What buxom, blonde haired beauty reclines like the Sultan's favorite
odalesque?
It's Golde, who wears the glittering garb of a belly dancer
but is simply TOO stuffed to perform....She prefers to pose.
She's shown here lounging at a bead store in Longmont Colorado.
Having a doll like Golde around solves the problem of
"What do you do with a belly dance costume
when you aren't wearing it?"
Like her cloth cousin Katherine,
Golde started out as recycled and embellished cloth and clothing. Her body
was cut using a pattern I drafted and an ivory damask curtain lined with moire
fabric.
There was just one panel of the curtain at the local Thrift Store--and when
taken apart, it supplied the fabric for the whole doll with the exception
of her hands, which are vintage gloves.
Fabric and gloves are shown
above.
The same store was the source for her golden
slippers.
Though they
started out a bit too drab, some gold glitter paint easily brought them
in line with the costume and a pair of earring as buckles add another pearly
gold touch.
The necklace shown with Golde's
unstitched body pieces here will eventually
go with another outfit. Sometimes in a busy studio projects get made all
together and separate themselves out later!
Here's a look at the necklace she's
wearing with her oufit in the picture at the top of the page. It features a
polymer clay and gold leaf face with beads of ivory colors, gold, citrine and
amber, and even some fish vertebrae! The fringe has bells at the ends, as does
the fringe on the bra.
Golde's harem style pants are
made of white silk fabric, carried back to me as a gift from the Orient by my uncle,
and sewn using the Folkware "Sarouelles" pattern.
It
is also the type of pants in their Tribal
Style Belly Dancer pattern.
Her bra is completely changed in its look
from the original boring white garment it was, and is now festooned with
all sorts of beads, bells, glitter and trims, and costume jewelry accents.
By starting out with a plain but sturdy foundation garment, all the
attention can be given to the details.
To see more info and pics about embellishing costume bras, click here.
For a page of links to costumer's resources and doll artists,click here.
Here's Golde dressed as a brunette in the Fall. She had a very "gypsy"
sort of look going that month. She has copper jewelry and ornaments on her
vintage shoes.
She's also made up as a festive part of the Christmas
Window for 2007 at a local bead store where I used to work in a spangled
red and gold holiday outfit.
She's ready for the party
all the way down to her bright red fishnet hose and scarlet shoes--even though they don't show, sitting inside a gift wrapped box as
she is!
I love playing dressup, particularly
when its not me that has to wear the wig and the scratchy underwear.
She's wearing beads, of course, in
addition to her other holiday finery, and holding a Gift Certificate. The
perfect present!
The complete window display took 1st prize here in Longmont
in our Downtown Business Christmas Window competition.
Here she is dressed as a Snow Princess complete with beaded
tiara. (Everyone needs one, don't they? Or several, so that you can match
your outfits!)
Then of course comes Valentine's Day and the
Wearin'
o' the Pink.
She's also featured in the Flowers, Fairies &
Crystal Window. That's a 140 pound citrine
plate sitting alongside her! The store owner liked rocks a LOT.
