I love the story of Mulan. Fa Mulan was a real woman who lived in the Tang Dinasty (618-907AD). Disney based their film on this amazing hero who saved China disguising herself as a man in order to be able to fight. When I made my Mulan cosplay I wanted to be as accurate as possible to the film. However, I also wanted to be truthful to the Chinese folkloric dresses it was based on. I also did my best to get a selection of fabrics that could imitate the delicate garments of the period.
How I made my Mulan cosplay
Lately I make all my patterns on Illustrator, I used a base pattern and traced over it to adjust it to my needs. It may seem tricky but when you get used to it you save a lot of time and you can store the patterns in your computer. My choice of fabrics was a mixture of light satins, taffeta and georgette. They were all very flowy fabrics that matched the character and the period, yet easy to get in a budget. Of course, feel free to go for silk if you can afford it.
I made the shirt in georgette and added ribbons to tie it. The skirt, made with a very light satin, has pleats on the top and adjusts with long ribbons to the front and back in a traditional way. The jacket has an assymetrical bottom edge. I lined it with burgundy fabric and it adjusts to the body with a taffeta sash.
For the make up, I used terracotta and reddish tones for the eyes and rouge for the cheeks. I also used a parted black wig for the hair. If you can afford it get a black parted lace front wig. It will look much better and realistic. I didn’t need lenses as my eyes are brown and I went for a more realistic look.
You can make your own patterns for this dress. However, you can also download the Han Fu Chinese Dress pattern that I used to make this exact dress. It comes with instructions and patterns for all the pieces, including the shirt, skirt, jacket and sashes. Getting patterns for cosplay takes less time than designing your own, as they have already been tested and will also give you instructions on how to make them. Furthermore, they come with an estimation of how much material you need. Guess who had to come back to the shop for more fabric for her Mulan cosplay.
Wearing my Mulan cosplay
Mulan was actually a commission for a friend. However, she was also one of my favourite Disney characters and I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures with the cosplay. Always with the permission of my friend. Thank you Lily.
As you may know, I practice martial arts. One of the forms we practice is the Tai Chi Chinese sword. My form needs to improve lots but looks quite cool on pictures. Remember that posing for cosplay is part of the trick and it is just fun, so don’t forget to get into character!
Mulan – Blue Dress
| Series | Mulan |
| Finished | February 2019 |
| Photo | Alice in Cosplayland |
| Edit | Alice in Cosplayland |
| Worn at | indoors photoshoot |
| Building time | 1 month |
I hope you liked my Mulan cosplay. If you feel like it, remember you can support me on Ko-fi if you really like my work, there are no subscriptions and you will help me create more cosplays and more tutorials to share with you! Also, if you are looking for other patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my collection.
