Inspired by the Golden Era. Part 2 - the skirt and the belt

I've just realized how long it is since I posted part one. How time flies when you're busy sewing!

The skirt was made from the same fabric as the bra covering. While the thinness of the fabric had been a problem when covering the bra, for the skirt it was an advantage, as it draped beautifully.

I wanted to make the skirt in the two colours. I have done this with a circle skirt in the past, splitting the skirt into segments, but this time I chose to make what is essentially a straight black skirt, with six 1/6 circle white godets set in. This is a style of skirt I really like, as it provides the fullness of a circle skirt at the bottom (perfect for those Samia-like arabesques!) without the bulk at the top. The hem and the sides of the godet were trimmed with the silver braid which I had used on the black halter strap, and a sequin motif at the top of each godet finished the whole thing off.

The completed skirt

The hip belt provided the opportunity for some more Golden Era styling. Whereas modern hip belts tend to have a straight top, many of the costumes in the film clips I had studied had belts with a shaped top line, with the back higher than the front. Heavy fringing was not much in evidence on these belts either; a few strands of fringe or a looped decoration was much more common.

Samia Gamal and Tahia Carioca in Golden Era costumes

I had already decided to have the fasten at one side of the belt, with the join covered by the drape from the bra. The fabric used was a black stretch lace with silver decoration, backed with some of the plain black jersey I had used to cover the bra cup. The edges were trimmed with more of the diamante trim which I'd used on the bra.  The final touch was a looped decoration of silver grey pearls and crystal beads.

Side view of the completed belt

On the inside I added a couple of practical details; a loop of elastic through which I could thread the veil to ensure that it didn't come loose, and a single red sequin marking the centre front, to ensure that I could easily put the belt on in the correct position.

Skirt and belt together