conversation, the fundamentals of the design will have been solidified.
After this consultation & basic concept sketch, the designers will create a finished sketch for you, along with a price quote, for your approval. We continue to work with you, until all of the costume details are exactly right, and tailored to your budget. The design can be as elegantly simple or as extravagantly luxurious as you would like. Mischief Maker offers countless options to make sure that your dream is within reach. Once the final sketch and price have been approved by you, a contract will be drawn up.
Mischief Maker will send you a measurement sheet, requesting the specific body measurements needed to create your custom garment. It is strongly recommended that you have your measurements taken by a seamstress, and while wearing the undergarments that you plan to wear under your new costume. You may also be asked to send us a bra and/or dance briefs that fit you well, and match your unique skin tone, to be used as a base upon which to build your design.
Your custom garment will be created based upon the measurements and specifications that you have provided to us. When it is logistically possible, the designers may even be able to arrange to meet with you in person for preliminary fittings. Your garment will be made to fit your unique body and style of motion.
The completed costume will be delivered to you, carefully packed in its own special storage box. Care instructions are included to help you keep your one of kind custom design looking beautiful for years to come.
How long does it take to make a costume?
his question has no one definitive answer, as the construction process can vary greatly depending upon the design. Suffice it to say, Mischief Maker garments are carefully crafted, by hand, using couture techniques. There is no mass production here, no staff of sewing machine operators or industrial scale workrooms. Mischief Maker Couture is comprised of two highly skilled artisans, who will give your design the most detailed attention possible. This level of craftsmanship requires time. We recommend contacting us for a timeline estimate specific to your project idea.
What is the difference between a ready to wear costume versus a Mischief Maker Couture design?
Ready to wear garments are produced en mass based upon a sample garment. The sample garment is often created for an “average” sized person (whatever that means), and the pattern is graded up to larger, and down to smaller sizes. There is no standard sizing system in ready to wear, so one manufacturer’s size 6 may fit entirely different than that of another’s. In addition, the “fashionable silhouette” changes from year to year, meaning that the actual shape of dress forms and/or models used to create the original sample garment also changes. Over the years, manufacturers have also been slowly shifting how they label their sizing, reducing the size numbers (a “smaller” size on the label is a psychological tactic intended to drive sales). With all of this going on, finding a garment that fits your unique body shape is a bit like throwing a dart at a moving target.
Manufacturers of mass produced garments are more interested in profit than artistry. Each new design is carefully costed out. That is, all of the logistical details of a given design’s construction, right down to the stitch length set on the sewing machines, are adjusted to keep costs as low as possible. Each stitch takes time and materials. Therefore fewer stitches used mean a cheaper garment to produce. Fewer stitches also equates to fewer seams, which translates into a poorer fit. Fewer stitches also mean a less sturdy seam & decreased durability. Less care is taken in finishing hems, and securing embellishments. Quality of materials used and even wages paid to the workers producing a garment are also directly affected by a manufacturers drive to increase profit. And little or no thought is ever given to the person that will be finally wearing, and moving, in the garment.
Your Mischief Maker Couture design is one of kind, because you are one of a kind. It is made specifically for you, and your needs. You are directly involved in the design process. Fabrics and embellishments are of the highest quality possible. Couture construction techniques are employed. And your garment is constructed by hand, by two skilled artisans, here in the U.S.A.
About Raks Sharqi/Bellydance:
What should I wear? Do I have to show my belly or any other body part?
No, you don’t have to show your belly. Sometimes I show my belly and sometimes I don’t. While I would prefer to see you in something slightly form fitting so I can see your body articulation, and ensure you have the correct posture. Wear what you feel comfortable in! Feel free to bring a scarf to tie around your hips.
In class I tend to wear socks and leg warmers or go completely barefoot. But you can wear ballet slippers, jazz shoes, or other dancer shoes.
How old do you have to be to bellydance, is there a height or weight or color restriction?
The answer to all these questions is No there is no height, weight, age, or color restriction this dance is for everyone. Including men. I assume you are free of any major mobility concerns; you are more than welcome in my class. I started dancing with absolutely no experience in any kind of trained dance and here I am 7 years later, still enjoying myself. In this dance’s infancy like most African and S.W.A.N.H.T. dances they were done at home or at other social occasions This dance has changed over the years to now include large and small stage performances. I will say I really enjoy teaching people who may feel awkward when dancing because that is how I started out. I look forward to seeing how you grow on your own individual dance journey
Will bellydance make me more confident?
Maybe! It really depends on you and your current mindset. I will provide you with a safe space filled with information and the tools you’ll need to find your own way and get more comfortable with your body.