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Costume Care and Transport

Cleaning and Travelling with Costumes

Princess Farhana frequently publishes directions on how to wash beaded costumes. Essentially, the procedure comes down to:

1. Do a spot test first, to make sure the colors won't run.
2. Fill a bathtub half-full with cool water and a very mild detergent, like Woolite or baby shampoo or even a mild dish-wahsing soap.
3. Swish the costume gently for one minute.
4. Drain the tub, fill with clean water, and swish to rinse.
5. Repeat this rinsing process three or four times. Any soap residue left in the garment will put the natural deterioration process on fast-forward.
6. Remove costume from water and roll pieces separately in clean towels. Squeeze gently to absorb mositure.
7. Arrange the costume on a FLAT surface on top of a dry towel (not in direct sunlight!). On highly-embellished costumes, this may take up to a few days.
8. Your costume and fringe will now sparkle like new!

She also has an interesting approach to cleaning costume coins, rhinestones and crystals, kuchi jewelry or ethnic items from unknown metal alloys - toothpaste! She says it is less acidic and much less abrasive than jewelry polish, and will remove dirt and tarnish with removing the patina.

Her advice for travelling dancers includes:

1. Always have a one complete costume in your carry-on, because checked baggage often does not arrive when you do!
2. Make sure you have a portable costume BEFORE you need it. A portable costume is lightweight, wrinkle-resistant, and with most of the embellishment at bust and hips, with simplicity the rule for the rest of the costume.
3. Verify that there is an iron or steamer available at the location you'll be staying.
4. Roll skirts and pants up small and tight and use them as filling around the heavier pieces.
5. Protect hair-flowers and other fragile items by packing them inside sturdy plastic bins, cushioned by folded or rolled veils.
6. Jewelry and shoes should all go into plastic bags of appropriate size.
7. The Princess prefers to put each costume and all its accessories (including zills and music CDs) inside one large zip-lock freezer bag. She also packs her street outfits in the same way. Not only does that keep everything together, but it protects from travel accidents like downpouring rain or spills.

Her advice for flying with swords is: if you cannot arrange to have a sword waiting for you at your destination, you'll have to transport yours with your checked luggage. She puts her sword in a hard guitar case with a padded interior, with business cards, a resume and pictures of herself balancing the sword included so that any TSA agent will know why she is traveling with it.

Some dancers eschew the tub and use a separate bucket for costume washing, avoiding any residue from any other cleaning chemicals that can damage the costume.

In a 1986 edition of Middle Eastern Dancer magazine, Farrashah advises:

• Thread rot is a concern. She NEVER puts costumes away until completely dry.
• A plastic bag is a coffin! She stores costumes in color-coded terry cloth bags.
• She lines all bras and belts with easily removable felt liners [This would be natural fiber felt, not synthetic].

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