Most of my WIP can bee seen on my tumblr, but once in a while, especially for bigger projects, I think it's nice to have everything neatly in one place, so you can actually see the progress happening.
This year's Connichi (which is the biggest con in Germany, by the way) cosplays are rather simple compared to previous years, mostly because I seriously lack time due to my upcoming graduation.
Nonetheless, both my new cosplays are very dear to me, because I've been looking forward to sewing (and wearing) them for quite some time.
Here's my lineup:
| Friday: Margaret (Persona 4) | Saturday: Wonder Woman (Odyssey) | Sunday: Frog Queen (Original) |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
MARGARET
Margaret is a costume I've already worn at Leipzig Bookfair. Refer to this post for in-depth information.
WONDER WOMAN
I've been a huge fan of the TV show with Lynda Carter when I was a child (I watched the re-run of the re-run of the re-run in the early 90ies), and loved the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve as well as Tim Burton's Batman movie adaptions (although, admittedly, they totally freaked me out when I first watched them). Live-action TV-series and Hollywood movies - that was about all of my "exposure" to comics.Until recently, that is. I think it was last winter when I was re-introduced to US comics through Aera and Boa, who's talking about the Batman series, the DC universe and the reboot got me curious. So I started reading. I began with Batman (pre-reboot; about #655) and found myself really enjoying the dark stories, twisted villains, witty dialogues and the interesting page layouts. I'd been reading manga for so long that I'd almost forgotten that there are other approaches the the medium of comics.
Remembering of my childhood heroine, I started reading Wonder Woman (#600), as well. Neither the storyline nor the art were my cup of tea, but I liked the modern approach the writers had taken. Later I read some earlier WW comics, as well as The New 52 series and was glad to see these were of a much higher quality.
It wasn't until one fateful day and a Halloween episode of The Big Bang Theory that I made up my mind about cosplaying Diana.
I would've wanted to cosplay her iconic starry-pants outfit, but I seriously lack the guns to pull off an amazon princess. Therefore, I decided on the Odyssey costume, which comes with long pants and a leather jacket, which not only is a good thing to wear on a con in September, but also would conceal the fact that I'm nowhere nearly as well-toned as Wonder Woman.
Design-wise, I decided to use Alex Garner’s cover artworks as a main reference, because it is more detailed.
On to the actual WIP pictures:
My first try on the pants. Considering this was my first time working with stretch vinyl, they came out quite good. Still, they were nowhere as tight as I wanted them to be, but I also couldn’t sew them any tighter, because then I wouldn’t be able to walk (let alone sit) anymore. Why? Because, although the vinyl I used is 4-way stretch, it’s too thick (read: not stretchy enough) to really do the job.
The failure made me rethink my fabric choice in general.
I was looking for nice, affordable fabric that would arrive in time for me to sew it. Instead, I found a pair of high-waist lycra leggings with a leathery look. Perfect. I cut them up to put in some decorative seams and then sewed them back together (tightening them in the process). It took me almost an hour to unstitch the factory serger seams alone, so I’m a bit unhappy about how the finished seams I put in are almost invisible in pictures. On the other hand, the pants are very comfortable. Extraordinarily so.
Putting on the golden straps and bias tape was a pain, because I made them myself out of stretchy golden vinyl. Anyone who's ever sewed a tube out of thick fabric and had to turn it right side out knows what I'm talking about. Nonetheless, I'm quite happy with the result.
The shoes were another bargain, but much, much more comfortable than they look. I know, high-heels on a costume meant for combat don't make much sense, but the artwork shows different kind of shoes and -more importantly- I'm not going anywhere wearing skin-tight pants and flats. Nuh-uh. The spur-thingies are craft foam. As are the tiara and the Wonder Woman emblem. Surprise.
Oh, and I love the wig. I was a bit sceptical, because I know dark hair not always works for me, but I really think it suits me this time.
FROG QUEEN
The Frog Queen costume is another costume I've been dying to do. Although I have already done it. Back in 2007, I was part of a cosplay group of original design fairy tale characters as the Frog Prince. The group was awesome, but everytime I looked at my costume, I felt I could’ve done so much more. Now, 5 years later, I decided to revamp this cosplay. First, I wanted to salvage as much of the original costume as possible, but as it is horribly crafted and I didn’t like the fabrics anymore I chose back then, I instead started all over again from scratch. For the design, I researched different types of male and female fashion from the 17th-19th century and pretty much included everything I liked
I started with the panties and they were quickly done. They fit nicely and I like the colour of the fabric. I added some leftover lace for fanciness.
The stockings were a pair of tights, which I turned into stockings by cutting them and attaching some elastic. I’m really happy to have found those tights, they were exactly what I needed and I lovelovelove the design!
To cover the elastic I sewed in, I sewed some garters out of this really cute lace I found. The ribbons were a spontaneous purchase in a nearby penny goods store, but I loved the stripey-green one so much I wanted to use it on this costume, so I put little bows on both the garters as well as on the sleeves.
I had some beautiful leftover fabric that I wanted to use, but unfortunately it was pristine white - much brighter than what I was looking for. I was about to buy new fabric, but Feder convinced me to try out tea dying first - which I did - and it came out great. On the upper left you can see the original colour, on the right is the new, champagne-coloured result. The difference is very subtle, but the shade is perfect now. Later, I also put some more laces on it. They’re leftovers, too, so I could only use them on the front, but the back is covered by the coat, anyway.
I had a hard time finding nice shades of green and red that would go well with each other, but on my second fabric quest I found this beautiful taffeta in light green and a nice, coppery red. The tailcoat is fully lined and hemmed with gold trim. I also love the buttons with the little crowns on it. I hate sewing button holes, by the way.
I hadn’t planned to use lace on the neckline, but when I found this one, I couldn’t help but to put it everywhere - same goes for the golden trim.
The fake pockets and the... er... bar in the back (no idea what they're called in English) are made out of leftover brocade.
The whole thing is still abit lopsided, so I will work on it just a bit more.
On the right you can see the accessory: A neckband (made out of the same fabric as the pants; the "gem" is an old button I painted) and two rings. I'd have fitting earrings, as well, but they'd be hidden by the wig, so I'm not going to wear them
Make-up: I had loads of green body paint along the edges of my face down to my jawline to give it a more fantasy-like feel. Unfortunately, 40% of the make-up became all but invisible due to the unexpectedly good lighting on my balcony, another 50% are covered by the wig. Oh, well…
Wig: The wig is actually my Garnet wig, which I sewed together out of two wigs (see WIP here) last year. I just slightly pulled it up to give it more volume in the back.
Phew.
It feels somewhat surreal to have all costumes finished three weeks before the actual con, but I certainly won't complain!
