Mao Costume
Commission for a client. Includes top, pants, tail, shoes, gloves, arm warmers, wig, forehead triangle, and ears.
This commission incorporated a variety of materials, including wool suiting (teal), textured vinyl (orange), faux leather (white), leather (triangles), and cotton (inner layers).
The top is flatlined in cotton and the pants are unlined - summer cons can be brutal, so I eliminated extra fabric wherever possible.
Mao's outfit has some very unusual shapes which made translating it into a wearable, flattering garment a bit of a challenge. I took a few creative liberties to give it a more feminine touch.
Mao Front and Back by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The first issue I dealt with were the (HUGE) shoulders. To avoid an extra bulky football player look, rather than having the sleeves start from a traditionally cut armhole, I made the cut of the top similar to that of a raglan sleeve. This reduces the visual distance between the shoulder blades and helps balance the overall large-ness of the shoulder pieces, which goes toward making a less top-heavy garment.
Mao Shoes by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The second issue that concerned me were Mao's shoes. The shoulders were already making the garment walk the "too bulky" line, and I felt that flat shoes would look a little too clumsy. As an alternative, I opted for a wedge heel. This gives my client some extra height and adds a little femininity to the outfit!
The shoes are built on a wedge base. The covers were glued into place around the bottom edge and feature a zipper on the inside for easy on/off.
Mao Accessories by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The last issue that really bothered me was Mao's hair - it is so short! To get a wig this short involves adding a copious amount of wefts, then getting it custom cut. I wanted to focus my client's budget on the actual outfit, not the wig. So, I opted for a short, face framing teal bob instead.
The arm warmers are teal spandex (to match the teal wool).
The triangles on the outfit and for the forehead are painted leather.
The gloves were purchased from Finale Gloves.
The ears were purchased from Yaya Han and then painted pink and brown.
Mao Triangles by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The back of the top features two zippers, a separating one for the orange portion, and an invisible one for the teal portion. I wanted the top to look like two separate pieces, as if Mao was wearing a teal bodice over an orange top. The sleeves are a three-part pattern.
Mao Tail by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The pants have a zipper fly front, tabbed waist band, and front pockets. They also have a holder for the tail on the center back waist band. The tail is covered in brown fleece with a yellow wooden ball on the end. It is fully bendable! Great for packing or conveying character emotion!
Mao Top Details by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
Thanks for looking!
This commission incorporated a variety of materials, including wool suiting (teal), textured vinyl (orange), faux leather (white), leather (triangles), and cotton (inner layers).
The top is flatlined in cotton and the pants are unlined - summer cons can be brutal, so I eliminated extra fabric wherever possible.
Mao's outfit has some very unusual shapes which made translating it into a wearable, flattering garment a bit of a challenge. I took a few creative liberties to give it a more feminine touch.
Mao Front and Back by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The first issue I dealt with were the (HUGE) shoulders. To avoid an extra bulky football player look, rather than having the sleeves start from a traditionally cut armhole, I made the cut of the top similar to that of a raglan sleeve. This reduces the visual distance between the shoulder blades and helps balance the overall large-ness of the shoulder pieces, which goes toward making a less top-heavy garment.
Mao Shoes by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The second issue that concerned me were Mao's shoes. The shoulders were already making the garment walk the "too bulky" line, and I felt that flat shoes would look a little too clumsy. As an alternative, I opted for a wedge heel. This gives my client some extra height and adds a little femininity to the outfit!
The shoes are built on a wedge base. The covers were glued into place around the bottom edge and feature a zipper on the inside for easy on/off.
Mao Accessories by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The last issue that really bothered me was Mao's hair - it is so short! To get a wig this short involves adding a copious amount of wefts, then getting it custom cut. I wanted to focus my client's budget on the actual outfit, not the wig. So, I opted for a short, face framing teal bob instead.
The arm warmers are teal spandex (to match the teal wool).
The triangles on the outfit and for the forehead are painted leather.
The gloves were purchased from Finale Gloves.
The ears were purchased from Yaya Han and then painted pink and brown.
Mao Triangles by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The back of the top features two zippers, a separating one for the orange portion, and an invisible one for the teal portion. I wanted the top to look like two separate pieces, as if Mao was wearing a teal bodice over an orange top. The sleeves are a three-part pattern.
Mao Tail by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
The pants have a zipper fly front, tabbed waist band, and front pockets. They also have a holder for the tail on the center back waist band. The tail is covered in brown fleece with a yellow wooden ball on the end. It is fully bendable! Great for packing or conveying character emotion!
Mao Top Details by ~godsavethequeenfashi on deviantART
Thanks for looking!