Kimono and fox ears- Cosplay from Otome Youkai Zakuro

At Cosvision I realized that Desucon was approaching way too quick and I had two unfinished costumes waiting at home. When I got back to our workshop, I packed one costume away even if I had made more progress with it. However, it was a good call since I had my share of troubles with it in every stage of the construction. I will probably dig it up during summer and finish it for fall conventions.

The second one was a keeper and this past week and a half I have been working my butt off to finish it in time! It doesn’t help that I will be abroad for a week, which means I only have week and a half to actually construct the costume. Gladly summer vacation starts in two days, so I should have plenty of time to get everything done.

The costume I’ve been working on is Zakuro from series Otome Youkai Zakuro. This is the kimono cosplay I mentioned in my previous post. I started the fabric printing the same time I started Kofuku’s skirt, but then went on hiatus because I got carried away with everything else.

Before the hiatus I printed the fabric for the hair ruffles. I used emulsion based fabric color, plastic foil stencils and a sponge. I also added wefts to the base wig and made the skeletons for the ears.

After Cosvision I started to put together the kimono. I used a kimono pattern and really wanted to make the garment as authentic as I could. It proved problematic, since the design on the series has some very interesting details, which alter the look of the kimono and also the construction aspect quite significantly. The hardest part was fitting the two designs together… Actually three, since I was also combining the manga and anime versions together!

I think I managed everyhting quite well, but I still have lot to do! Yesterday I started to pattern and sew the frilly apron. Sometimes it surprises me how the simplest parts of costumes are actually the hardest ones to execute…

During the weekend I will concentrate on the geta, straighten the wig, ventilate a back parting for it and secure the fastening of the huge bow on the obi. I’m still pondering should I try to dye the wig or not. I actually like the wigs original grey color, but should it be darker? If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment!

Amira, Karluk and second set of photos from Desucon Frostbite

Desucon is sneakily approaching, but we still have something to share from the latest Desucon Frostbite! On Sunday we were able to set up a small, spontaneous photoshoot with Jesmo, talented cosplayer and fellow Otoyomegatari enthusiastic. I love the natural and lifelike expressions and situations she was able to catch with her camera!

Photographer: Jesmo
Cosplayers: Casualty Cosplay/ Yoki as Karluk, Hiron as Amira

Deidara is ready for Cosvision

On Saturday I got to try out make-up for Deidara and also got few photos as evidence that I actually have a costume ready week before the deadline! Even if the costume is a simple one, I challenged myself to uplift it with material choices and patterning, which made the project interesting and in the end rather satisfying.

For the clothes I chose natural fiber mixes. The shirt is wool mix as are the pouch and the headband. The fabric I picked for the trousers is most likely viscose. The geta are made from plywood and the forehead protector is steel. I also made a sculpture from clay to pose with.

I got to use some parts of the Akatsuki outfit like the mesh undershirt and the wig. The ponytail was already removed, because I used the particular wig for Yuma.

Handmouth is latex cast. I used a cast of my own mouth to make it. I painted the lips with acrylics and blended the piece to my palm with basic foundation.

I used modified kimono pattern for the shirt. For the trousers I used my basic pattern with some small alterations. The pouch was pretty much cut, measure and sew-project. The belt is just a strip of fabric, but I tried to tie it like an obi.

In my opinion the best part of the costume is the geta! On Friday I felt down since everything I tried to achieve that day on costume front failed miserably. I also realized that there was only a week left to finish the costume with hectic days at work ahead. Working with power tools didn't sound that appealing or saw dust or outdoor working by any means, so I thought I'd cut some corners and cover regular flip flops with fabric and roll with them.

I made one sandal ready, stared at it and just sat there wondering could the shoes break the costume when I tried to head for authenticity? After five minutes of intense staring and reflection I had sudden change of heart. I threw the sandal into the trash bin, gathered myself, packed some clothes on and headed out to the evening. On Saturday I had neat pair of geta ready and they truly were the cherry on the cake. Sometimes all you need is some perseverance and I know that I would have let myself down if I had chosen the easy way over the obviously right one!

I thought of wearing Deidara on Saturday at Cosvision. For Sunday I will most likely pack Kofuku if nothing drastic happens... like contact lenses not arriving on time!