EVENT: Cosplay Progress

So as you may or may not have read - next year, I will cosplaying for the very first time at Oz Comic Con. It is both kind of exciting and mildly terrifying! I know there is many months to go but I wanted to share my progress with you. I have never given much thought into how much work goes into a cosplay so I thought it might be fun to give it a go! 

I will be cosplaying as Queen Carolina from Mariana's Trench's Desperate Measures music video. You can watch it here. I am well aware that no one will know who I am and I may get mistaken for Alice. So be it. This is what I'm going as. I wanted something a little fun!

Details and photos under the cut!

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Cons can be expensive so I've been trying to make my costume on the cheap - or as cheap as possible.  I also am aware that a lot of people spend more than I do. There are also those who 100% buy their costumes, or those who make it all from scratch. Mine is a combination of both.

Here's my cosplay budget list:

• 3 x hair clips (Reject Shop, pack of 16. $2)
• 3x christmas bows (Reject Shop, pack of 50, $2)
• 1x white corset (eBay, $2.99 plus postage)
• 1x metre blue party satin (Lincraft, $2.09 remnant)
• 1x white shirt (Target, $20)
• 2x metre white lace trim (Lincraft, $1.29 per metre)
• 1x pair black and white socks (eBay, $3.50)
• 1x pair black studded boots (eBay, $46.99)
• 1x pair white lace gloves (eBay, $1.51)
• 1x watch necklace (eBay, $6 plus postage)
• 1x key necklace (Kmart, $3)
• 1x white skirt (TopShop, already in wardrobe)
• 1x black felt square (Art Riot, $1.19)
• 1x black wool ball (Kmart, $3)
• 1x blue thread (Kmart, $3 pack of three)

I tried to shop as locally as possible, but it was just too hard to find exactly what I was looking for in store - especially the boots! Do you know hard it is to find boots during Summer? It is quite hard when you're after something so particular lol. I am grateful that someone was selling them on eBay. I also bought a lot with birthday vouchers and/or flybuys dollars to save some money. This is a good tip - I recommend it so!

First of all, I started with customising the white shirt. I couldn't find a shirt that had any lace details - I think if I would have looked in a more cutesy shop in the city, I may have had more luck but that would have also cost more. So I bought a cheap shirt and some white lace and I made a very basic shirt fit the part. 

I actually failed sewing in my high school (well, I didn't actually fail - I would have if my Mum's friend hadn't have finished my shorts for me) - so my skills are more of less subpar. But I was determined to prove that I could make a simple blue dress. This proved harder than I expected. My sewing skills are terrible! And I don't have a sewing machine so everything is being made by hand.

I traced a dress I already have - one that didn't have stretch - and made a pattern using newspaper. Having only a limited amount of fabric to use, I made sure to be really careful with my measurements and cutting before I cut the material. And so, I had the basis for a dress. I first made separates but they came out pretty horrible - so then I decided to sew the separates together to make a dress - but the dress came out pretty horrible.

It was okay until I added the sleeves and it was just too tight, ill flattering and the sleeves weren't at all even! As I was lying in bed, unable to sleep as usual, at night, I had a bit of an idea. I would use the shirt as a base and sew onto the shirt. And presto! Success! It actually looks quite good now. I am so happy with it!

The photos above don't do my work justice but it looks good! It is short due to lack of material plus I will have a corset on so it'll look like a dress when it is all together =D

As you can see, I have a bit of work to go. I also haven't figured out how I'm going to do the front of the shirt - but that's another story … I also am waiting on a lot of stuff to arrive from eBay. So for now, that's all I have to show you!

Until next time!

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