I jist love Octopath Traveler and my boy Therion so I just had to make another another costume.
I made this in the sommer of 2021 and it was so much fun to make. The violet fabric is left over I had had for many, many years. The sleeves and beld thingie I made of an old scarf that already had a hole in it. The gold trim is legit over 40 years old…I even made the flip-flops out of EVA foam. Not only did I spent next to zero euro on the costume it is also incredibly comfy.
The Neverending Story is one of my all time favourite movie and book. Tami Stronach is so lovely in the movie who wouldn’t love to cosplay the ruler of fantasia?
I made this costume over 10 years ago for a bookfair. It’s made relatively cheap with curtain fabric that isn’t quite sheer enough and lots of pearls and embroidery. The diadem is made from cardstock, glue, paint, wire, pearls and pieces of a necklace. Still, I’m happy how it turned out and I had fun taking new photos in 2020.
In 2020 I watched so many Anime. One Anime that really stuck with me was Death Parade. I liked the premise and the designs, but I what really moved me was the story.
This was suppossed to be an easy closet cosplay, because I had a similar skirt and blazer but I ended up sewing a skirt and blazer myself. The costume looks so easy and plain I wanted it at least to be as acurate as possible. All in all it took much longer than planned. The skirt and blazer are fully lined and I ended up mainly handsewing the top from an old shirt. The necklace is made from worbla and the bracelet and belt buckle from foam.
The wig is one of the first wigs I got when I started cosplaying and I’m happy that I managed to safe it with wig conditioner and some styling.
I love love love Octopath Traveler so much. It was so much fun to play and I loved all the characters it’s hard to pick a favourite. I started my playthrough with Therion because… you know… white hair, tragic past, trust issues, sarcasm. I just couldn’t resist.
The cosplay was really fun to make: Comfy pants, the poncho. I also loved to make the accessories like the bag, bracelet and dagger.
I’m quite sad that 2020 just isn’t the year for cosplay groups and shootings. I’d love to an outdoor shooting, or a shooting in an old town or a tavern.
Compared to the early 2000s cosplay became more mainstream. Wigs, crafting materials and tutorials are widely available. 3D printing, airbrush or cutting plotters are more accessible and affordable. The skill level and standards rose to such highs that it can be intimidating to beginners or more casual cosplayers. Cosplay can be a very expensive hobby, but you don’t need to spend hundreds of euros to make a nice costume.
To give you an example let’s look at the seven new costumes I did in 2019 and how much I spend on them:
Fullmetal Alchemist – Lust
The 20€ I spent on this costume was mostly the ridiculous expensive tatoo paper. The wig I own for many years…I bought it for Maya from Phonnix Wright and also used it for my Sailor Mars costume. The fabric used is simple black jersey I had at hand. Even the claws were easy and cheap. They are made from foam.
Noragami – Hiyori
Bought a cheap wig since the hairstyle is very forgiving and had to buy the lavender fabric. I once found the perfect school uniform shoes for 12€ and used them for a ton of costumes already.
Final Fantasy 8 – Fu-Jin
Cheap 10€ wig – check. The fabric is leftover from my Sophie costume. I was also super lucky and got the zipper super cheap because of a store sale. The pants I once got for free from a colleague. The boots were actually more expensive, but I wear them in real life so that doesn’t count, right? (And I used them for three costumes pictured here.)
Avatar – Zuko
Already owned the wig. There is this super cheap fabric you can buy online for 3€ a meter. I would habe never considered using it for Cosplay because I thought it wouldn’t be uncomfortable and of cheap quality, but another cosplayer recommended it to me. To my surprise it works really well. The pros are that there are many colors available, it doesn’t wrinkle easy and you can still iron it very well. The red and brown is from that fabric, the yellow I had at home.
Super Mario Brothers – Booette
I liked the design alot and to be honest…it was a great way to use up left over fabrics. It’s another cheap wig, a foam crown and my wedding shoes. The most expensive things were the stockings and the zipper…that I had to buy twice because I broke one.
Star Trek Voyager Uniform
The black fabric is the same cheap fabric I mentioned on the Zuko costume. The red one I already had at home. The badge is made from cardboard.
That are seven costumes for 150€. Doesn’t sound too bad, right?
It’s normal when you start a hobby that it’s more expesive at first. But with time you’ll end up having a small stock of leftovers, so the chances that you already have some materials at hand when starting a new project get higher. Like thread, black and silver paints, buttons and so on.
You are limited on a budget, but i can also give you new ideas. Be creative.
Reusing wigs or lending them from friends is a good way to save money, too. It’s especially easy for common haircolors and styles.
Everyone wants to use the best materials. But while a 50€ wig of course be a better quality than a 10€ one. A 10€ wig can look fine, too.
Sewing skills aren’t defined by the fabric you use. Even cheaper materials can look good with the right skill. Foam armour and props became a trend because they are lightweight, easy to work with and cheap.
When it’s cheap, buy. You can always use black jersey or while linnen. I always used to buy a few meters on fabrics when they were cheap especially when they were basic colors. A great way to get cheap fabrics are second hand stores. I made so many costumes from bed sheets it’s not even funny…. You can also alter second hand clothes or loot your own wardrobe. Sometimes it’s cheaper to cut up a shirt than to buy fabric.
Making costumes on the cheap can be a fun challenge. Sometimes one has to make sacrifices to accuracy, but that doesn’t beat the creativity and sense of accomplishment when you made something work.
Final Fantasy 6 is one of my all time favourite games. With all the awesome characters and designs it’s really hard to chose a favourite. Celes was on my wishlist for a while and I finally wanted to take the challenge to make the pants. I found some really nice jeanslike fabric, that sadly didn’t have any stretch, so the fit was really hard to do right. The vest was easy to do and the top is an old shirt of mine that I altered. The details on the arm cuffs are hand stitched on. The belt buckle and hairpiece is made from foam. The wig isn’t the best and I hope to upgrade it in the future.
I binged Toradora end of 2019 and was surprised how invested I got in this lovely romcom since I’m normally not into romance stuff. The characters where all so lovely and you couldn’t help rooting for every single one of them. This costume was my first new costume in 2020 and at the beginning of the year I thought I could wear it as comfy costume to a few cons. I hope the best for 2021.
I made it completely with materials I had at home and only had to shop for the wig which I got second hand on ebay. The skirt was easy to do , I struggled with the blazer that I based on one I owned and altered the pattern. It’s fully lined with a flower pattern fabric that once was an old summer dress of my mom. The fit of the blazer isn’t perfect but let’s just pretend it’s because Taiga is so smol and everything is too big on her.
Cosplay is fun. But Cosplay can get frustrating and stressful for many different reasons. Be it petty drama, mean comments online, costume pieces breaking, con crunching or getting no or little feedback to a costume you worked on for months. I think we all have moments when we are feeling down or wondering ‘Why am I even doing this?’.
It’s normal to get frustrated
Feeling bad about feeling bad leads to a vicious circle. Especially with social media we feel like everyone is putting out new awesome content all the time. We feel like everyone is super motivated and happy and leading the perfect life full of fantastical photoshots and magical costumes. In reality you are seeing tiny curated pieces of many peoples life. Everyone gets frustrated, everyone has projects that went wrong, stress at work or family trouble from time to time. Everyone has bad days. Just move on, tomorrow will be better!
Lists help you stay focused
Making to-do lists help me alot (not only with cosplay). I make them when I plan a costume or when I have to many WIPs and feel like going no where. I put on even little steps like gluing a piece on or checking if I have fabric left. That way when I’m tired after a day at work I can check my list and see if there are things I can do in very little time or with little effort. There are even Apps like cosplanner where you can organize your cosplay tasks and progress on your mobile phone. It feels good to look back on stuff you have already accomplished.
Concentrate on what’s fun
There is no right or wrong way to Cosplay. Some people love handstitching and embroidery, some people love making amour and prop making, some are masters at wig styling and make-up. Some Cosplayers make lots new costumes per years, some focus on one eloborate costume that they spend months on. Some mainly buy costumes or mainly alter existing clothes. Some do photoshoots that compare to proffesional levels, some only goof around with friends. Some do beautyfull original outfits, some pay close attention to detail. Some people don’t like conventions much and mainly go to small gatherings or simply do photoshootings with friends. Focus on stuff that you like. Cosplay the way that YOU have fun and feel comfortable with.
Take breaks when necessary
If you are not having fun consider taking a break. Stressing yourself before a convention? Consider maybe not doing three new costumes. It is also nice to have a day or two not wearing a costume at a con. Change out of you costume if you are feeling bad. If you force yourself you will only start hating your costume or your con experience. It’s just a hobby and you should have fun. It’s okay to stop when you are not having fun anymore. Some people grow out of the hobby and some people take breaks that last years. Cosplay is a very time consuming hobby. Sometimes it’s good to take a break and focus on other stuff for a while. You can always come back with new motivtion.
Vary your tasks
Cosplay is not only sewing. There is planning, shopping for fabrics and supplies, researching tecniques and reference materials. The is pattern making and crafting. There is wig styling, make-up tests, photoshoots, editing and lastly posting your finished photo. Not in the mood for sewing? Do some wig styling instead! For me it also helps to start with tasks that are difficult for me or that I don’t like doing so that they are out of the way and I am left with stuff I feel more comfortable with. Often when I work on a more complex costume I start easier one in between where I have faster progress. You can also revisit old costumes. Maybe they just need a little fixing up and you can have a new shooting: New content without much work.
Don’t compare yourself to others and don’t assume
There will always be people who are more skilled or have more followers than you. The photos you see online are carefully chosen to show the best side of ones costume. I mean would you post a totally unflattering photo of yourself? You never know how many failed pieces went before the final one that finally turned out good or how long the person took for the whole costume. You don’t see how the stitching looks inside the costume. With your own costume you know. Also don’t forget that skills improve with practice and everyone started out small. Many of teh well know cosplayers are cosplaying for years and spend alot of time, effort and passion (and money) into their hobby. Work at your own pace, if you had fun with your costume or learned something new it’s a success!
Get inspired!
Instead of comparing yourself to others get inspired by them. Impressed by someones wig skills? Watch some tutorials and try it out yourself! I love watching cosplay contests online and seeing all thse creative people outdoing each other. Also watch anime, read manga, play games. Fangirl over your favourite character or series with others. Often the urge to cosplay comes automatically. Keep a folder on your phone or laptop with characters you want to cosplay or costumes you like. That way you can always look at the pictures when you don’t know what you should cosplay next.
The third costume I finishes in 2020. Without any conventions I really struggle to finish costumes. I wanted to do an easier costume that I could finish fast. I had the black fabric at home and all the other parts from m other Taiga costume. I also always wanted a black and white school uniform. I think they look really cool. Normaly it takes me months to finish costumes because I get distracted easily especially when there are parts I not sure how to make them. This one I finished in a week. I wish I was always this fast!
Everybody starts small but there are some easy ways (and some not so easy ways) to level up your Cosplay game quite fast. Not every advice might be for you, but there are some tips that helped me over the years.
1. Take you time and plan ahead
Even after so many years cosplaying I often underestimate the time a costume takes to make. You can be sure that it always takes longer than you expect. Seamripping always takes so much longer than actuall sewing, a wig you ordered might take longer to arrive, paints need time to dry and set. That why I try to finish my stuff a week before a con or at least make it wearable. That way the week before the convention can be spend fixing stuff your not happy with, adding details, preparing and most important getting enough sleep!
2. Testwear your costume
Believe me, a lot of tears and stress can be avoided if you actually wear your costume before a convention. It happened to me quite a few times that I wore a costume for the first time at a con only to notice there that the fit was off, the wig styling didn’t work out, that stuff didn’t stay where it should, that I could bearly move or that stuff is braking after a few steps. You might spend half the day safety pinning or glueing stuff to yourself barely able to move or feeling ugly in a costume you worked hard on. It helps alot to take a few test photos of your costume before the con to see what works and what does not work.
3. Press that seams
You should always iron your costume. Believe me, it’s a difference between night and day if you pressed your seams or not. Don’t skip on it.
4. Wigs and make-up
The focus even while wearing elaborate costume is often the face. Cosplayers wear alot of make-up , often contacts to look like the character they are portraying. Makeup not only hides imperfections, it adds color and contrast, makes the eyes pop and is even able to alter your face shape. A bad looking wig can ruin the whole look of a costume. Take the time to learn how to wear wigs and basic wig care.
5. Use Tutorials
Today we are lucky to have tutorials for every subject imagenable. Be it wig stlying sewing, photography, prop and amour making. You can profit greatly by using learning from the experince of others that are happy to share their knowledge. Try out new techniques and don’t be afraid to fail.
6. Proportions and overall look
Sometimes we get lost in details that won’t get notices by others anyway but neglect the basics. You don’t want to handstitch on details for hours only to notice that the fit is totally off. Make you sure the fabrics you chose match in type and color. No matter if your costume is fabric of foam amour, the proportions are important. Few people have long anime legs and torsos. Feel free to stray from the reference to make the costume fit you.
7. Learn from mistakes
It doesn’t help to beat yourself over mistakes or failed costume pieces. Everyone makes mistakes even experienced cosplayers. The seamripper is every Cosplayers friend and many pieces and props are version 2.1. When you are unhappy with your finished costume try so analyze objectively what you don’t like about it. Sometimes the fixes are simple like sewing something tighter or shortening a skirt, maybe you want to redo a piece or get a better wig.
Mika Cosplay 