Chez la pearl

Conventions are always a fun place to wear costumes. You get to see many people, take pictures, strike the pose, and it is a good way to make something without getting the whole “When will you wear –that-?” look from friends. You have your concept (we will talk here only about original costumes, not cosplay) in mind, the only thing left is well, to make it.

Here are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself before starting.

For what occasion will I wear this costume?

 Haha, funny, I know, “For a convention I just told you!”. I mean more about the different things that happen in a convention. Will you go to the masquerade and try to win a prize, or will you go to the dance? Or even just to walk in the halls?

 The masquerade is the contest where people are judged on their craftsmanship and originality. You need to put a lot of time into your costume and you will have to wait for hours in the backstage. If you want to do so, wonderful! But if it is your first costume ever, you might want to wait and see what this is all about first.

 The dance is, well, a dance. You will need to stand up and dance, so a ballgown poofy dress might not be the best idea (But it looks so good, I know!).

 
For how long do I want to wear this costume?

High heels are wonderful for girls, but you can hardly walk with them for ten hours straight. The same goes to a bone crackling corset. The key is to make something that looks great and that is somewhat comfortable. Somewhat is the key. ;) Aim for a heel that is a bit lower than you want and your feet will thank you.

How much time I have for making this?

Again, time is the key here. The more you have, the less expensive it might be. The more details you will be able to put on it. And (gods forbid!) If something goes wrong, you will have more time to repair it. (And believe me, things often go wrong.)

How much am I willing to pay for this?

Money, money. We have no choice but to think about it. Unlike Larps, you can go with a much wider range of fabric, be it cheaper or more expensive. Here are tips to help you with your budget:

1.       Check for coupons and discount at your fabric store. I always get good prices out of “expensive” fabric because I usually wait for sales. The same goes for patterns. Patterns are expensive but are often in sale.

2.       Be open to anything. It might not be the exact fabric you had in mind, but you can be surprised how things can be similar!

3.       Broken jewelry bits and parts can be very useful to ornate a costume. Do not toss away them!

With dragon*con coming, I hope this help you! Next week, we will talk about inspiration and sketching our costume!

So! You decided to make a costume for your character; there is always a question that comes to players’ mind.
 

What should I wear!?!
 

Yes, it happens to all of us. You know you want a sexy yet practical drow priestess costume but then, what will she wear? What will make her stand out? How can a vampire not wear just red and black without well, not looking like a vampire?
 

First of all, you need to answer some questions.
 

Where will I wear that costume?

I’ve been in larps for more than a decade, and I know how it is to be in the wet, cold forest with cute and sparkly sandals in the mud, cursing at the weather goddess for such crappy night.

No matter how much you want to be credible, you need to understand that weather, running and fighting and trees are against you. Literally. Silks, satins and other expensive fabric (unless you got them really cheap and you’re not afraid to break it) are a big no-no. Also, anything that absorbs water might be risky. If you know where you will play, you can start thinking the length of your dress / robe / skirt. If you know you will have to walk through the forest and face many obstacles, do not make yourself a long dress that people can walk on. You will cry and scream. I know, I’ve been there!
 

What do I want to do with that character?

Run, climb fight are the words coming to your mind? Good for you! But dresses and robes may not be the best clothes for that. I am not the girl who says that mages must be in robes, that girls must be in chainmail bikinis or poofy dresses, far from that! Wear what you want to, even if “priests should wear white robes” and all that jazz.
 

Will it be only that character who will wear this, or I want to make a generic costume?
 

If you are on a budget and want to try more than one larp in the same year, the best might be to not put any symbol of a certain god. This way, you can wear that costume at any place without getting the odd “Ah, what’s that?” look. On the other hand, if you know you will wear that costume only for this character, you can go nuts!
 

How much am I willing to pay for this costume?
 

An easy one you might think, but sometimes someone can easily get carried away in a fabric store, or with that sparkly necklace you’ve seen in that medieval store (you know, the one that made your boyfriend gulp at the price?) I know I am one who will try her best to look at prices, and then…well, you just have to get that fabric.

By setting yourself a price limit, you will help your wallet and yourself greatly. There are ways to respect your limit very easily:

1.       Check for coupons and discount at your fabric store. I always get good prices out of “expensive” fabric because I usually wait for sales.

2.       Need new fabric for a costume piece? You can buy new fabric for a skirt or a jacket and try to find something else for the rest of the costume by altering it, like a jacket that you can alter, or a skirt you think will do.

3.       Be open to anything. Sometimes you can’t find the exact fabric you have in mind, but if you try to find something similar, or just fall in love with a piece, things will be easier, and maybe even cheaper!
 

When do I want/need it?
 

The more time you have to put your costume together, the less expensive and / or the more intricate the costume will be. If you need your costume in, say, a week, you might need to “cheat” your way through by buying stuff already made, like jewelry (if you want some) and accessories. If you have more time, you can make them yourself or go on a hunt for good sale!

And that is it for now. Soon (I swear, soon!) we will sketch our design and get inspiration. Stay tuned!

Eh bien, finalement, une place ou je vais écrire sur ce qui m'arrive, et ce que je fais! J'adores tout ce qui s'appelle costumes, le maquillage de fantaisie, les comédies musicales, les films....mais attendez... Allez voir mon profil pour tout savoir!

Je vais créer un site web prochainement ou je vais mettre des photos mais...pour cela, je dois replonger dans l'enfer qu'est la création de sites web...ce qui n'est pas si mal en tant que tel, mais peut prendre encore un peu de temps!

Allez, à plus!

Kim

Finally, a place where I will post about what happens with me  and what I do! I love costuming, fantasy makeup, musicals, movies and....Wait, you can go check on my profile for all that stuff!

I will create a website where I will put my pictures..but...for that I need to take the dust off my computer skills...which isn't bad per se, but might take some time!

Anyway, stay tuned!

Kim