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blodeueddSo the whole anime thing sort of stopped for me a few years ago, but every now and then I find (or go looking for) cosplay pictures. There are some really amazing costumes out there, as well as some really horrible ones. Many people dress without consideration for their body type -- and I'm not saying you have to be stick-thin to play a stick-thin character, but if you're going to take the time to make a costume, why not make it fit you properly? Anyway, that's neither here nor there. What I'd really like to know, the thing that might keep me up at night if I cared more, is why the obsession with shiny, shiny, satiny fabrics?! I don't get it. Sure, you're adapting two-dimensional, animated images, so it's kind of up to you to choose an appropriate fabric, but why that one? Do people often dress head-to-toe in satin, cheap polyester stuff at that, unless they're wearing an evening gown? Think about it, people. Yes, the whole point is that a lot of the costumes defy gravity, practicality and many other things we're forced to live with in our daily lives, but it just ends up seeming tacky most of the time. Also, wrinkles show up a lot more.
For no particular reason, I now feel like
As for myself, I cosplayed a grand total of four different characters. My first was Nuriko, of course: I made the pink pants myself, from a remnant my mother had. The top was made by my mother, from a drawing of mine, because do you have any idea how impossible it was to find an image of that outfit? Pretty impossible, even though he wears it for at least a few episodes. The only screencaps I could find were either head and torso shots or really blurry full-body shots. Anyway, the purple was another remnant (used to be the curtains in my brothers' bedroom), the blue was a piece of fabric we stumbled upon at St-Vincent-de-Paul and the belt was made from (what? again?) two different yellow scraps my mother had. All the perfect colour, at a total price of under 5$. Let me assure you that there was absolutely nothing left over once the pieces were cut. I remember my mother looking at me, scissors in hand, both of our hearts heavy with the knowledge that once she started cutting, there was no going back. Fortunately, it turned out wonderfully and I must point out that I actually CUT MY HAIR for this costume. Seriously, I hadn't had bangs in years (those little wisps didn't count), but I cut myself some odd, chunky bangs. The only regretable-looking part of my costume were the bracelets, which I drew on cardboard because I had no idea of even how to begin making jewelry or where I could find the supplies for it.
You can't really tell in the picture, but I'd used some of that purple Halloween spray on my hair, since I was ready to cut my hair, but not dye it. My brother also had stuff in his hair, blue for Chichiri, of course. His costume was quite the family effort: my mother sewed his top (the pants were an old pair of his); I block-printed his cape and made the necklace from a Christmas tree garland, embroidery thread and beads we had lying around; my father made the staff using strips of wood, soaked to become more flexible, and some sort of thick-ish wire to bind it all together and make the hoops. A-L's Miaka costume was all made by my mother (except the white shirt) and I did her hair, secretly disappointed she hadn't wanted to cut herself some bangs to complete the transformation. I probably tried to convince my other brother to be Tasuki, but Max was never much into costumes, besides which he probably wouldn't have wanted to come hang around an anime club with us.
The following year I was Himura Kenshin in his younger days, but I don't seem to have any digital pictures of that one. I'll scan them someday. Again, costume made completely from what we had at home, except for the second sword that I found for two or three dollars at the local mall. The kimono was actually really cheap polyester lining, but it was the right colour and didn't show much under the haori, anyway, so I didn't really care, and I even sewed a false white collar to it; the haori itself was a nice thick corduroy (not terribly authentic, I know) in gorgeous deep blue. The hakama are perhaps the most stunning part of the costume because they are a) made from an old sheet and b) copied from a pair of pants that a friend of my mother's had made by copying an actual pair of hakama and tweaking the design to make then everyday-wear. Yes, my mother reverse-engineered a pair of hakama! And from a modified version, at that. I didn't have proper footwear, so I took a pair of regular plastic thong sandals (am I the only one who calls them thong sandals?) that I had and wrapped the straps with strips of fabric left over from the hakama. The hand/wrist guards were from an old bit of grey fabric, hand-sewn. I already had one sword, from when Max was five years old and wanted to be a ninja, but I was afraid I'd never find another one to match. I was in luck, because I managed not only to find a sword, but it was actually longer than the other one, making me accurate, albeit in a plastic way. I wrapped some white cord around the scabbards in imitation of the way real samurai did it and though I have no clue about how it's really done, it looked good engouh for me. And I'm picky about that kind of thing. Although, when I wore this costume at Anime North, a couple of people pointed out that I had the swords turned the wrong way in my belt, that the curve should be going downw, not up. True, but there was method behind my madness, a reason for the horrible mistake, namely the raised plastic lettering on the scabbards stating MADE IN CHINA, that would have been visible had my swords been turned the right way.
The year after that, I was Arisugawa Juri, movie version -- the series version was much too orange for me, but she was my favourite character. Even though she didn't do much in the movie, her costume was much nicer, and certainly a better colour for me! I found the pants, another miraculous intervention by Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, and the shoes were the ones I wore all the time. The top was made by my mother, though I helped a lot more this time, sewing the cuffs, the epaulettes (which I admit are horribly awful, but I was doing a rush job, as usual) and maybe even the collar, I can't remember. At any rate, I was responsible for finding the fabrics, notions and pattern to modify beyond recognition. The sleeves are from a piece of black velvet that my father used to use as a backdrop when photographing his archaeological finds, the gold from the piece of fabric my mother used to make me a pair of wings for my grade 2 butterfly costume (those wings also flew me up from Brownies to Guides) and I can't remember where on earth we found that coral stuff, which is probably the closest possible colour to the actual colour in the movie. As for the pattern, I really can't remember what we used, since we didn't have anything remotely military around. I think we used the sleeves from one pattern, the body from another and totally made up the collar. It wasn't quite as form-fitting as the original, but then again, I'm nowhere near as busty as Juri is, and was much flatter back then, anyway.
Oh, and I didn't have to cut bangs that year, just had to learn to use a curling iron properly.
My last cosplay, and the only one I made almost all by myself, was of Excel, but I have no digital pictures of that one either. Maybe soon, as G's going to be gone for a week on business, so what else will I do with my time?
For no particular reason, I now feel like
As for myself, I cosplayed a grand total of four different characters. My first was Nuriko, of course: I made the pink pants myself, from a remnant my mother had. The top was made by my mother, from a drawing of mine, because do you have any idea how impossible it was to find an image of that outfit? Pretty impossible, even though he wears it for at least a few episodes. The only screencaps I could find were either head and torso shots or really blurry full-body shots. Anyway, the purple was another remnant (used to be the curtains in my brothers' bedroom), the blue was a piece of fabric we stumbled upon at St-Vincent-de-Paul and the belt was made from (what? again?) two different yellow scraps my mother had. All the perfect colour, at a total price of under 5$. Let me assure you that there was absolutely nothing left over once the pieces were cut. I remember my mother looking at me, scissors in hand, both of our hearts heavy with the knowledge that once she started cutting, there was no going back. Fortunately, it turned out wonderfully and I must point out that I actually CUT MY HAIR for this costume. Seriously, I hadn't had bangs in years (those little wisps didn't count), but I cut myself some odd, chunky bangs. The only regretable-looking part of my costume were the bracelets, which I drew on cardboard because I had no idea of even how to begin making jewelry or where I could find the supplies for it.
You can't really tell in the picture, but I'd used some of that purple Halloween spray on my hair, since I was ready to cut my hair, but not dye it. My brother also had stuff in his hair, blue for Chichiri, of course. His costume was quite the family effort: my mother sewed his top (the pants were an old pair of his); I block-printed his cape and made the necklace from a Christmas tree garland, embroidery thread and beads we had lying around; my father made the staff using strips of wood, soaked to become more flexible, and some sort of thick-ish wire to bind it all together and make the hoops. A-L's Miaka costume was all made by my mother (except the white shirt) and I did her hair, secretly disappointed she hadn't wanted to cut herself some bangs to complete the transformation. I probably tried to convince my other brother to be Tasuki, but Max was never much into costumes, besides which he probably wouldn't have wanted to come hang around an anime club with us.
The following year I was Himura Kenshin in his younger days, but I don't seem to have any digital pictures of that one. I'll scan them someday. Again, costume made completely from what we had at home, except for the second sword that I found for two or three dollars at the local mall. The kimono was actually really cheap polyester lining, but it was the right colour and didn't show much under the haori, anyway, so I didn't really care, and I even sewed a false white collar to it; the haori itself was a nice thick corduroy (not terribly authentic, I know) in gorgeous deep blue. The hakama are perhaps the most stunning part of the costume because they are a) made from an old sheet and b) copied from a pair of pants that a friend of my mother's had made by copying an actual pair of hakama and tweaking the design to make then everyday-wear. Yes, my mother reverse-engineered a pair of hakama! And from a modified version, at that. I didn't have proper footwear, so I took a pair of regular plastic thong sandals (am I the only one who calls them thong sandals?) that I had and wrapped the straps with strips of fabric left over from the hakama. The hand/wrist guards were from an old bit of grey fabric, hand-sewn. I already had one sword, from when Max was five years old and wanted to be a ninja, but I was afraid I'd never find another one to match. I was in luck, because I managed not only to find a sword, but it was actually longer than the other one, making me accurate, albeit in a plastic way. I wrapped some white cord around the scabbards in imitation of the way real samurai did it and though I have no clue about how it's really done, it looked good engouh for me. And I'm picky about that kind of thing. Although, when I wore this costume at Anime North, a couple of people pointed out that I had the swords turned the wrong way in my belt, that the curve should be going downw, not up. True, but there was method behind my madness, a reason for the horrible mistake, namely the raised plastic lettering on the scabbards stating MADE IN CHINA, that would have been visible had my swords been turned the right way.
The year after that, I was Arisugawa Juri, movie version -- the series version was much too orange for me, but she was my favourite character. Even though she didn't do much in the movie, her costume was much nicer, and certainly a better colour for me! I found the pants, another miraculous intervention by Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, and the shoes were the ones I wore all the time. The top was made by my mother, though I helped a lot more this time, sewing the cuffs, the epaulettes (which I admit are horribly awful, but I was doing a rush job, as usual) and maybe even the collar, I can't remember. At any rate, I was responsible for finding the fabrics, notions and pattern to modify beyond recognition. The sleeves are from a piece of black velvet that my father used to use as a backdrop when photographing his archaeological finds, the gold from the piece of fabric my mother used to make me a pair of wings for my grade 2 butterfly costume (those wings also flew me up from Brownies to Guides) and I can't remember where on earth we found that coral stuff, which is probably the closest possible colour to the actual colour in the movie. As for the pattern, I really can't remember what we used, since we didn't have anything remotely military around. I think we used the sleeves from one pattern, the body from another and totally made up the collar. It wasn't quite as form-fitting as the original, but then again, I'm nowhere near as busty as Juri is, and was much flatter back then, anyway.
Oh, and I didn't have to cut bangs that year, just had to learn to use a curling iron properly.
My last cosplay, and the only one I made almost all by myself, was of Excel, but I have no digital pictures of that one either. Maybe soon, as G's going to be gone for a week on business, so what else will I do with my time?
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 05:51 pm (UTC)You go girl! Be proud of who you are/were!
The good ol' days
Date: 2006-09-07 03:08 am (UTC)I'm actually quite proud of those costumes, or should I say very proud of my mother for managing to make them to my (very specific) specifications. Too bad I don't fit in them anymore! They're in storage for the next few years, unless they're in one of the boxes I haven't unpacked? I don't think so.
I only stopped cosplaying because I sort of stopped watching anime, which meant I had no more desire to be a character. I had to dress as a character I really liked, not only because they had a cool outfit -- Nuriko, Kenshin and Juri were all characters I had emotionally been invested in and fortunately, I felt that I could physically pull them off, hair colour (but not length!) notwithstanding. Excel was actually more of a stretch, even though I was physically closer to her looks, because though I really liked the show, the nature of it meant that I didn't become attached to her as I did to the others.
Another consideration was that I did want to be sort of different, even though I was doing a popular character: lots of others did Nuriko, but usually in his pink outfit; Kenshins were almost all the older version, at least when I did him (the following year saw more younger versions); Juris were usually the series version (I think I only ever saw one other movie version).