“I’m often tripped up by my shyness. But when I’m dancing, it’s like I’m another person!”
I almost didn’t post these photos. I didn’t want to. BUT HECK IT I FEEL CUTE IN THIS COSTUME!! I’ve always been uncomfortable with my tummy and arms, and never like to pose or move in any way that will point them out. Olivia forced me to gain a little confidence for the day. I felt flowy and jingly and fun wearing her and MAYBE if it’s not too cold I can bring her to ALA!
Important Theme #2: There is no “correct” way to make a cosplay.
Cosplay is all about embracing creativity. Figuring out new methods, using what you’ve got on hand. There’s no pre-requisite for being a cosplayer. No training, no degrees necessary. No one should be telling you you’ve made something “wrong*” - if it works, it works! That’s why this is such a cool hobby.
Here we’ve made cosplays of the exact same character, but there are just as many differences as there are similarities. We both used different methods to draft our patterns based on what skills we were comfortable using. We chose different materials based on what we interpreted to best fit the design. We constructed our wigs differently due to what base wigs/wefts we could source. We’ve used different techniques for the heart/butterfly detailing. And the results are both equally cool. (Admittedly doing the same simple sewing-based costume did severely limit ourselves for scoring in judging ~ more on that in the next post)
Stop worrying about whether so-and-so famous cosplayer uses whatever method, just get out there and MAKE IT YOUR WAY.
*the one exception here is health and safety related concerns. Please don’t go putting yourself and others at risk for the sake of a costume!