Cosplay: Princess Zelda form Skyward Sword

I've always been a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda games. I started with Ocarina of time many moons ago but I've steadily played through as many as I could get my hands on since then.

I started playing Skyward Sword a few months ago when my husband decided to trade his old iPad in for a WiiU (a decision we have not regretted) and I've grown to have a love/hate relationship with the game.

I love - The story, the look, the gameplay

I hate - The number of hours of my life the game has swallowed 

Anywho, as I said the look of the game is simply stunning and I adored Princess Zelda's outfit from the first moment I saw it. Everything from her modern blunt cut fringe, the pink dress, the sash, the belt and the green bangles...

I knew I had found my next cosplay project!

This was the main reference picture I used. Somehow part of me felt this would be an easy costume to make. Simple dress, trim, simple sash and belt... How little I knew.

I have will post soon with a more detailed account of the construction process, making the sash and belt was quite a complex process, as was adding the trim to the basic dress, but hopefully you'll agree that it turned out okay:

The white sail cloth was actually quite difficult to manage, making it was not too hard, but waiting for the paint to dry before trying it on was agony! I tried very hard to make it long enough to tie over my shoulders without being completely restrictive but sadly it didn't work so well, I had to wear it quite loose in order to be able to move so it kept slipping and falling off, but at least I could move with it on!

And here is the painted section on the back:

Fortunately, early in the game Zelda presents the sail cloth to Link as a gift and does not wear it any more, so I actually could get away with not wearing it.

Have a sail cloth!

Here are some pictures without the sail cloth so you can see the rest of the costume. I have to say I was so pleased with how the blue sash and belt turned out. I was terrified the whole time I was painting it in case i made a mess of it - the top stitching on the fabric itself wound up to neat, I would have been devastated if I'd had to make another one!

Mind you, those boots, although cheap were perfect for a zelda costume, but they were fleece lined suede so I was absolutely roasting! If there is a faint sheen on my face at any moment, that is because I was a completely sweaty betty...

And finally, here is my face, I did try to powder my eyebrows to make the lighter, but my hair is just too dark, I'm going to have to investigate that further. It's a shame you can't see the ears in this picture, they were a little uncomfortable to put on, but once on they didn't budge all day so I was quite pleased with that.

I reckon money permiting if I wear this costume again I would invest in a longer darker wig so that it is a bit more accurate, but this one was okay for now at least.

What do you think?

A Summer Princess Daisy Cosplay Costume

I went to the Street Pass Brighton event a few weeks ago and I decided to dress for the occasion (you can read more about the event here). Since they were playing Mario Kart 8, I thought it would be a great change to get out my Princess Daisy costume again. The only thing is, that dress is big, it has poofy sleeves, its long and its all round too warm.

So I decided to make a summer version of my Daisy dress, a somewhat toned down version that I would be able to wear without dying of heat exhaustion.

I took inspiration from two of Daisy's looks. Mainly this fan picture showing her shorter dress and the top and shorts combo from all the Mario sports games.

I took the pattern I made for the other Daisy dress and widened the neckline and added binding to the arm holes instead of adding sleeves. I also did a flared gathered skirt rather than one with knife pleats to give it a bit more of a swishy fullness. I tried to make the orange trim a little more subtle as well by using a ribbon rather than making a full ruffle.

I used the same earrings, gloves and crown from the previous costume.

It was such a beautiful day, just windy enough to not be unbearable, and swishy enough to get some nice photos showing how swishy the skirt is. The band stand on the sea front is a lovely regal backdrop too!!

We also tok a few photos on the beach itself. We had to wait for it to be quiet enough, but eventually...

I have to say, walking around Brighton dressed as a princess was pretty fun! I think I want to have a go at a Disney princess costume too soon. Until then...

A Visit to the StreetPass Brighton for some Mario Kart Action

Nintendo Street Pass is network for those playing DS, you can share bits of game information, play mini-games with friends and collecting characters you meet across the world.

Around two weeks ago I went to the StreetPass Brighton meet up at the Fortune of War. To celebrate the release of Mario Kart 8 the organiser of the meet brought a WiiU so that they could hold the Brighton Mario Kart 8 championship. There were 32 entrants (one of which was me) who all raced against each other in a knockout competition.

Naturally I took this as an opportunity to cosplay (more on that later).

I had my DS, Nintendo Mag, their guide to Mario Kart 8 and a pint of lime and soda. I was ready to rock.

I didn't think I had much of a shot at the trophy, but I would have loved that special cup...

When it came down to it, I had a whole host of problems, having never played the game before (although I have played Mario Kart), being unfamiliar with the tracks, not knowing which kart to pick, but mostly... I just kept falling off the edge.

So I was out of the competition pretty early on. The eventual winner turned out to be a guy called Jon shown here with Wes who runs the event.

But while I wasn't playing, there were lots of people to StreetPass with and plenty of gaming to be had on the hand held devices. 

I also wasn't the only person who cosplayed. There was also Kerri who dressed as a femme Mario. She made the costume herself and it was her first go at making a costume. I think she was really brave using a stretch fabric for her first go!

And finally, this was the only picture I managed to get of me and the husband. Sadly it is was in a really dirty mirror, but you get the idea. I was so proud of him as he got a story published on the Argus website about the event :)

Do you StreetPass?

Why getting to customise your looks in games is awesome (and less vain than it may seem).

The field of video games is a pretty fast moving one. I wasn't around when those original arcade smashes like Space Invaders and Donkey Kong were all the rage (although I have played re-releases) and some of my earliest gaming memories was on my family's Atari. They were simple games; catching fish, crossing a road, navigating a moon buggy across a crater... but since then things have become more complicated.

We wanted more interactivity, more customisability. It wasn't just about games letting us play as Mario, they were about letting us 'be' Mario. Role Playing (and fantasy) Games were my first experience of being able to name your character. In particular I remember playing Ocarina of Time on the N64, circa 1997, and deciding to call Link Jennie. As the Great Deku Tree spoke his words of wisdom I remember thinking, 'its so cool that he uses my name... but it is a shame that Jennie doesn't look a bit more like me'. 

When it comes to Zelda games, I learned the error of my ways (I often call Link Link now, although I regularly call Epona Stinky... because I have the brain of a 5 year old), and I thing that changing the look of an icon like Link would be an error, however, in other games I think changing the look of the characters is a huge step into developing more engaging game play.

Very recently I have been playing Pokemon X on the 3DS. There is a heavy element of player customisability in this game that wasn't present in earlier games (most likely due to graphical limitations) but with an improved game engine came more dressing up options. 

Standard options happen at the start of the game, name, sex and then you get to choose from on of 3 looks. I was pretty disappointed by this as none of them were even close to me:

I went for the middle one. However as the game progresses you get to the amazing Lumiose city (blatantly based on Paris) and things start to change, you can get a hair cut! AND Contact lenses! Then things start looking a little more familiar.

This is my character with my customised features, but the default outfit (with a blue hat instead of pink).

It is not long either before you can access the clothing stores in the various cities throughout the game. Some are more expensive than others, and for one of them you have to prove that you're stylish enough to be allowed to enter. 

Just like Pretty Woman!

A stylish establishment... With rude staff.

As a result of this, you are able to build up a collection of outfits to again, make your character seem a bit more like you. The outfits themselves are a little stereotypical, with a bit too much pink and too many miniskirts, but overall they cover quite a few bases.

Towards the end of the main part of the game I found my favourite outfit, and the one I have been wearing ever since. A lovely blue dress coat with fur cuffs. I would TOTALLY wear this one.

And perhaps this is the point, I know this character, I understand and identify with her. She is how I wold like to be if I lived in the Pokemon World.

Oh and did I mention she's a champion?

And she has a kick-ass Eevee team, the original customisable Pokemon.

Nintendo are onto a winner with this kind of game detail, but lets face it, other games have been doing this type of thing for some time. Getting to choose FemShep in Mass Effect, focussing on every minute race and look detail of your character in Skyrim its obviously not just me that likes this kind of customisability or why would other games do it too?

I suppose it is all part of the Effect philosophy, where everything you do, every choice, has an impact on the world you're playing in. A sort of pseudo free will, if you will. Did you ever play with the lives of Sims characters, taking away their fridges and gambling with the Grim Reaper to give them a second chance? Its all just another version of us wanting to have influence over a world we are investing time in.

One game that combines the customisable look element, and decision making/social responsibility beautifully is Animal Crossing. All the AC games have elements of this, but none more so that New Leaf. I mean you're the Mayor! You can build things, approve planning permission (sort of), ban a nightclub or sell at a flea market its all there.

On top of this you get to pay your mortgage and succumb to the pressure of expanding your living space and scouring the shops to ensure that your furniture matches.

This is my green room, I make my guests wait here before I interview them...

And here is my walk in wardrobe room...

And this is me, doing a spot of cosplay...

Just like real life... sorta.

Its not just in game now though, how you look forms part your avatar, you icon for the various social gaming circles out there. Just like your facebook profile picture it says a lot about you.

I initially tried to make my Mii avatar as close to me as possible, similar hair lined eyes red lipstick. But then vanity takes hold and I gave her a smaller nose, I look at the people I meet on street pass and wish i could do something silly with my face but no, I like this one. Because this is the one I can identify with.

Of course, if you play street pass games you earn costumes to wear:

I think I make a good blonde...

And before you start crying out that its not just Nintendo that are doing this, I know, in fact, here is my avatar on XBox, not that it gets used much, as i tend to play on the hubbies.

I love the fact that the 'vintage look' has become popular enough that victory rolls had a hair preset! However, I really feel that this more realistic avatar is least like me, but you know, that could just be because I am too stingy to pay £0.69 to buy a new virtual skirt?

Customisation is a right, not something to be paid for.

Overall, I think changing the way you look is just an extension on game play, and adds an extra dimension of engagement and personalisation, not vanity, but then, I'm someone who likes dressing up. Maybe I was always going to love this aspect of games.

Do you spend much time thinking about your characters look? 

Do you have any cool avatar looks?

Send pics to @JennieDresses on Twitter, I'd love to see your characters.

And my DS friend code is: 1220 - 60646 - 2417

Casual Cosplay: An outfit inspired by Emmy Altava from the Professor Layton games

To celebrate the recent release of the final Professor Layton game I though I would do a Screen Dresscapade based on one of my favourite characters in the game Emmy Altava.

If you've never played a Professor Layton game, I would highly recommend it, they keep your brain active and are great fun in a way that Brain Training never was. The general gist revolves around solving a mystery that usually has more twists and turns than a Christmas special of Jonathan Creek and along the way you solve lots of puzzles. More importantly however, the games are incredibly stylish looking with a distinct retro vibe that takes inspiration from the 1890s-now. And lets be honest any game that features a perfect gentleman in a top hat HAS to be a winner!

Out sleuths on the case...

In case you hadn't guessed, Emmy is the one in the yellow coat. This isn't a cosplay post, so I havent' gone to town on the look, but I went for an 'inspired by' look instead. 

Instead of a yellow coat, I have a vintage yellow dress that was told was from the late 1950s when I bought it. Judging by the quality of the fabric and the cut, not to mention a beautiful lace detail on the back I am inclined to believe that its a fairly accurate date. I did however wear white tights under the dress and I wore a pair of riding style boots from Clarks. I wore a little blouse under the dress and I meant to add a pink ribbon to the neck line but didn't manage to find one in time :(

Anywho, here's the look:

This is one of my favourite dresses at the moment, it is a lovely yellow to help brighten up the cold weather and it fits like a dream! Here is a picture of me admiring the dress while wearing it... you get a pretty good view of the top of my head, which clearly is why you're all here.

Mind you, it would not be Layton without a bit of pointing. Everyone points in Professor Layton. All the time.

I've got it Professor! 

I wore a black coat with this outfit. I sometimes worry that the combination of black and yellow makes one look a bit like a bee, but I think as long as you don't wear stripes its probably okay.

I wore this whole outfit for a trip out to Battle Abbey. It was a beautifully clear day although very cold, but I had to snap a picture of the Abbey. Just look at that sky!

I also stopped off for a cup of tea at M&S. That isn't really an event in itself, but I wanted to share the tiny, tiny christmas tree biscuit! Its so cute!

Thats it for today then.

Have you played any stylish video games?