2022 Cosplay Year in Review

King of Swords | Umbreon | Sylveon | Morana | Risotto | Raihan

It's been a productive year. I managed to complete a few costumes on my long "to be completed" list and I got creative with Pokémon costumes again. 2022 was my return to conventions after pandemic lockdowns. I'm still adjusting to post-lockdown conventions while trying to stay safe and dodge covid for another year. Luckily, I was never the type to share drinks and I always had hand sanitizer with me pre-pandemic, so I was going in with good habits. I never want con plague, not then and definitely not now. It was nice to be back and seeing friends I haven't seen in years. Also, it was a shock to be assaulted by con funk after being spared for so long.

Sylveon cosplay | Photo by KevinUncaged

What I learned

1. Flash tape was my MVP this year keeping the girls secured and hidden. I've been using athletic tape and using Vaseline or cream to protect sensitive parts
2. Pur cosmetics lash glue is great for glueing stuff to your body. My gold foil would not budge on my King of Sword cosplay
3. Patience can save you money: I was so eager to make my Raihan cosplay that I started accumulating materials as the game released. I'm a slow crafter and before I could even finish 30% of the costume there were decent quality full costumes for less that the material costs I've already incurred. I love my costume and it's of a higher quality but I should have waited to buy it and save myself the time.
4. Persistence pays off: If you are dedicated to a project it's safe to wait for the right materials. I've been on the hunt for striped fabric in the right width for Risotto for months and the one I settled on was perfect.  Similarly, for Morana, I could not be bothered to make her white dress since it's a pretty standard look. I managed to find a Victorian inspired cotton dress on AliExpress. It was cheaper than buying the materials myself and I didn't have to put in the labour.
5. Keep your reference photo handy, because your mind can play some tricks on you. Refer to it frequently to avoid mistakes.
6. A halo crown + beads is an easy way to add elegance to a costume
7. Consider painting your appliqués to get the desired colour for your project. You can also dye them and of course add beads and rhinestones for extra pizzazz.
8. Gathered ultrapreme looks great! It looks so rich and is very soft. I used this for the bottom of Raihan's sweater. 
9. Saving on HTC vinyl: Typically when you have a vinyl design, you have it cut by a vinyl cutting machine in the shape you need, then you apply it. Raihan's design had mainly straight lines in orange vinyl. Instead of cutting out the design as is, I just cut out strips and applied them as need be. So I was able to do the whole costume with one roll of vinyl and with minimal waste.
10. Get threading tools (drawstring threaders) to make inserting ribbon, chord, and elastic into fabric channels easier. Ex. like the ribbon in a hoodie
11. When you wear light-coloured brows (blonde/white/silver) add a dark shadow with eyeshadow so they don't disappear on your face and it softens the looks without them looking too harsh
12. When sewing a sticky fabric (like vinyl) use wax paper as a protective layer between your fabric and your foot to glide the fabric through without it catching. This also works with paper towels but wax paper is fairly transparent so you can see what you are doing.
13. When working with spherical props consider flattening a side or hollowing it out attach it to other items. A flat or hollow area give you more surface to work it. I had to hollow out some of the foam balls I used for Risotto's hat otherwise they hung awkwardly and ends of the fabric were visible, which didn't look nice.

Photo Paul Hillier

Most Expensive - Risotto

Surprisingly this was not too expensive at about $150. Although I wasn't the best of tracking my expenses in the pandemic years. I managed to get a good deal on vinyl from Aliexpress to keep the cost down. The loafers cost as much as the fabric but they are so nice and I wear them all the time.

Photo Amaleigh Photography

Least Expensive - Umbreon

Sylveon and Umbreon are basically the same price (around $65) but I had to buy more rhinestones and ribbon for Sylveon. Both costumes were an Aliexpress special: fabric, appliques, halos, and rhinestones. I also used a lot of accessories I had lying around. Check out those bracelets meant for a Riju (Breath of the Wild) cosplay that never happened.

Favourite Cosplay - Risotto

I don't really have a favourite this year but if I have to pick, I'll pick a Jojo costume. I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the sewing went considering vinyl is such a finnicky fabric. The hat is fun and was an interesting puzzle to pattern out. I managed to get the stripes on the pants to align neatly. How satisfying! And the shoes are cool and comfortable. Plus any excuse to do crazy poses is a good one.

Risotto cosplay | Photo Paul Hillier

Return of the Cons

I was fortunate enough to go to four conventions this year: Yeticon, Anime North, Otakuthon, and Capital City Comic Con.

I had a relaxing time as per usual at Yeticon. The scenery is always beautiful but the wind was miserable this year and made it so cold, which was a pain since I packed mainly light costumes. It was the opposite at Anime North where it was horribly hot. Thankfully my Eeveelution costumes are as light as can be. They are probably the most exposed costumes I have. Although I was a little nervous wearing them out, I had no regrets once I step outside in the hot weather. Judging the masquerade was like riding a bike, it was nice to be back at it and seeing people's creative work.

I had a good time at Otakuthon, although I was trying to avoid the worst of the crowds. The fun I had that weekend was doing things around the city (going to the spa, checking out an art show) since it's been years since I could visit. Lastly, Capital City Comic Con, was my return to guesting at a convention. It was a great event and everyone was so friendly. Getting back to the west coast (Victoria) made me really miss travelling. There are so many beautiful sights to see on Vancouver island and Lichon Photography showed me around. I got to see a few small waterfalls and of course we took photos in the woods.

Juan de Fuca trail on Vancouver island

Forward to 2023

I'm  being cautiously optimistic for 2023. Here's hoping I can make another 5-6 costumes and maybe clear some other old costumes on my "to be completed" list like this Sakizo costume I've been working on since 2019. You can also expect more Jojo costumes and pokemon gijinkas.

Besides that, I'm mainly sticking to projects I can make with my fabric stash. After moving recently, I realized how much stuff I have and I need to reduce the amount before committing to new things. Also I don't really have place for any new costumes, which means I will be getting rid of some older ones to make room. 

I hope you all had a great 2022 and I'll see you in the new year.
​XOXO

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