Entering our Odin Sphere group in the Cosplay Contest

 The first and only time I entered a costume contest, was at the 2010 Metrocon. For this convention we joined Kapalaka's Odin Sphere cosplay group. It was the most intensely challenging costume I have taken up to date... and my memories from this experience are rather bittersweet.

Photo by Nicholas Menard

We were working on these costumes pretty much until the day we had to go to the event (as usual). I had not worn all the pieces together until we got to the hotel. It took me about 2 hours to get fully in costume. The make-up alone is about 40 minutes to an hour. Once the undergarments were on (brassiere, corset, underskirt, socks, black turtleneck), all other pieces have to be put on me with assistance. Of course the corset also has to be tightened to the max by someone else.

The black gloves (with the bony hands) are directly sewn on to the sleeves of the black top. They are on opera length gloves, but they're sewn on because velcro didn't prove to be too secure and no part of my real skin should show thru.

Photo by Nicolas Menard

brkak132 and Tewibewi were the ones helping me through my costume ordeal, and even they had to deal with their own set of costume difficulties and props!

Once I put on the boots that go along with the costume (6 inch boots WITH platforms, because Odette is nearly a giant in the game, so I at least wanted to look taller than everyone), then tie on the headpiece, my movement becomes very restricted.

My first version of the headpiece was very flimsy and required that I barely move my head so that it wouldn't flop over or out of my head.

photo by Samantha Petrone

 Another piece that turned out to be very flimsy, were my latex boobs. They were too big, and not secured well enough to my torso, my nipples kept on being exposed too! But at least I had enough foresight to paint them blue...

Let's add up the complications of this costume:

• High heels + platforms, (we walked down the stairs because the hotel elevators were congested)
• Corset (restricted torso as well as breathing capacity)
• Thick clothing layers in the middle of Floridian summer
• Added weight to arms and back (the bones were heavy)
• Weighted headpiece (plus the discomfort of how it rested on my head and the string tied to my neck, I could barely move my jaw to talk), 
• Make-up + over sized lenses (theatrical lenses are always more uncomfortable than dailies)
• Only one functional hand! (my other hand constantly carried the lamp and secured the moon in place)

Photo by Sarah Jean

Oh yea, and the constant feeling I didn't go good enough of a job and everything will fall apart any second!!!

With all this craziness, we rushed to the judging room to be able to enter the contest. I was already getting worn out from being in the costume, but I do remember noticing how Tewibewi's wings fluttered as she walked on ahead of me, it was as if her wings were really growing out of her back!

Photo by Nicolas Menard

The plan had been for Tewibewi, brkak132 and myself to enter the costume together, but he totally refused to wait around even more time wearing the outfit. In the end, it was myself and Tewi up on the stage, we totally tried to look cool for a few seconds.

my lamp actually has a light inside!

End of the story: we did not win any awards. I personally think there were many execution flaws in our costumes (specially mine) and it had certainly been one of those instances were I chose to "bite more than I could chew." Yet, thanks to all those difficulties I learned a lot about costume making and forced myself to do lots of things I had never attempted to do!

Photo by imPhotography

 I also got to become better friends with people I only "knew in the internet."

In closing; I think my max threshold for this costume is about 3 hours, after that time (and all the walking, posing, not falling into pieces) I started to get very tired and grumpy. I couldn't tell my friends what I needed help with because my voice could barely come out and I couldn't gesture with my face or hands very well.

I ended up crying to be let out of the costume and once it was finally off I just plopped on the hotel bed and took a looonnng nap. I was very sad things didn't turn out better and I felt all my efforts had been wasted and it wasn't even worth it to put myself in all that discomfort.

But the day after I was back at it again! And the same story repeats itself (but definitely on a smaller scale) every time I decide to make a costume!

Thank you for reading this post, and you can ask me anything about this costume, I'll try to help!