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| the magician's looking glass: WhiteMage_1's Cosplay |
| How may I help you...? |
| Cosplay: |
| Conventions: |
| Miscellaneous: |
| Yuzuki Chobits I don't like the series, but I do like Yuzuki. I really like Minoru and, of course, his sad story is the reason I find him endearing. Yuzuki is so sweet and so pretty. I also wnated to make this costume so that I could belong to a great group of people, since it seems like everyone is making a Chobits costume, especially Chii or Dark Chii. I want to get my picture taken with some other Chobits cosplayers. The first version of this costume was created for Halloween, since it can actually pass for a "normal" Halloween costume, since Yuzuki's outfit looks like a maid, and it's simple enough that I figured I could finish it within time constraints. I was literally sewing this right up until the minute my ride to the JCCC Halloween dance arrived. It was to be used at the Halloween showing of UTMAnime, but I was so disatisfied with it that I scrapped that plan. Version 2.0 appeared at UTMAnime and 2.5 appeared at AN'03. |
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| Proud to be CANADIAN. |
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| [Yuzuki] |
| Costume Stats: Start: September 2002 || Finish: October 2002 Version II: Start: November 2002 || Finish: March 2003 Length of Process: Three weeks Version II: Costume: Two weeks, Wig: Five months on and off Creator: WhiteMage_1 Appearances: JCCC Halloween Dance 2002, UTMAnime 2nd Anniversary (2003), Anime North 2003 Approx. Cost: $70 Future Appearances?: Unknown Awards: First Place (UTMAnime 2nd Anniversary), Hall Cosplay (Anime North 2003) |
| Construction: Dress: Combination of two patterns: A historical shirt and a French maid costume. |
| Apron: Bow: Tie: Underskirt/Netting: The pattern only called for three layers of netting, but I used four layers. It still didn't poof out very much, though, unfortunately. Legs: I didn't have time to go searching for blue tights, so I just used some black tights, which, unfortunately, weren't quite opaque either. So yes, I was Yuzuki with sheer black tights. So sue me. =P Headpiece: Originally going to be wired ribbon or fabric, but it ended up being craft foam, cut into sections, and glued to a headband. Footwear: Black hiking boots...well, they look more like army boots than hiking boots, but whatever. ^_^ Sometimes Yuzuki's boots look blue, like her tights, and sometimes they look black. I think they're really supposed to be that blue colour, but I didn't want to paint my wonderful boots. ^^;;; Hair: Just my natural hair, braided and tied with white elastics. I didn't have the money to spend on a wig. I have very thick hair, but not /that/ thick and it doesn't stick out like that.. I also don't have bangs, which makes it hard to understand why I seem to only cosplay characters who do have bangs. Eyes: No contacts this time either. Everything about Yuzuki is so blue.. T_T Make-up: Blue/silver eyeshadow. I still don't know how to use make-up so... it was the best I could manage, even if it didn't help much. lol. |
| [More Pictures Coming Soon] [Version I at the Halloween dance] |
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| VERSION II: Many, MANY changes were made between the Halloween dance and the next time this costume saw the light (UTMAnime's 2nd anniversary show in March '03). I'm currently still working on some stuff I didn't manage to finish on time for the March show. I've stopped adding to the description of the components of the first version, since there isn't much point now that the second version is almost completed. Actually, on second thought, for components to which there were no significant alterations, I'll type out the description in version I. For those components, the changes that I made to them will be listed in this version. Dress: Took in the top of the dress to make it fit more snuggly and also fixed up the front hem of the dress so that it was more even (in version I, there was this weird sort of dip at the very front). Also, I slit openings in the insides of the shoulders, inserted some leftover nylon netting to keep the shoulders poofy and sewed the openings shut. I re-made the cuffs out of the same stiffer, heavier white fabric that I used to re-do the front of the apron and I also re-made the collar. I'm very happy with the way the cuffs turned out, even though they don't quite make a V, but more like a V with a slight curve at the bottom. The collar is one part that I'm considering re-doing yet again. Apron: I opened up the armholes a little more at the bottom so that it looked better from the side. I also significantly altered the front panel of the apron, then removed the old panel and used it as a pattern to create a new front panel from some heavier, stiffer white fabric. I altered the back panel a little, but it mostly remained the same as before. I replaced the hook and eye fastenings at the back with rows of bra hooks (which is basically the same thing, I realise, but these are smaller, sleeker, and easier to use) because that was more practical and looked better, even though they're covered up with the top of the bow anyway. I also re-did the shoulder flaps (what else should I call them? lol) because they weren't folding the right way in Version I...unfortunately, the heavier fabric I made them out of wouldn't take a pleat. -_-; Bow: The ends of the bow remained the same, but I completely re-did the top of the bow. This time, it's actually a gigantic tube of fabric that's sewn into a ring and then tied. A long strip of cloth, salvaged from the Version I bow top was wrapped around the knotted fabric and it once again fastens to the apron on the inside using velcro. This is VERY heavy and I still can't get it to hang quite right. I may re-do this AGAIN if I have time because this was a rushed part of the costume. Tie: Still needs to be re-done. I want to make an actual tie this time...I like ties...lol Netting: I'm working on adding at least four more layers, but it's not quite complete yet. Underskirt: This part is completely new. I bought some light, slightly shiny fabric used for lining and created an underskirt from it using my school kilt as a guide for the size of the pattern (hee hee...finally useful for something...), then cut strips of fabric and made myself ruffles for the hem of the skirt. I bought some nice stiff lace and added that to the edges of the ruffles, even though Yuzuki doesn't have any lace on her skirt. I figured that no one would mind me being a little extra fancy with this costume. Anyway, the skirt's a litttle long, so I have to roll the top of it to make sure it's the right length. ^^; Ah well, it looks so much better than the stupid attempt at ruffles in Version I. Legs: I bought some opaque navy tights. ^_^ Hooray! ^_^ Hair: Wig. I handmade this wig. It took a very long time. How long? I started this back in November. I worked all through Winter holidays on this and have been working on it consistently since January (it's now March). I bought an absolutely gigantic thing of yarn at Walmart (the only way I managed to make it affordable...lol) and began measuring out strand after strand of "hair". There are, I estimate, somewhere over 500 separate strands of long hair and I don't know how many bangs. If I have time, I'd still like to add more layers of hair, simply because I find it hard to believe that that few layers of yarn can actually cover my hair. It of course doesn't look very realistic, but I wasn't going for realism, just accuracy in terms of looking like Yuzuki's hair. After I had these strand of hair, I sewed them to a long strip of navy wired ribbon (the circumference of my head from the beginning of my hairline, over the top of my head, and to the top of my neck) so that there would be a part down the middle, since I'd need to pull her "hair" into dual braids. The bangs were sewn to a thinner strip of wired navy ribbon that was approximately the length of my hairline. These were sewn to a lycra swim cap, which formed the base of the wig. Since there's not too much sewing, the swim cap still stretches like it should, so it fits snugly over my head and I can stuff my hair into it and out of sight (mostly...it's still visible a little above my ears). I'm quite proud of it, actually....just because it turned out pretty much like I expected and it feels good to have that much work actually out of the way. I think it completes the costume nicely. Headpiece and Footwear remained the same. This time, just pale blue eyeshadow and white and light metallic blue nail polish (I just happened to have that on at the time...I realise Yuzuki doesn't have nail polish). VERSION 2.5 New top of bow (it's now wired, so it stays in its correct, fluffy-ish shape), no nail polish, new tie made of the same material as the new cuffs. |
| NEWSFLASH!: Winner of Hall Cosplay ribbon at Anime North 2003 |
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| Picture credits are in mouseovers. The first two pics are credited to SMA and the second two are credited to WUSS. |
| VERSION 2 (worn at UTMAnime and AN'03) |
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| Picture 1-3: UTMAnime Picture 4: Erilan Picture 5: Louise Picture 6: Mia-P Picture 7-8: Reiciel |
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| Wig Progress: |
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