2023 Cosplay year in review

Anasui - Jojo   |   Jolteon - Pokémon   |   Salty Vanilla - Sakizou

2023 was a slow crafting year for me. I typically produce 6-7 costumes each year and I made so few costumes in comparison. I need to remind myself not to be discouraged by it since I was dealing with a lot of life changes that slowed me down. There will always be next year to work on new projects and attend other conventions. I had a great time at the many convention I attended and I'm proud of the costume I did finish. Salty Vanilla has been a work in progress for years so I'm happy to finally wrap it up. Anasui is was a fun costume to wear since I love crazy Jojo designs. And Pokémon design are always a fun creative outlet.
So let's go over my 2023 cosplay year. 

What I learned

1. Shiny spandex can shed glitter. After wearing Anasui, my body is covered with a fine glitter from the finish of the fabric. I was puzzled when I was changing out of the costume in my hotel room.
2. When working with a fabric or material with large gaps (mesh, fishnet etc.) It's important to reinforce seams. Trying to match the pieces together will be difficult so create seams using the same or another fabric, and attach the pieces to that instead of trying to line up the strips of fabric.
3. When using a fabric with large holes or gaps (like the fishnet for Anasui) following a pattern to assemble your pieces will make your life easier. The principle is the same as regular fabric.
4. Spandex is very uncooperative when using a loop turner. I tried to make tubes/straps of the spandex and it took so long that I gave up on it.
5. Choose peace and ease. Loop turning dozens of spandex tubes for Anasui's top was tedious, so opted to fold the fabric and zig zag stitch it to make my life easier. It is not as clean looking but you cannot tell in the photos anyway.
6. I can walk and shoot on worn out metal stub heels if I need to.
7. Use heel protectors for cheap heels because they will make them last longer and they are great for adding more height when the heel is a little shorter than what the shoe/platform needs.
8. Try not to stretch stretchy fabrics while sewing seams or you might end up with bunching/gathering at the seams.
9. You want to avoid any mistakes while sewing mesh because it is a nightmare to rip the seams apart.
10. When working on a headband or headpiece, make sure the item is on a wig head or something similar to your head. When you attach items/décor it needs to be able to withstand the change in size when you stretch it to put it on or take it off.
11. You will need more rhinestones. Whatever estimate you have for making a costume, you will likely need more. If you are working with smaller sizes you will need to add more for them to be visible on your costume.
12. You can make a custom mermaid style hoop skirt by gutting a regular hoopskirt and attaching it with straps to a belt 
13. Pipe insulation makes for a uniform and lightweight stuffing for fur trim (See the bottom of my Salty Vanilla costume)
14. Keep your scraps of fabric to use as stuffing for other projects. I found it useful for filling the fur elements on my Salty Vanilla in addition to using poly fill. It's also cost effective since you need less poly fill overall.
15. Make costume pieces easily removable if you know they will get dirty easily. The fur trim at the base of Salty Vanilla's skirt I knew was going to be a dirt magnet. I attached it with hand stitching so I could easily unpick the seams when I returned home from wearing it to a convention.  The rest of the dress cannot be thrown into a the wash and a machine stitch would have taken so much longer to take apart.
16. Deviate from the original design if it doesn't work for you. I didn't have the jail text on the back of my Anasui because I didn't like the look of it plus it would be hidden behind the wig anyway. Also Salty Vanilla was supposed to have vanilla pieces at the base of the skirt but chunks of brown would have looked really weird on the costume in real life vs the drawing. 

Photo by KameraNinja at Katsucon 2023

Most expensive costume

Salty Vanilla cost around $250-300. I was not great at tracking my expenses this year. This costume has a lot of fabric for the outer layers plus undergarments for structure underneath. Faux fur is also expensive and counting all the little things (rhinestones, ribbons, lace, etc.), it can add up. 

Photo by LXE Photo at Otakuthon 2023

Least Expensive costume

It's hard to gauge the price for Jolteon since I used a few things I had lying around. Easily the most expensive part of this was the wig at $40. The fabric was heavily discounted from Fabricville at $4 per metre. All of the sparkle comes from AliExpress, so it was very affordable.

Favourite cosplay - Anasui

Jojo has some fun designs and the thought that this is supposed to be a man's prison outfit just brightens my day. Posing in a Jojo costumes is an elite experience since nothing is too over the top so you can be a little wild and experimental with it. I highly recommend it.

Photo by KameraNinja at Otakuthon 2023

Convention recap

I started off the year strong with Katsucon. It was nice seeing everyone after a few years of skipping it due to the pandemic and travel restrictions. It's busy as always but manageable if you go in expecting crowds.

I was a guest at Anime Detour and I had such a great experience. It was my first time at a midwest con. It was such a warm and friendly environment. I highly recommend you attend if you can.

After years and years of attending Anime North in Toronto/Mississauga, I got to be a guest in 2023. It felt like a real "I've made it" moment and something I would have never imagine for myself when I first attended back in 2006..

I was also a guest at East Coast Comic Expo in Moncton, NB. It was a great experience to see the cosplay scene in the east coast, which is a region I don't get to travel to all to often. I also stuffed my face with sea food the whole time I was there.
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I wrapped up my convention season with Otakuthon, which is a staple of my yearly con schedule. It was a little hectic but a good time. 

Some closet cosplays / makeup looks of 2023

Forward to 2024

I don't have any big plans for 2024 although I might try to compete again if I can get a competition ready costume done in time for certain events. I'm also looking forward to working on more Pokémon designs. I'm continuing my work on my set of Eeveelutions using mesh fabrics and lots of rhinestones. I also plan to return to one of my favourite themes, Evil Queens.
2024 will be a year of several cosplay milestones for myself so I'm hoping to post more content looking back on my many years of cosplay.
I'll see you around at conventions or online!

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