"Because Shelly has been dancing in the industry for 10 years, she understands how to make a costume conducive to the dance. Her costumes fit well (nothing falls out) and her artistry captures the unique beauty of each dancer. Shelly makes a beautiful costume at a beautiful price."
- To provide original, creative costumes to the Belly Dance Community
- To support dancers by providing affordable costumes that make them feel great!
- To provide dancers with the costume of their dreams
Bab's Designs was created by me, Shelly Baboolall. I've been belly dancing since 1990 and use the alias "Shahallee" when performing, which unfortunately isn't that often anymore. I'm too busy creating costumes for you dancers! It's taken me a while to get a web site started, but we're slowly getting there, so please have patience with us and the site.
I began making my own costumes in 1991 after looking at some pretty ugly costumes at ridiculous prices. I thought, I can make a better costume than that...and I did! My first costume was a gorgeous green and gold item (included in the catalogue section) that generated a great deal of interest. After performing in this costume a few times, several local Toronto dancers asked me who made it. When I told them that I did, they asked me to make costumes for them. Since I was fairly new at creating belly dance costumes, at the time, I declined. As I created new costumes for myself and gained experience...and more requests, I thought why not? In 1995, I started making costumes for other dancers and haven't looked back. Now I design costumes for dancers of all levels; student, amateur and professional.
In addition to designing and making costumes, I also write a costuming article for Mid-Bits, a Canadian Belly Dance Magazine created by Mayada. If you are interested in making your own costumes or have costume questions, read my articles. You'll find information on design ideas, keeping your costume clean and techniques for beading.
If you have any questions or ideas for our site, please e-mail me at babs_designs@yahoo.com. Have fun looking at the site, especially the catalogue and remember, Bab's Designs doesn't just sell pre-made costumes, but will custom design a costume just for you! Check out our Design Process page for more information.
Thanks for visiting Bab's Designs!
