Costume Process : Makoto Kikuchi

Yo~ I had initially wrote this entry to be posted on my personal blog to share with my friends and well…to just generally complain and rant about this costume. but I thought since I’ve already written it and it is Cosplay related, why not share it here?
The costume was a jam pack 5 day’s HARD WORK! I’d say other than Luneth (FF3), this costume has got to be my worse nightmare ever. I had thought making the costume was gonna be easy since it looks simple enough. But I was SO WRONG!!!!! Argh! NEVER underestimate a 2d costume!

First stage of costuming. Dissecting the costume on paper. I highly recommend every new cosplayer to do this because getting your idea out from your brain and on paper really allows you to take a step back and analyse the costume better.

Wearing the paper draft 

The weird shape and cutting of the top really daunted me a lot but after getting over the initial phobia I managed to come down to a basic one piece dress draft.
I’m wearing the paper draft on the photo above.YEs, I’m a lazy pig so I only do half of the draft (half of the costume, literally) and stick it on myself. Not exactly the best method for a tight fitted costume. Because my costume came out too loose and I had to do a lot of alterations =_=;;;

At this stage the costume really looks like some traditional Chinese undergarment ahhahaa.


And for the first time in my costuming life, I actually burnt a hole in my costume. Great work kaika. I tuned the iron to the highest setting because I was impatient and the iron only took 1 second to scorched the fabric.
Thank goodness for me, it was burnt at the extra portions and I could cut it away easily. Otherwise I might really have just thrown in the towel and call quits.
 
Yeay! basic top done!
The white bias at the bottom look innocent enough but they gave me a lot of trouble too. *shakes head* I guess this really shows how poor my costuming/dressmaking skills are =\
The gloves were the next thing to give me yet another headache. Yes, I made the gloves too because I was too cheapo and didn’t wanna buy them . And also because Makoto’s gloves were extra long and had this outturning effect on the top which store bought gloves didn’t have.
My glove pattern. Yeap, on paper again xD
Wasted some good lycra on a glove that didn’t work out and was way too tight =\ But lesson learnt, I gave it more allowance for the next trial and thankfully things worked out better T_T. But I forgot to draft the outturning effect thingy on the gloves so they came out really straight and boring and……un-makotoish. Got me pretty depressed =\


Had intended to ignore that flaw and just wear it the way it is but……… after much deliberations, I decided to push my limits and continued to make some improvements to it. If you’re a cosplayer who sews your own costume, you’ll understand how I felt. This horrendous feeling of screw up and how you just feel like you just stabbed your own butt with a chopstick because you are soooooo going to be a cosfu*k because of that little error/flaw.
The next big headache was the 2 holes by the side. They are soooooooooo awkwardly placed, I really squeezed my brain dry trying to figure out how I can sew it nicely and not have it show stuffs that was not meant to. If I placed it too high, it’d show my bra, if I placed them too low, they show the skirt band =_=

Trying on the costume with a fake pocket flap and fake side holes XD. Both are made of paper and stuck on with tape.Was trying to figure out where would be an appropriate place to sew them. I always do this to give myself a vision of the end product so I know how to work towards it.
One of the process I dread most in costuming is wearing and taking out the costume x 9892843474 times. It’s just such a bothersome and repetive task=_=!

Finally got pass the holes!
I’m not really pleased with the final product though. Sigh, I wish I gave the collar design a longer and ‘droopier’ tail. I’m sure it’d make the entire costume classier. And argh don’t get me started on my ghetto tie…..
And the end product below!

  
Special thanks to Yuanie for lending me her wig and for helping me soooo much on the day itself.
I love having helpful teammates. Everyone helped so much its very touching *sniffs* T_T And I guess its really this humane spirit that makes me keep coming back to Cosplay. I’m really glad cosplay has allowed me to meet such lovely people =)