Edward's Convention Tips: Cosplay Advice

Finally, the end of my 3 part series on convention preparedness! My cold is nearly gone and I'm ready to write this! This one is all about cosplay!

Cosplay Advice

Saving Money

I make all of my cosplays, which can get pretty damn expensive pretty quick. So I've figured out some ways to save my pennies whenever possible!

Coupons!!: I don't coupon clip with ANYTHING else, but I do for Joann fabrics! I have signed up for both their e-mail and regular mail coupons. If you have a smart phone, you can download their app and get even more! Also, if you have a friend who doesn't sew, you can have them sign up for coupons and have them send them to you (if your friend doesn't mind, that is) I get coupons from my mom and from a friend. So needless to say, I have LOTS of coupons all the time. I have saved A LOT of money with coupons. Probably hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Also, be wary of Joann's "sales." I dislike when they have things on sale sometimes, because usually they only take of 30% off or less. And if it's on sale, you can't use your coupon (Most coupons are 40% off). Same goes for "red tag" fabric. So don't buy sale items unless they are 40% off or more. Otherwise use your coupon.

Also, important note: You may think that the material is going to be what gets you, but really it's all the notions! With anything you make you'll need thread, fasteners (buttons or zippers), you might need ribbons or trim. And all that adds up really fast. Buttons are very pricey and thread is about $3 a spool. If you're cosplay has multiple colors (which many of them do), you'll need thread for each color. 4 colors, and you've spent $12 just on thread!! So be sure to save those notion coupons too!

With all my coupons, I can usually get away with spending less the $30 on a complete cosplay.

Modify: I have not done this, but I know lots of people who buy clothes from thrift stores and modify them! I think that's a great way to save money! Also, when you go to thrift stores, check out their sheets, curtains, and fabrics section. You might find some material that would work great for your purposes!

Walmart: Some Walmarts have a fabric section, and those ones always have $1 a yard fabric. That's about as cheap as you are going to find fabric! I got all of my Sailor Moon fabric for $1 a yard. So if your Walmart has a fabric section, lucky you! They moved our Walmart and didn't put a fabric section in the new one! 

Wear the cosplay before the con

Just wear it around the house. And I mean THE WHOLE COSPLAY. Get a feel for what it's going to be like at the con. It's best to figure out your problem areas before you're actually at the con and then realize, "Oh crap, I didn't put a snap crotch in this Sailor Moon leotard and now I'll have to get completely naked to pee..." () So do yourself a favor and wear your cosplay around for a day.

Which leads me to my next point...

Get your cosplay done early!

For exactly the reason I stated above and because it's really stressful trying to get a cosplay done at the last minute. I know lots of people who work on their costumes in their hotel room, only hours before a big photo shoot. I can't do that. Besides, I want to spend my time enjoying the con, not sitting in my hotel room frantically sewing. And know your limits. Don't agree to make 8 costumes in a month. Unless you know for absolutely sure you'll get them all done, with time to spare, don't do it! So you can't join this group this time around. Oh well! There will always be another con where you can! It's just cosplay. It's for fun. Don't stress over it.

I've also known some people who were like "Oh I don't think I'll go to the con AT ALL, because my cosplay isn't finished!" What? Who cares! There are LOTS of people who go to cons who never cosplay! Conventions do not equal cosplay. You can have lots of fun in plain clothes at conventions. And no one expects anyone to cosplay. It's just a fun alternative.

Don't wear the same cosplay all weekend

It gets stinky. You may think "Oh, I showered and put on deodorant." But your cosplay is still collecting all your sweat and stinky-ness. After 3 days it can be a little ripe. If nothing else, buy some Fabreeze or something, and spray that baby down each night! Also, many cosplays aren't exactly comfy to wear. I know after wearing my Sailor Moon boots for 3 days in a row my feet are very angry with me. So I try to switch around my cosplay so my body doesn't hate me afterwards.

Travel tips

Get one of these suitcases:

This is the best suitcase ever!! A friend of mine used to be in the corporate world and had to travel with suits all the time. But she doesn't do that anymore, so she gave me this suitcase, because she knows I cosplay and thought it would be helpful. WHICH IT IS! As you can see, the main section is perfect for suits, or in our case cosplays. The top has hanger clips and it has straps to hold everything in place. It has tons of pockets for accessories, regular clothes, and toiletries. It zips closed to keep everything safe and it folds in half with a carrying handle and a shoulder strap. I only need to bring this one suitcase when I travel for cons now!

So try to find one of these! You may be able to find one at a thrift store or something. Or your parents might have one. I know my parents have this exact same suitcase. Try not to buy one new, because luggage is usually really expensive.

Wigs: First of all, when you get your wig, DO NOT throw away the hair net or the bag it comes in!! You need to save that for storing them and for traveling with them. There are two ways I travel with my wigs: In the bag they came in or on a wig head.

I use the first method for wigs that don't have any heavy styling. The first wig shown is my Aurora/Briar Rose wig. It just has lots of curls, which aren't affected by being flattened. I first put the wig in the hair net, and then gently fold it in half and place it in the bag. It's important to put it in the hair net first! Otherwise it will become all tangled up into a big mess. This is a nice method because you can just stick it in one of the pockets of your fancy suit case.

OH GOD! I've suffocated and decapitated Sailor Moon!

The second method I use for heavily styled wigs. As you can see, Sailor Moon is the one on the head in this photo. I place the wig on the head and pin it in place with wig pins or with long sewing pins. Then I put a hair net on top of the odango and her bangs and another to collect her pig tails (as delicately as possible). Then I put a plastic bag around the pig tails and another on top of the whole mess. I've found that this is the best way to keep it from becoming a big knotted mess when I travel. I recommend this method for complicated wigs that must be in a particular shape. I usually put all my heads in a cardboard box (hahahahaha), then that way they aren't knocking around in the back seat of the car.

Wig heads are easy to find. You can get them at thrift stores or at beauty supply shops like Sally's for pretty inexpensive. My mother in law used to style wigs, so she had a billion wig heads just laying around her place, so lucky me!

Whatever you do, DO NOT just throw (or even gently place) the wig in a plastic bag and then put it in the car. You will weep bitter tears of regret when you open that bag at the hotel.


Take good care of your wigs! They aren't the cheapest thing and you want them to last as long as possible!


Well that's all I can think of for cosplay tips! I hope that you found these tips helpful! Do you have any tips or advice you'd like to share? Put them in the comments!

Next week I'll be doing a cosplayer interview! I hope you all will enjoy it!

Love,
Edward