Costumikaze: A Blog About Costuming

So first things first, before you do any work on a costume, there are a few things you need to figure out ahead of time.

Step 1: Deciding who you will be

This is, obviously, the most important step of costuming.  Are you going to be a specific character, like Superman, or someone in a general genre, like a cowboy?  This is essential, because when you’re going as a specific person/character, there’s generally a lot less wiggle room in your costume.  If you’re going as a non-specific character, or a what, you have more artistic license in creating your costume.

Now, that being said, one of my extreme pet peeves is when people pick characters they don’t even physically resemble. Now if you’re choosing to dress as a character just to show you’re a huge fan, that’s one thing.  But if you’re trying to convince people you could be that character, you need to pick someone who’s similarly built. Plus, there are just some people that no one wants to see in spandex or revealing bikinis.  I’m not joking either, if you’ve got cottage cheese thighs, do us all a favor and either wear something that covers them, or at least wear some tights to at least semi-disguise them. 

And before I get any nasty comments on hating on heavier people, I’d like to point out that I’m a plus-sized woman.  But when I wear costumes, I pick something that’s flattering to my body shape and makes me look better, not something that shows off my wobbly bits and makes people want to cover their eyes. 

Step 2: Are you Buying or Making?

So once you’ve decided who, or what, you’re going to be, it’s time to decide whether you’ll be buying or making your costume.  Are you handy with a needle and thread? Good at creating plastic molds for suits of armor?  Or are you handier at pointing and clicking your mouse over the Buy Now button on eBay? 

Either way, you should decide before you start whether you plan on making the bulk of your costume, or buying it, because once you do, you’ll know where you need to start.  Finishing this step ties in easily to our next two steps…

Step 3: What’s Your Budget?

Once you’ve decided Steps 1 & 2, you need to figure out how much you can reasonably spend on your costume.  Now keep in mind, this is usually a ballpark estimate.  Because believe you me, there are going to be times where you find something that you just have to have for your costume, and it’s usually something that will put you over your budget.  Now before you set your budget, do a little research.  That way you’ll have a better idea of what it might actually be costing you to complete your costume.  

For example, for Halloween last year, I was Ursula from “The Little Mermaid”.  I made my own costume, but the most important part of my costume was something I simply couldn’t make—a corset.  So I shopped around for a few months, looking for the right one, it had to be a cut I wanted, it had to have the look I wanted, and most importantly, it had to fit.  Now though it took me about 2 months to find the perfect one, by doing all my research, I knew approximately how much it would cost to get a good quality one like I wanted, and therefore was able to budget the rest of my costume accordingly.

This is an especially important step if you are buying your costume, or the bulk of your costume, because there are often many sites with different prices for the same costume, so be sure to get the most out of your money—so you can get some kick-ass accessories to go with it.  :)

Step 4: Am I really going to wear this more than once?

This is important.  If you know ahead of time you’ll definitely never wear this costume again, maybe it’s for a weird themed party or you just know you’re going to get hammered and puke on it, you should not spend a lot of money on your costume.  Don’t waste your time, if you’re making it, or your money, if you’re buying it, on making your one-time use costume elaborate.  Chances are, you’ll be angry at yourself afterwards and it will take the enjoyment out of your costume.  So think about it before you make any purchases or begin your work.  

If you are only planning to wear it once, and you’re making your costume, remember, it’s not going to have to endure multiple uses and doesn’t need to be so durable.  Get by with doing only what has to be done to make it look right and make it wearable.

Now perhaps there’s something from this single-use costume you’d like to use again, like a cool pair of boots, and they cost a little more; then it’s okay to buy them.  In my example from earlier I mentioned buying a corset.  Well I knew it would be expensive, but I knew I’d be using it again, and in fact have already used it on 2 other costumes since.  I was able to justify the cost, as it was then spread out over 3 costumes, and probably many more in the future.

Step 5: What’s my timeframe?

Now unless you’re amazingly talented, and wicked fast on a sewing machine, if it’s a week or less until the date you need your costume, you’re probably going to need to buy it.  Because stressing yourself out by worrying over whether your costume will be done in time kills the fun (I speak from personal experience!).  Now obviously, the longer you have before you need your costume, the better, as you can plan, research, and then execute.

Now I know not everyone is as Halloween crazy as me, but if you’re reading this blog, than maybe you are.  But I plan who, or what, I’m going to be for Halloween right after October 31st is over.  Literally the week after Halloween last year I chose my costume for this year.  This gives me a whole year to do research, plan out my costume, buy any necessary materials, and still leave me room for  any last minute emergencies and purchases.

I also like doing this because then I can spread out my costume cost over the course of many months.  So many people complain about how much they spend or spent on costumes, and it’s usually because they got it at the last minute and then had to pay all at once.  My way is like making payments on a loan, a little bit at a time without putting a strain on my bank account, but also allowing me to not cut corners on my costuming due to rising costs.

Remember, if you plan on wearing this costume more than once, you can always build onto what you’ve already made/bought each time you wear it.  This is also great for helping to cut down on initial costs, but can also make you feel better about re-wearing your costume if it feels like it’s a different costume.

Now that I’ve given you the first five steps of the costuming process, think about what you might want to be for Halloween.  Let me know if you want ideas for places to get supplies, accessories, etc.  My next topic will be on Star Wars costumes, since they are plentiful at Comic conventions and popular to boot—I also happened to wear a Star Wars costume to my very first comic convention, so they have a warm place in my heart. Lol…

—BB

tumblrbot asked: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INANIMATE OBJECT?

A hilarious stuffed corgi wearing a crown that I bought while living in London. :)

I’ve been a long time attendee at Comic Conventions, this year will be my 15th year attending, and have always loved Halloween.  What do these two things have in common, you may ask?

Costumes.  While the average person might not go all out for a Halloween costume they intend on only wearing once, a convention goer is likely to spend some serious moolah in order to have the most bad-ass, hardcore, and completely accurate costume they can possibly have.  Since buying a completely accurate and custom fitting costume is usually ridiculously expensive, I’ve taken to making my own the last several years, and have complied a pretty lengthy list of websites to get all the things you need to make your own costumes, whatever they may be.

But I also understand that not everyone is talented with needle and thread, and not everyone is willing to spend several months working on a costume, so I’ve got a pretty good list of websites where you can buy complete costumes too.  I’l cover a variety of costuming related topics and issues and if you’ve got a costume you’re working on, that you need advice for, just send me a message and I’ll make one of my entries devoted to your questions.

Each week, I’ll cover a new topic, and be sure to include some hilarious pics of some bad costumes, as well as examples of good costumes.  If you’re a convention goer and you’ve taken some good pics, feel free to send them to me, and I’ll try to post as many of them as I can (where applicable).

For now, however, I’m off to work on my costume…

B.B.