I posted a Mad Hatter costume tutorial last week, and here’s another one by Threadbanger. It looks like they had a lot of fun making this instructable.
I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of orange wigs and top hats this Halloween. When that day comes I shall futterwagon… vigorously.
One of the things costumers and designers have wrestled with for a long time is the adaptation of a specific look to either a specifically male or specifically female context. This isn’t difficult when you have a general idea of what you want and the resultant male and female versions reflect that general idea, but things get a little trickier when you’re trying to take a specific male character and turn it into a female costume, or vice versa.
I want to show off a project that I’ve been working on so far in defense of my extremely vocal presecution of the “make-it-a-mini-skirt-and-voila” process of “female-izing” costumes.
I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with this fellow:
Vincent Valentine, of Final Fantasy VII fame (owned by Square-Enix, not me!). His is a costume which has been replicated over and over and over by (giant dorky) fans like me! As you can see, his design has already undergone a little original tweaking from the original 1997 official game-art (by Nomura Tetsuya) to the 2006 game Dirge of Cerberus which features Vincent as the main character (Official game graphic version).
As a general rule, guys have no problem imitating this costume. It’s built for a guy, and even if he’s not RIDICULOUSLY thin, it can still look really good. Girls, though soooo many of us adore Vincent, find ourselves quailing a little at the thought–though some are still brave enough to try it. In a moment of insanity last year I ordered this costume from a seamstress on Ebay, thinking that I could make it work. What I got in the mail a few weeks later was a pair of skin tight pleather pants that fit me smack at the natural waist, a costume shirt, glove and cape. The real problem was (as my female readers already know) the pants.
I finally figured it out! HIPS. The problem is HIPS!! No woman, no matter how small, can look like the above picture if she has any kinds of curves at all (Sweeping statement? Oh yeah, you bet). I set out, then, to make a version of this costume that would not only capture the essence of what is our much-loved Vincent Valentine, but would also not make my pants look like I had forced two pigs into leather sacks and strapped them to my waist.
This was the resultant concept sketch:
I admit I got a little crazy with the buckles. I love buckles.
Now–what we have here really isn’t that different from the original, and that’s what I was looking for. I’ve borrowed liberally from both versions of the character design and included a few of my own touches, but the costume is still essentially Vincent. The main difference lies in the trouser style and the width and positioning of belts. I dropped the waist-band of the trousers to fit at the hip (a very modern fit–I’m sure we’ll all want something different in ten years) and widened the two belts to really chunky things, rather than the thin sleek belts Vincent sports. Also, instead of a pleather or leather fabric for the trousers, I’ve opted for a low-sheen black denim.
Why do all these things? The drop in waistline is not only more comfortable for those who are used to modern, hip-riding trousers, it also allows the torso to appear lengthened, creating the illusion of fewer curves (some of the younger cosplay crowd get around curves by binding their chests, but I frankly find this to be totally barbaric and I refuse to participate). The problem with low-waisted pants is that they usually hit at the widest part of the hip, which can make the hips look even wider, if you’re not careful. To help counteract this, chunky belts are added–this draws the eye away from the line of the trousers over the hip and gives the observer the idea that the width is the result of the belts themselves.
Lastly, the change in fabric from a high-gloss to a low sheen eliminates awkward highlights. Pleather is really a very reflective material, and nothing can make something look curvier than a dramatic set of highlights showing up in a picture from the flash. Black denim absorbs light, and as everyone knows, black makes anybody look thinner!
This costume is currently about half done, so I’ll leave off here with the promise that I’ll post the rest of it as I get finished, including the golden glove/claw that I’m working on. What I really wanted to do with this post was prove that you can take a male costume and make it not only feminine, but attractive as well WITHOUT resorting to the tired, old and totally uncreative minidress or miniskirt designs.
Danger Studios has just uploaded a Mad Hatter costume and makeup tutorial. This kid does a great job, and there’s bonus dancing at the end of the clip. It’s fun watching everything come together – awesome costume!
Are you familiar with the character Codex, from The Guild web series? She’s played by talented actress and celebrity geek, Felicia Day.
Here’s an awesome video showing how to make Codex’s cool staff. Last year, the crew from The Guild produced a music video and they all wore costumes based on their video game characters. Felicia Day’s costume and staff were a huge hit among fans.
Felicia Day made the above video with special effects guru Greg Aronowitz, showing the step-by-step process of making her staff.
Very cool! Be sure to head over to BarnyardFX for the full tutorial.
[via BarnyardFX]
What a great way to top off your Lady Gaga costume!
Instructables member the_gella put together a pair of video glasses for under $20!
Read the full how-to over at instructables.com and check out the_gella’s other cool projects on her blog, Soft Circuit Saturdays.
Can you put on make-up as fast as this guy?
LOL, this video is pretty funny. Thanks to gina for the tip!
What a great homemade fairy costume! This costume was posted by Firepixie in the FaerieFashion community on Live Journal.
She made this out of various fabric in her “fabric closet” and I think this is top notch work. Great job!
I love that all I actually bought for this costume was the tulle for the underskirt. Everything else was already in my fabric closet (and yay, now there’s more space in there, hooray for using up old stuff!)
I sewed bells on the points from the top, and cut / tore the tulle layers to make a really flowy woodsy look. I glued on little flowers all over the skirt on different layers, and added the flowers and jewels on the top and the back, put some ribbons and gold rope here and there and the whole effect is really textured and interesting.
It’s important to note that she got the gorgeous wings from The Fancy Fairy, who arguably makes the best fairy wings on the Web. Definitely a site worth checking out!
[via FaerieFashion]
I’m seeing lots of Avatar costumes and make-up videos on the web today! So in addition to the Avatar make-up tutorial I already posted this morning, here are a few more Avatar costumes.
These are some fine looking costumes, and excellent make-up work. I have to hand it to the fans can wear full costumes and make-up for hours, as they wait in line to see a movie. This is the true spirit of fandom.
Want to go blue? Here’s an Avatar make-up tutorial. This video already has over half a million views, and it was posted just a few days ago.
Great job!
Take a look at this impressive Gryphon costume beak, a work in progress by Merystic Charest. He plans on finishing his Gryphon costume in time for next February’s Furry Fiesta in Dallas.
Very amazing detail! A realistic, movable beak seems extremely complicated. Great job!
The finished beak. For those of you who are curious, the process was this: Construct a basic 3 dimensional beak shape from foamies, then cover it in paperclay to the point where it takes the correct shape of the beak (and then some, because sanding will take it down just a bit). Allow to dry, which takes forever. Fix anything that looks funny, allow to dry again.
Once it was dry, I got some coarse grit sandpaper and sanded it down into the correct beak shape, as smooth as I could. Granted, I couldn’t get it flawlessly smooth but I was more than happy/satisfied with the result. I then spray painted it black, added the fleshy nose part which is just upholstery vinyl, then hand painted it dark purple 2 coats (couldn’t find any dark purple spray paint), tipped the beak with metallic copper spray paint, and then 2 coats of glossy clear coat spray. Whew!
[via Merystic Charest]
Today I’d like to give a round of applause to Allison, known on the Interwebs as ModMischief.
She makes extraordinary costumes for herself and her friends, then dedicates her time helping others by creating tutorials on Instructables.com.
Let’s take a look at some of the incredible costumes she’s made…
Allison made this costume for her friend. Very, very cool!
We settled on a design that has everything: sex appeal, impressive size, an optical illusion and built in drink holders!
By buying a lot of the pieces pre-made we were able to save a lot of time and put together the costume in about 15 hours spread over two weekends of working in my messy kitchen.
Learn more on Instructables.com…
2. Headless Bride from Duct Tape
Here is Allison in all her headless glory. Magnificent work, and an ingenious use of duct tape!
For Halloween last year I decided I wanted to go as a corpse bride since I had an awesome oh-so-eighties wedding dress at my disposal (left over from a previous theme party)…. I didn’t have the materials or skills to sculpt it… What I did have was lots and lots of duct tape.
Learn more on Instructables.com…
3. Ludo from Labyrinth Costume
And now, with an amazing, mind blowing costume – it’s Ludo from the Labyrinth movie!
Remember Jim Henson’s classic film, Labyrinth , starring David Bowie? Who wouldn’t want their very own friend Ludo?
In the movie the furry giant is played by the incredible Ron Mueck but this Halloween I decided the role would be best performed by my boyfriend.
Learn more on Instructables.com…
Wow! Aren’t these costumes absolutely incredible?
Huge thanks to Allison for sending in the photos. We love having you as an MD reader and commentor, and can’t wait to see your costumes in the future!
On the web:
Allison’s blog: http://modmischief.blogspot.com/
Allison’s Instructables:
http://www.instructables.com/member/ModMischief/
The clever folks at ThinkGeek have put together a nice tutorial on how to knit a Princess Leia bun hat.
LOL, it looks great on dogs, too!
1. Get some comfy, Carrie-Fisher-esque brown yarn. Bulky, wooly yarn works best (especially for the optional felting step below) to make sure the braids are chunky enough, and you’ll probably need two skeins.
2. Procure circular or double pointed knitting needles. (Andrea used size 10 double pointed needles on her hat.) Grab a big ol’ tapestry needle while you’re at it; you’ll need it for the braids.
Read the whole tutorial on ThinkGeek!
[via ThinkGeek]
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