About this costume

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Selection Process: I always had this on my cosplay to-do list since I played the game back in 2009. I fell in love with Vanillaware's art style and story telling. This costume was the first one I made in my return to cosplay after my mom's death, and I made it entirely by myself.

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Construction: This costume sent me through many hurdles and I faced lots of roadblocks! I started with drafting a two piece kimono with help from the internet. Unfortunately, I made  it a bit too small to begin with but didn't alter this until 2017. I hand painted the sleeves - using watered down acrylic to do the ombre and designing the flowers. The bottom part is a simple wrap skirt. The obi and bow are filled with interfacing and stuffing and hand painted. The armor pieces are faux leather. Her hair pieces are cardboard with premade flowers! The wig was purchased on Amazon.The black stockings are cut from leggings, and I wore the top part under the skirt like bloomers. The purple striped socks were hand painted on stretch jersey knit. The shoes were altered from slippers. I had always intended to make a sword, but I just didn't have the skill or knowledge at the time. In 2017, I created the sword and scabbard from heating and shaping PVC, adding details with foam, and then painting and sealing it. 

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Final Thoughts: This is still one of my favorite costumes to date! I have so much pride in it being the first costume with about 95% parts made all by myself and which set the standard on how I would run my cosplay career from that point on. Plus, it's still cute and beautiful in an elegant way!