Another of my early "mermaid" skirts (1990), this one is made of tiger print Spandex, and was eventually my favorite style of skirt to perform in. It was just soooooo slinky and flattering! This one has a single side front slit, then three quarter panels of the same fabric are inserted in evenly-spaced slits.
Another "mermaid," back view. This was made from poly satin and poly chiffon, and had a magenta/gold metallic panel over the front panel of emerald satin.
And another, this one has a layer of chiffon over the yellow satin quarter panels. 
Well, this set wasn't expensive. Four (2 front, 2 back) skinny panels of metallic green knit, hemmed and sequin trim added, worn over a black circle skirt.
A solid sequin panel, front and back, worn over a full circle skirt. Bead and paillette edging has been added along panel's edges.
The panels for my Peri/Gold costume were made of a lightweight pale gold brocade, I then added sequin trim and crystal rhinestones for added glitz (though it doesn't show in the photo). This was taken in 1991, and by then I had learned to make my front panel about 9" wide and the back panel 12", then to added embellishments to the side edges for added sparkle while keeping lower costs.Viva La Skirts!
How many ways can you make 'em?
The Basic Circle
These two costumes (1982) have full circle skirts with two side slits, approximately 5 yards each of 45" wide sequin fabric. Both are also layered over another circle skirt: the pink sequin is over a polyester satin, the black sequin is over a burnt orange tissue lame skirt. I found that layering was an effective way to get fullness without too much bulk at the hip. Many dancers are taught to make their skirts fuller (7 1/2 yards or more for a circle and a half), but when you're on a budget, it pays to go with less. Use less yardage in your base skirts and layer with smaller pieces of the expensive fabrics. Working for Jehlor, where I had the opportunity to aquire fabrics for a great employee discount, I soon learned to purchase and use a half yard of the very expensive fabrics for narrow panels to be worn over my circle skirts, rather than spending $200 or more for just one skirt!
Three more circle skirts, two with embellished hems worn over Spandex leggings. The turquoise is poly satin, the fuschia is crepe-back acetate satin, and the ruffled base skirt is acetate satins, the overskirt is poly glitter chiffon.
The Straight and Narrow
The beauty of straight skirts is they make you look taller and less weighed-down than full circle skirts. Plus, they are much cheaper to make, even using expensive fabrics! Above: four straight skirts, with variations. Top: my snake costume (1980), made from a lightweight knit fabric, with one slit that overlapped a couple of inches for a bit less leg show. The purple (1978) was a long velvet skirt recycled from a thrift shop. The purple gold (1984)was a sheer organza with a matching satin lining, and the magenta gold (1984) was a metallic rayon semi-sheer that I hemmed following the zigzag pattern of the design.
This skirt is a bit more complicated. The base skirt, the fabric which matches the Erte sleeves, was a straight skirt cut longer than usual, then gathered up the double slits. There is a separate sheer black/gold netting half circle skirt over the back panel and tucked forward into the belt. I got the idea for the skirt from a 1984 copy of a bridal magazine.
Another straight, double slit skirt of sequin fabric, lined with acetate satin, with a half circle lace skirt is worn under the back panel. I added a loop of small bugle beads and paillette edging to each side of the panels, plus a 6" piece of beaded fringe attached at mid thigh to keep the skirt from opening too much during spins.
Two more straight skirts, both with added ruffles down the slit edging and hem. The corners have been rounded off to make a smooth transition for the ruffle.
Another variation of the straight and narrow, 1991. This skirt (as well as the midriff cover and sleeves) was made from Spandex, with a single slit up center front to about mid-thigh height. Three quarter-circle panels of tissue lame were placed evenly at slits on both sides and center back, then glitter appliques were added along the hem and slit edges. I consider this style of skirt as the first "mermaid" skirt, a style that's so popular now, and no, I didn't invent it. Got the idea from a dress pattern.
And the Panel
I love panels! They make you look taller and sleeker, without adding any extra bulk to your hips. My Red Flame costume had four 9" wide panels made of sequin chiffon, and was worn over two full circle skirts; red poly chiffon and burnt orange tissue lame. This photo was taken at my first big show, Spectacular Evening 1 (1983).
And the same panels renewed in Spectacular Evening 7 (1989); three were sewn together to make a wider back panel, then both front and back panels were lined and had a ruffle made of red poly satin added to the edges.
Coming up ~ Bras and Belts!
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