Costume Mechanics

For me, the best part of Halloween is the costumes. If I had more sewing and fabricating skills, I might be really really into cosplay. As it is now, I can only just watch and be jealous.

However I think I am pretty good at solving my own costume issues at low budget costs.
I will mention the two I did this year for examples.

This year I am planning on having two costumes. This is not because I feel like showing off, rather, it is for practicality. My first costume will be only on for a few hours because the kimono that it mostly consists of was soooo expensive and is so delicate that I only want to wear it as long as needed to get some good pictures. This costume will be Yuuko from xxxHolic. Even though I do not have the body type, I feel like no one really does so it doesn't matter. I've got the kimono which I know she would wear, am going to have to find a long black wig (not hard), and I already have my trusty pipe fox. I own geta to match already and am all set there.

The mechanic that I had to figure out for that costume though was the pipefox to kimono interface. Normally I have very large safety pins that go through my bra straps and into the pipe fox and out again. It's all neat, hidden and secure so I don't have to worry about him while I shop and walk about a Con floor. But because I am going to wear him with the kimono, I do NOT want to put pins through it. So instead I bought a set of 10 extremely strong rare earth magnets on amazon for $5. I sewed a single magnet into its own little cloth pouch. I then attached two to the underside of the pipe fox where he normally sits. The other two I attached to the shoulders of the slip I plan to wear under the kimono. This way he is really only magnetized through the kimono to my shoulder, and since each magnet can hold ~8lbs a piece I think he will be just fine. And no damage to the kimono. :)



The second costume is like the first but different. Once everyone has Oooed and we have photos I plan to change into a different kimono and lose the wig. This other kimono was 10 times cheaper, not kidding. And I can wash this one. So new kimono donned, I can add a simple headpiece and be instead... a Persocom! So today's challenge was to make some persocom ears for myself. I found a pattern, (do a google search and you can find many) bought two pieces of craft foam ($1) and took out my hot glue gun. Took me about 30 minutes to cut, assemble and glue the pieces. In retrospect I am not sure the pattern I used was the best, but it worked ok. I did tweak it a bit and might make a second pair, but for now they are great.

Two finished ears and the headband.

Making the ears themselves was easy. The hard part was figuring how to wear them. Most that you can purchase off Etsy come on a headband. Not sure I liked that solution, but since my hair is so short, I realized that even clips might not work right to keep them on my head securely.

Purple is a cone shape glued into the top. Folded it around to fit closer to my head.

So instead I glued a bobby pin on a bit of fabric to the inside. I found a cloth headband nearly the color of my hair and once I put it on and comb my hair right, you can't see it. Then I use the bobby pins to attach it to the headband and volia! I did use a bit of spirit gum to keep the bottom snug to my face as well.

Persocoms can have blue hair right?

Other Costumes I have been mulling over:
Natsuki's Oz Avatar from Summer Wars
Chyrpi the Kenku
Fiona and Cake
Satyr
Candy Wife
An earth kingdom from A:TLA person with Pentapox
Rainbow Dash
Yukino Miazawa from His and Hers Circumstances
Rule 63 Barfolomew from Spaceballs