Cosplay Tips: Dresscapade Resources

…as some of you may have noticed, Halloween is approaching super fast, and for those of you about to dress up- I salute you!

With that in mind I thought I’d offer some suggestions for my favourite places to acquire pieces/props and ideas for costumes…

Here we go:

Your local costume shop

I suppose this seems like an obvious place to start, but overall I’m not too keen on the ol’ costume shop, generally because they’re so expensive, so I wanted to get it out of the way quickly. What I will say is that if you’re pushed for time a costume shop can give you all the things you need in one place- although you’ll pay a premium for it! The main reason the costume shop is on this list is for their off season sales- you can get full costumes for as little at £10, wigs and accessories for under £5 (if your lucky) so its worth checking for staples occasionally.

Just make sure you avoid shops run by childhood enemies of any close personal friends or guardians like in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode 'Halloween'.

If you're wondering, Willow was dressed as a sexy ghost...

Primark

The fashion forward shop selling the uncostly stock is in almost every town in England (and there are pleanty of equivalents around for those of you not in Blighty) and the reason it is so useful is that you can buy all kinds of things there, from sparkly dresses, stripy tops and strapless bras to giant earrings and cheap shoes in all colours. Typically if its not something too outrageous, Primark will have it- there are rows of t-shirts, cardigans and all colours so this is a great place for getting the basics for your costume (also has been known to sell sequened pants, lace leotards, shoes decorated with fruit and silver leggings).

Charity Shop

Not always the best of stock available, but usually so cheap you can feel free to rip it, sew it, throw paint at it in order to make the item perfect.

For simple items like t-shirts they are pretty good, and its all for a good cause!

Cardboard Boxes

Just a simple one this, but you can cut them, paint them and wear them! Easy ways to make a transformer- like some friends at my birthday party, tv, street sign or various other things.

There are also free ones available at your local supermarket!

Soundwave transforms into two human females?!

You’re/A Family member’s/A friends wardrobe

The easiest to access stash of clothing for costumes is that of your own wardrobe- or any one elses that would be willing to let you borrow clothes!

I once borrowed a boyfriends shirt to dress as Karen from X/1999 which saved me buying one of my own (no pictures of that thank god!) I have said before always take into account the kind of pieces you have when choosing a costume for fancy dress and if you already have items the costume is that much simpler- and free! Hoarding Grandparents may also have several items that can be added to a vintage fancy dressing collection (if you’re lucky!).

Haberdashery

Dash to the haber-dash-ery! For a limitless supply of fabrics, sequens, ribbons, buttons for altering and customising things you already have. I think most places have one, somewhere, although it may be tucked in the back of an old indoor marked or a department store- try to avoid the latter if possible as they are often more expensive. I recently went to Dainty Supplies at an industrial estate in Sunderland to collect buttons for my bridal bouquet (yes I’m getting married-eep! So expect a few posts on that in the up and coming months, after all it’s the fanciest dress I’ll probably ever wear!) and the buttons were much cheaper than certain other department stores. 

Not such a Dainty Store!

Boots

In the UK Boots the Chemist sells everything (almost) you need to complete your costume look and I’m fairly certain all countries have something similar for your pharmaceutical/cosmetic needs. The important thing about Boots is that is has all kinds of make up and hairdyes, for example my white hairdye for Black Cat came from a spray can I bought at Boots (that I was lucky to get!!) they also sell a great range of cheaper makeup that is animal friendly if you’re looking for a good one night only lipstick or eyeshadow. They also sell tights in all colours, cushioned insoles- for killer heels, blister plasters- for chafing costume parts, hair teasing tools and even painkillers for the morning after *wink wink.

eBay

Ah… Saved the best until last. My personal favourite for costume shopping is eBay. They stock ready made costumes at reduced prices, cosplay wigs imported from China (see Black Canary soon!) Zentai suits, cosmetics, clothing and all kinds of footwear. I almost feel like its safe to say that if eBay doesn’t sell it, it doesn’t exist! The only downside to eBay is that you have to consider postage time while compiling a costume, which means making decisions and buying early and very occasionally something you buy doesn’t turn out to be quite as expected. I have one disasterous story about a wedding dress that taught me to be more careful about eBay, but ultimately, you are always covered by paypal should something go wrong. The main bonus of eBay is the price- which is usually super cheap, you just need to be a little careful when buying- for any one interested a eBay how to will be following soon-ish.

Type in what you want, and it appears!

Ultimately that’s it! If you think I’ve missed anywhere important let me know!

Another Dresscapade should be approaching you shortly, and then reports on my costume efforts at the London MCM Expo!

Until then Happy Dresscapades!

Cosplay Tips: Fancy dress 101

As I have said before, to me Halloween is the one time of the year when anyone of any age can dress up. As the month of October is fast approaching I thought it would be a good idea to share some of my opinions on choosing costumes.

Obviously these aren’t strict rules, and even if they were, rules are made to be broken -- especially at Halloween. So I’d like to hope that some people will take the advice I’ve outlined here on board; I think it will lead to a happier stress free Dresscapade :D

Enjoy!

1) Be aware of your prep time

For a costume to work you need some careful preparation. I’d say from start to finish it takes me around a month to design, acquire and modify a costume; thinking in advance of an event is essential for me. Mostly this is because I work full time, have other commitments and buy most of my items mail order (so there are delivery times to consider), but it is worth allowing enough time to create your costume so you are not stressed at the last minute and can enjoy the creative process.

2) Know your theme

Although this doesn’t apply so much at Halloween, as these days pretty much anything goes from a corset and a cat tail to a full medieval court princess, it is important for other events. Investigate the theme -- is it something you like? Is it common? Or is it something a bit weird? Either way, a theme can be friend or foe so think carefully about the limits it imposes.

Which brings me nicely onto…

3) There is no such thing as too much research!

Investigate the theme. The internet is an invaluable tool for this, with countless forums dedicated to costumes etc. You can simply google ‘your chosen theme costume ideas’ and you’ll be bombarded with information.

 

For me the best example for this was just before a friend’s birthday bash. Her theme was London Underground stations; in a rush I had no idea what to dress as and googled the theme to gather intel. I ended up dressing as a rather risky Russell Square and went as Russell Brand, complete with drawn on beard, backcombed hair and very skinny jeans -- I received some strange looks that day!

 4) Pick something you like

It know it seems obvious, but the number of times people dress as Wonder Woman and have no idea about her is outstanding! I know of at least four people, and CBS’s The Big Bang Theory has a whole episode dedicated to the unwitting Wonder Woman fancy dress phenomenon. Don’t just grab a costume because its there -- if it’s something you love, it will look better for it.

Penny as Wonder Woman in TBBT

5) Use what you have

Another obvious one really, but if you have dyed pink hair then use it! If you have a great figure -- show it off! The closer you are to looking like a character, the less work you have to put into the costume and if you already own clothes you can wear then all the better. After all, it saves you time and money (and who doesn’t want that!).

6) Keep it realistic

If you work full time, have 3 kids or do a billion other extracurricular activities then make sure you are realistic about how much time it will take to make or assemble your costume. It would be rather stressful trying to make a full cardboard replica of Optimus Prime (yeah, it happens...) to wear when you only have 5 hours to make it in!

7) Group confidence

If you’re feeling a little nervous about your costume when venturing out in a large, or even small, group can allow everyone to hide in plain sight. It provides a bubble of protection so you can sink to the background if it all gets a little too much, or parade around at the front if you want to the centre of attention. Besides, a team fancy dress is always more fun.

Me as Harley Quinn plus others Batman Rogues

On a side note, wearing masks, wigs and heavy makeup are things that can help you feel more confident when venturing out in costume. Remember that they’re designed so that no one will recognise you!

8) Don’t go out in only lingerie

I’m by no means a prude… but I see many people -- yes mostly women -- who seem to use Halloween or fancy dress as an excuse to venture out in only lingerie. Just remember that it’s nearly November and it’s cold… If you’re going for something that should show flesh, then skin-tone tights, control pants and a lot of sticky tape will help keep you warm and everything in place.

Related to this point is that you should never wear a costume that is sold as ‘Sexy insert costume name here’. Especially if its Pac-Man. Eww.

Pretty sure she shouldn't have a ghost there...

9) Be creative!

Even if you buy an entire costume in a kit, do not be afraid to modify a costume, sew bits on, chop bits off or swap things for different versions that look better. It’s a costume and only you know how you want the interpretation of the character to look. The more of it you can make for yourself the better.

10) There is more to life than costume shops

While a costume shop may be the first port of call to Dresscapade novices, for me they’re somewhere I only go if I’m desperate. I find the most valuable resources are eBay -- although this requires a specific knowledge of items required -- and second-hand shops. Charity or thrift shops may take a bit of trawling, but most of my Bellatrix LeStrange costume was found during an afternoon looking for bargains along Brighton’s London Road.

For more dos and don’ts of costuming check out WTF Costumes
it will shock and amaze you.

Anywho, that's all for now, and good luck with Halloween!

Happy Dresscapades!