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Bellydance Plus! Photo Gallery

Leyla Lanty!

Part 2: Egyptian Oriental

This article is Part 2 of 2 of a photo gallery featuring Leyla Lanty, a dancer who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. The gallery is designed to show flattering options for Egyptian-style dancers. Part 1 shows her Egyptian folkloric style of costumes, and this page, Part 2, shows her Oriental (nightclub) style of costumes.

A Madame Abla Couture Creation

If you're new to the Middle Eastern dance scene and have never heard of the late Madame Abla, then it's time to begin your education!

Madame Abla was one of a small handful of elite costume designers who used to make costumes for the top stars of Cairo's dance circuit. She spoke no English, only Arabic. So any dancer who wanted to acquire a custom Abla creation needed to make arrangements for someone to translate. A typical feature of Abla's costumes was the asynchronous line, as you can see from the placement of the appliques on the bra and belt of this outfit.

These two pictures, both taken by dancer/photographer Jenza Maya (Suzanne McNeil), show Leyla modeling a bedleh that Madame Abla custom-made to fit her. "Bedleh," which means "suit" in Arabic, is the costume commonly seen in nightclubs and restaurants both in Egypt and the West, consisting of a bra, belt, skirt, and optional (outside of Egypt) body stocking.

In December 2006, the worldwide dance community was saddened to learn that Madame Abla had passed away. She will long be remembered for her beautiful creations.

In describing this costume, Leyla says:

"When I saw the skirt for this one among the samples in Madame Abla's atelier in Cairo, there was no question that I would order it. She and her assistant Mdme. Tewheeda custom made this costume to my measurements.

"The most remarkable part of ordering this costume was the measuring process. Mdme. Tewheeda did not use a measuring tape. She laid her hands on my body over my street clothes at the crucial locations. She reported to an assistant what the measurements were as she put her hands around my upper arms, along the front, back, and sides of my midriff and hips and put her "cupped" hands, one around each breast!! A few days later,when I came back for a fitting, the body suit, made of two layers of netting, with built-in hard-cup bra and a big zipper up the back fit like my skin! I was really impressed!"

Leyla's Fiery Orange Bedleh

Here is another bedleh from Leyla's collection of made-in-Egypt costume creations.

When asked to talk about about this costume, she said:

"At the Pharonics of Egypt atelier in Cairo, I fell in love with the bra and belt in orange with fuschia and red-purple rhinestone, bead, and sequin embellishment. I ordered the beaded orange skirt and sleeves to go with it. Included were a set of ankle bands beaded to match the bra and belt.

"When I went in for a fitting, Amira, the designer and owner of the atelier, looked at me in the costume and expressed disapproval. She asked one of her assistants to get a spare orange strap and one of the ankle bands and fix a waist band for it. When this was done, she moved across the room, took one look, and smiled broadly. Yes! this was the look she wanted. I never ever would have thought before this that putting a thin band around my waist in a bedla would be at all flattering. Voila! Much to my surprise, with the waist band I had a waistline!"

The above photo was taken by Marcia Morris Conklin, a dear friend of Leyla.

Orange, Gold, & Black Sequinned Dress

The photo of Leyla modeling her dress was taken by Marcia Morris Conklin, a dear friend of hers. Leyla herself made this one, after discovering the wonderful material in a fabric store. She bought enough to create this baladi dress modeled after ones made in the Middle East. The crocheted shawl with the matching orange paillettes used for a belt was made by Fatima of Sacramento.

Here's what Leyla has to say about this one:

"I made this dress when I was 50 pounds heavier than seen in this photo and it looked wonderful then. This is another of my costumes which always brings many compliments each time I wear it."

The Catsuit

In the photo below, Leyla models her black "catsuit" with fuschia, turquoise, gold beading and cutouts. Photo taken by Carl Sermon of Reel Sound and Light Theatrical Production Company.

When asked to talk about this costume, here's what Leyla said:

"About 5 years ago, in Cairo, I had this one made for me by Amira al Kattan the owner and designer at Pharonics of Egypt. I was at her shop looking at her ready-made displays and fell in love with this one. It is custom-fitted to my body right down to the bra cups!

"I love it because it's just a bit outrageous and because it is both revealing and covering at the same time. It evokes either enthusiastic compliments or stunned (or is it disgusted?) silence from those who've seen me in it. It's a cabaret style, used for modern nightclub Danse Orientale.

"When I saw the costume, I was not at all sure that such a style would be good for me. However, Amira, the designer, assured me it would. From previous experience with her designs, I trusted her "eye" for design and sure enough, she was right. I love wearing it because it evokes such strong responses and because I know it looks good on me."

Pink Lace Dress

This pink confection was designed and made by Mahmoud Abd el Ghaffar at his atelier "El Wikalah" in Cairo. The components of this lace dress include a built-in bra and a separate, detachable hip belt.

Here is Leyla's description of how she came to own it:

"Mahmoud had several models for this gown in his atelier in several colors, but none in fuschia, which was what I wanted. I asked him if he would make it in fuschia with gold sequins and beads and he said "Sure!" His lady tailor took my measurements, shouting them through the closed door of the fitting room to her business partner, her brother. Two or three days later I came back for a fitting which showed that some adjustments in length were needed. About a week later I came back to pick it up. It fit perfectly and looked gorgeous."

Leyla is partial to this dress because it seems to be revealing a lot more than it really does. The clean vertical line from neck to hips presents a figure-flattering effect. The sequin and bead patterns also contribute to the vertical line. The other major feature which doesn't show well in this particular photo is the very full skirt which flairs out whenever she twirls.

The above photo was taken by dancer/photographer Jenza Maya (Suzanne McNeil).

Turquoise & Black Dress

Here is another elegant costume that was designed and made by Mahmoud el Ghaffar at his atelier "El Wikalah" in Cairo. The photo was taken by Leyla's dear friend Marcia Morris Conklin.

When asked why she likes this dress, Leyla replied:

"This dress is another case of love at first sight. I love this dress because of its simple lines and beautiful turquoise floral sequin and bead embroidery."

This dress was designed to be worn without a belt, but Leyla's hip and other measurements can vary as much as an inch or so as time goes on. This prompted her to make a very narrow black stretch sequin belt to secure the hip line on days when the dress fits too loosely for her hip movements to show without a belt.

If you enjoyed this photo gallery, please see Part 1 for more photos of Leyla Lanty and her costumes for Egyptian-style dance. Or, return to the Photo Galleries menu to see other dancers modeling some of their favorite costumes.