Cosplay Day summary
OK, three years in and I think I finally have this costume to a reliably wearable state. Only a few more things remain to be done. Glad to have had the chance to give it a full "test drive" before Anime USA.
This revision, based on a Japanese magazine photo, dispenses with the wig and uses a white shawl drawn up around the mask, gathered under the chin and draping the shoulders. Presto, no worries about wig, own hair, human ears showing - genius! Also, I have taken two old kimonos and spliced about a foot of one into the back of the other, allowing it to fit and actually wrap around plus-sized me. You already read about my rehab of the old hakama.
So yesterday I suited up and ran around the National Botanical Garden all day with the DC Anime Club, and here's a review:
--New mask (by the awesome Miss Monster) is great, looks great, wears comfortably, and gives about as much peripheral vision as a full-face mask can. Was very hot inside when worn with the shawl, but we were in a tropical garden atmosphere which was unnaturally warm, so I'm not gonna worry about that.
--Hakama worked fine, very comfortable to wear, though I need to learn how to tie the things so they don't slide down during the day. (Also, they STILL smell of mothballs. Grrr.)
--Revised kimono was perfect, just needs to fasten in more than one place or have the fastening placed better.
--Shawl covers a multitude of hassles and removes the need for a wig, so I can decide between now and AUSA whether or not to wear a wig there.
--Need white gloves. My old-lady hands detract from the illusion big time.
But I'm so happy with it; it has a real air of mystery and strangeness, which is what I wanted above all. So yay.
Here's a pic, taken by cosplay photog S. Lee Rowe (psykogerbil on DevArt).
This revision, based on a Japanese magazine photo, dispenses with the wig and uses a white shawl drawn up around the mask, gathered under the chin and draping the shoulders. Presto, no worries about wig, own hair, human ears showing - genius! Also, I have taken two old kimonos and spliced about a foot of one into the back of the other, allowing it to fit and actually wrap around plus-sized me. You already read about my rehab of the old hakama.
So yesterday I suited up and ran around the National Botanical Garden all day with the DC Anime Club, and here's a review:
--New mask (by the awesome Miss Monster) is great, looks great, wears comfortably, and gives about as much peripheral vision as a full-face mask can. Was very hot inside when worn with the shawl, but we were in a tropical garden atmosphere which was unnaturally warm, so I'm not gonna worry about that.
--Hakama worked fine, very comfortable to wear, though I need to learn how to tie the things so they don't slide down during the day. (Also, they STILL smell of mothballs. Grrr.)
--Revised kimono was perfect, just needs to fasten in more than one place or have the fastening placed better.
--Shawl covers a multitude of hassles and removes the need for a wig, so I can decide between now and AUSA whether or not to wear a wig there.
--Need white gloves. My old-lady hands detract from the illusion big time.
But I'm so happy with it; it has a real air of mystery and strangeness, which is what I wanted above all. So yay.
Here's a pic, taken by cosplay photog S. Lee Rowe (psykogerbil on DevArt).