Recently a new movement on the interwebs is calling all cosplayers to show the details of their cosplays with the hashtag #cosplaydetails. For me it is the perfect excuse to talk about this topic. In my opinion, the details of a cosplay are the most important part of it. They show your love and knowledge of the character and they are simply fun to recreate. Very often you will find several cosplayers wearing the same cosplay . However it is those extra details on your cosplay what will make yours stand out.
Do not worry. Usually adding more details to a cosplay doesn’t necessarily mean more money or difficulty. However, it will definitely mean more time. Forget about staying all night up to finish a cosplay the day before a convention. The pro cosplayers will plan with months in advance, and will still stay up all night to finish a detail before a convention. The more time you spend on your costume, the more detailed it will be.
Planning in advance is key
The first thing you need to do when you decide on a new cosplay is to plan in advance. It is the time to learn all you can about your character and decide on the best plan to follow. Give plenty of time to yourself in order to figure out any weird details and make sure you will get to the convention with your finished cosplay on time. If you plan in advance you will also may be able to avoid big mistakes that will show later.
I always make lots of sketches and draft my patterns several times until I am happy with them
All details matter and you want to gather all the reference pictures you can find. Draft the parts you need to make and don’t forget to check the sides and back of your character and any underwearing that may show. If you need help, try my Cosplay Planner to help you list all the things you need and will also help you with your sketches.
Details are everywhere
When we talk about details you may be thinking of very elaborate costumes with lots of beads, strass and meters and meters of trims. You can’t be further away from the truth. Something as simple as the election of fabric will show when you make your cosplay. Make sure you know your different types of textiles in order to choose the best fitting piece. It may take you a bit longer to resesarch all your favourite sellers to get the best much but it will be worth it. Do you need something stretchy? Or maybe a leather look? Silk? All this shows in your cosplay.
This Mulan cosplay has a combination of satin, silk look fabrics and georgette which are similar to the fabrics used in Chinese traditional dresses
You will soon realise there is not such thing as an “easy cosplay”. Finding the right buttons, adding a ring that you never realised was there, recreating a pattern on a dress, or getting the right proportions for your props are just examples of the things you may be missing. In the example below I was very proud of my cosplay, however, I underestimated some details.
Rua from Mabinogi had lots of details 
I tried to recreate every detail, including the earrings, beads, seams and the strangely shape bracelets
The underestimated details
Something that cosplayers underestimate quite often but for me is a very important part of a cosplay is the shape of your wig. Wearing the wig as it arrives is never an option and you will need to style your wig even if it comes already styled. After all, we all have different features and you will need to adapt it to the unique shape of your face. Getting the right length, cut, and colour is crucial for a spot on look.
My first attempt of Athena with the wrong wig and make up I didn’t like 
My second attempt of Athena with a better choice of wig, make up and contact lenses
The same goes for your contact lenses, there is 1001 hues of blues, reds or greens and each character will look better with a certain style. Are those eyes realistic? Super big? 2-toned? I buy all my contact lenses in Uniqso, they have a huge selection. And if you can’t decide you have plenty of lenses reviews with ideas for characters in this blog as well.
Finally, your make up will totally show in your pictures and it can completely ruin an otherwise perfect cosplay. The shape of your eyebrows, the choice of lipstick, your make up contour, these are all things that pro cosplayers never forget.
Final thoughts
Adding details to your cosplay is what will make it stand out. It doesn’t matter how difficult or simple it is. An elaborate costume is just that, elaborate. It may have many more details to pay attention to, that is all. You just need to spend more time figuring out those pieces and trying to make them as accurate as possible.
Hana from Gate 7 was one of my most elaborate cosplays
Weathering your armour pieces, using gradients on you paints, using fabric paints to imitate patterns, adding little beads to the right places or practicing your embroidery skills are just examples of what you can do to improve your cosplay. If you pay attention to all these details you will make your cosplay shine.
My first attempt took me hours but I wasn’t happy with the result 
I started from scratch and tried a different approach
Finally, the last advice I will give you is to not be afraid of making mistakes. You can always remake any parts of your cosplay that didn’t turn out how you expected. Sometimes it is easier to restart a wonky piece than trying to fix it. However, don’t let a small detail haunt you either, always aim to improve with each costume and get the best of yourself at the time. There is always room for improvement and there will always be a new cosplay.
And if you want to get a no brainer perfect cosplay chek my pattern collection to make some basic garments and my Cosplay Planner to have everything under control. I hope you liked this article. If you really like my posts and want to support me you can always support me on my Ko-Fi page, but remember that a like and a comment are for me the best way of showing your support.
Photos by Lola Salinas, Stephen Sheridan, Miriam Martinez and IronKobra
