Xena -Wondercon?
I was a die-hard Xena fan as a kid. I used to have one of those cardboard cutouts of her in my room until my mom got sick of being startled by it :) I have always wanted to make myself her costume, but it has always seamed extremely daunting...
Awhile back I bought that cheapo Leg Avenue dress (Princess Leia meets Xena anyone?) with the intention of turning it into a proper-ish costume. I was thinking of wearing it to Wondercon this year (I'v been poison Ivy two years in a row now) and used a friends "Fight Night/warriors" themed party as a change to get started on it. The results were mixed :/
I shortened the skirt. I also took in the hip/strap thing and had to take in little wedges from the edge of the cup. For some reason the top/line of the cup had zero shaping, the cup being equal in width.
Even with the modifications the outfit was kinda uncomfortable. The material is very hot, and scratchy on the inside (The tank top was for comfort and modesty) As much as I would really like to use this as a base, it just doesn't seem worth the effort if I will be uncomfortable walking around for several hours (The Wondercon hall is also usually warm, so that is not good)
So Xena is off for this year at least. Wondercon is in a month and I just not have the $$ to spend on (p)leather, and more importantly all the hardwhare. Using my cupped corset pattern as a base would save time, but it would still mean a lot more time than I think I have right now + the money. Not to mention I would need to learn/make the armor pieces myself. As pretty as the stuff from Todd's (http://www.toddscostumes.com/category/9185/Xena-Costume/1.html) is I am not paying $150 a pop.
*Edit* More photos Of the original costumes for refference. The more "wild" one is how she first appeared when she was a character on Hercules (Before she got her own show) Then it gets a little confusing, I'v seen a hip/paneled top with skirt, and a different top that is cut high on the hips (Like the top photo of the post) so you see the skirt yoke. I imagine they played around a bit Before becoming what what most people know her wearing (2nd pic) Corset/bodice with attached skirt. Also, for the record she wears black/brown granny spanx under all of that:)
And some shots from the party. My friend went as rogue, with a glow-stick X-men symbol on her back. I brought with me some sword shapes scissors with "Scabbard" and wore them around as part of my costume. Fun times :)
In other news I slept through my alarm this morning. Felt like a dumbass showing up an hour late to class but at least I still made it for my presentation!
Right now I am waiting in the cafeteria (3 hours) for my reserved slot to print out my final design project. If I print on campus it is free, versus $50-100 bucks if I go to a copy center. One week left then I may never step foot on this campus again, which is weird since I feel like I live here some days.
Karl Urban as Cupid :)