Have you ever put on a belly dance costume and thought…

“Wait… what am I supposed to wear underneath this?”

High slits, huge side cutouts, nude mesh… some costumes don’t leave many options.

One of my teachers even said she sometimes goes commando depending on the costume…

But if that makes you uncomfortable, don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Today I’ll show you the 2 things I wear under my costumes—and one of them has completely changed how I design my costumes!

It’s Mao from Sparkly Belly. Let’s get started!

Option 1 – Nude Seamless Underwear

First is the easiest option.

Just a pair of nude-colored seamless underwear.

I especially like these ones from Uniqlo because they’re seamless, so they don’t leave visible lines under a fitted skirt or dress.

These were high-waisted, so I just trimmed them down to the right height.

They’re inexpensive, easy to find, and easy to wash.

Now, I wear these when I don’t expect them to show. It’s more of a backup plan.

If they accidentally peek out through a slit or cutout, they’re nude-colored, so they’re much less distracting than bright-colored underwear.

But what if you already know they’re going to be visible?

That’s when I switch to option number 2.

Option 2 – Dance Shorts

Dance shorts.

These have become one of my favorite costume basics. And there are actually 3 reasons I love them.

Reason 1

First…if they show, they show. They’re shorts!

You don’t have to worry about accidentally flashing your underwear.

I especially like having a pair that matches my skin tone, because they almost disappear visually, especially on stage, and don’t compete with the costume.

Reason 2

Or you can go in the complete opposite direction.

Instead of hiding them, make them part of the design.

Choose a contrasting color…

or add rhinestones…

and suddenly the shorts become another beautiful design element instead of something you’re trying to hide.

Reason 3

But here’s my favorite use.

The shorts can actually become part of the structure of your costume.

For example, this is my Zeina skirt.

The skirt panels are attached directly to the shorts, which makes the whole outfit really comfortable to wear.

Even better… the panels are detachable.

So after a sweaty performance, I can simply remove the skirt panels, hand wash just the shorts, and they’re ready to wear again.

And because the panels are removable, you can make multiple skirt designs that all attach to the same pair of shorts.

It’s almost like having several costumes built on one base.

And the best part is, dance shorts are actually much easier to make than you might think!

You only need about half a yard of stretch fabric to make a pair.

And once you’ve made your pattern, you can sew up another pair in just a couple of hours.

If you’ve been wanting a pair that fits your body perfectly—or you’d love to build costume designs around them—I’m just adding finishing touches to a brand new mini course showing you exactly how to make them from start to finish.

You can check out the Dance Shorts mini course here!

I hope you found this helpful, and I’m curious: what do you wear underneath your belly dance costumes? Let me know in the comment below!

And if you’d like to make your own custom dance shorts, you’ll definitely want to master sewing stretch fabric first. Check out this tutorial next where I’ll show you how to sew stretch fabric without wavy seams or skipped stitches!

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!

P.S. Pin this on your costuming idea board!

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