Let’s pause the conversation here for a moment… I know exactly what you are thinking, I am thinking exactly the same, but before I give my “friend” the answer, let me tell you a short story.

A little short story

This is a very old tale which happened a long time ago. It is about a young naive cosplayer and her friend on the week of Halloween.

The days before Halloween…

The busy cosplayer was very proud of her work. She was always very busy planning new cosplays. Of course she spent a lot of time sewing and crafting her favourite characters and also spent quite a bit of money on them. One day her friend spoke to her “Hey, I saw what you did with that character with pink hair, it looked amazing! The thing is, I have a party next week and nothing to wear, Can I borrow your cosplay? “

The good hearted cosplayer, which felt flattered by her friend, had no other option but to agree, after all, she was a good friend. Aftera all, it would have been mean not to share, or so she thought. So they agreed to lend her the “pink haired character cosplay”. This time she would be wearing the best “costume” to her party.

The cosplayer took so much pride on her work. She always made sure the cosplay was perfect, she took great care storing cosplays. This one was an ample coat bag with each piece hanging from a hanger. The perfectly brushed pink wig was inside a net and all the little extra details and accessories were perfectly attached to the costume. And so she lent it to her friend.

The day of Hallowen…

On Halloween, the cosplayer stayed at home. After all, cosplayers don’t do Halloween. But alas! While searching the webs on the day of the party she found a picture of her friend, wearing her beloved cosplay, on a party. She was at the gym! While doing exercise! She had gone to a party in her local gym while wearing her beloved cosplay. She saw it getting caught on the exercise bike’s wheels! Used as an old t-shirt! Drenched on sweat!

The return…

A few days later, the friend returned the cosplay. She had had a blast of a party she said. However, she had had to wash the cosplay (the delicate hand-printed fabric on the washing machine). One piece had fallen off (the time consuming details) She hadn’t ironed it because she didn’t know if I wanted to wear it soon (it was all creased and crumpled) and, as she didn’t have the space on her bike to bring it, she had put it on a plastic bag (all the pieces mixed together in a tiny little bag). The wig had become somehow tangled (knots upon knots of hair all twisted together) But she was very thankful and was looking forwards to see my next creations and maybe borrow another cosplay next Halloween…

My answer is…

Devastating, I know. It was indeed a hard lesson to take. But after that day, anytime someone asks if they can borrow my cosplay. Friend, family or foe. I do have a clear answer.

“You CAN’T borrow my cosplay”

And if my short story didn’t convince you, these are just some of the reasons why I may decide not to lend it to you

Not to mention how I have often been ridiculed, laughed at, accused of being childish or just stared at on the streets while wearing my cosplays (not on Carnival or Halloween). Buuuuuut, no hard feelings here. Just enjoy your party while I drink a cup of hot chocolate with my blanket and my spooky films at home.

Last to say, I am not an evil person, I love sharing, and I love people wearing cosplays and costumes, all year around. That is why, if you are not a cosplayer, instead of asking to borrow a cosplay, why don’t you instead make one? Actually, it doesn’t need to be difficult. I will even give you some advice if you are new to cosplay. It is fun!

I hope you liked my short story. Remember you can support me on Ko-fi, you will help me create more cosplays and more tutorials to share with you! Also, if you are looking for patterns and cosplay downloadables make sure to check my collection!

The post Can I borrow your cosplay? The answer is … appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.

Classic creatures

When we talk about monsters we mainly think about vampires, werewolfs, mummies or witches, but there is so much more out there. I tried to group my spooky cosplay characters by categories. This is my Halloween cosplay collection so far.

Monsters

Have you recently grown a tail? Horns? Maybe wings or a giant hand? Then maybe you are a monster. My Sakizou Devil has many of this features. And Velvet Crowe features a werewolf hand. She is considered a monster but she is actually kind of nice. Ririchiyo is a yokai or evil spirit. To be more exact she is an oni, which is the equivaelant to the european ogres, because japanese monsters can be as cool.

Vampires

Vampires are by far my favourite monsters and they deserve a full section. Don’t be fooled by their sharp teeth and their thirst for blood, in anime and manga they are often somehow friendly and sometimes adorable.

My vampire collection includes the lovely Moka in her inner and outer forms . She is a student in a monster school and she suppresses her real vampire self thanks to the rosario seal on her chest. There is also my Kindred Vampire from the MMORPG Forsaken World. And of course my Astharoshe, a vampire aristocrat from The Vatican Empire.

Witches and sorceresses

You need to cast some spells in Halloween. My collection of witches and sorceresses includes the evil Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, the classic green witch. And the sorceress Raven, which is in fact the daughter of a demon. You can also go for a casual version of Raven and still be as witchy.

Other dark creatures and characters

There is so much more out there. You don’t need to be a horned monster to be evil. Warhammer 40k has very good examples with their sadistic Dark Eldar as the case of my Wych. Also with their Chaos’s demons, who posess week and strong minds alike, like that of Miriael Sabathiel, a fallen Sister of Battle. And of course, join the dark side if you want to see real evil. Like tha of my Kylo Ren cosplay.

I hope you found some inspiration from my Halloween cosplay collection. Click the links for full galleries and tutorials on all my spooky characters. And remember that if you like my work you can support me on Ko-fi, 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 patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my collection!

The post My Halloween Cosplay collection appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.

Cosplayers don’t do Halloween

It may come as a shock to you dear reader that someone with so many “costumes” as myself has “nothing to wear” for this yearly celebration. After all, it is all about dressing up. Isn’t it? I do have plenty of “costumes” (well, yeah, kind of, you may want to know more about things that aren’t cosplay). I just don’t have anything to wear in Halloween. And I am going to give you some reasons why.

1. This piece and that piece make a total of…

Would you wear an evening gown to a night out with your friends? If the answer is no, you get my point. Some of my cosplays are worth hundreds of pounds (believe me, I don’t wanna know the exact price either). I take them seriously and I do spend money on them, and that is not including the time costs. Having to make a costume for a night out, potentially to a party full of embriagated people? I rather spend the money on a cosplay for a convention. Thanks, I’ll pass.

2. I think that wing on the floor is mine

It may look like cosplays are very durable and strong. However, there is nothing further away from the truth. Foam rubs and cracks, some fabrics like organza or chiffon will tear with the lightest pull. There is a reason why cosplayers bring a cosplay first aid kit to conventions and that is because cosplays are not durable. Halloween means lots of moving here and there, kids running everywhere trying to touch everything, places full of people that will bump into you (I promise I am not talking about conventions… this time). Nope, I think I would rather keep my cosplay in one piece.

3. It will take me 5 minutes, I said 5 hous ago

Let’s be honest. Cosplays are not easy to make. Not only they are expensive but also they take a long time to make. You can always argue that you can make an easy cosplay for Halloween (hahaha, as if an easy cosplay really existed), but I would not bring one of my big builds to a day out. I am pretty sure it would be destroyed one way or another, that’s far too much effort for one night. My answer is still nope.

4. This part keeps poking into my ribs

There is one thing cosplayers can’t do, comfortable costumes. I’m sure I will find a million ways to make my cosplay uncomfortable as long as it is accurate. It could be the awkward shoes, the high heels, the huge wings, the armour that keeps falling down, the wig that is pulling your hair, the 6 kg of materials, the 6 layers of fabric. You just have to choose one reason (or seven) not to wear it. Sometimes I can’t even sit down or go to the bathroom for hours when I wear some of my cosplays! My body hurts just to think about it.

5. But I don’t wanna wash it…

Yeah, sad but true. Most cosplays aren’t washing machine friendly. Remember when you thought it was a good idea to put that piece of cardboard in between that fabric? Maybe the idea wasn’t so good after all. Painted parts will also be worn off very easily even when you follow all the instructions. I hand wash almost all my cosplays. It takes me ages, but there is no other safe way. Not to say that most stains won’t come off some of the most expensive fabrics. A night of sweets, booze, fake blood and unidentified slimy substances? Definitely not looking forwards to it.

6. Give me a break

I understand most people find Halloween a great excuse to dress up. For some it is the one time a year they can become something else. However, for a cosplayer, that is not quite the case. We spend a good part of the year making new cosplays and wearing them to different conventions all over the country. For us, Halloween is just another day on our crazy outfits. Not so special. We deserve a break too. Don’t we?

After saying all this, I may go out on Halloween after all. I will definitely put something together the night before with cardboard and tape. I’ll go out with a crappy cheap costume and feel like another human being. After all, cosplayers can hide their own identities every once in a while too. Don’t you think? Shhh, don’t tell anyone I actuall know how to make costumes.

Cosplayers don’t do Halloween but you may do. Looking for some easy to follow halloween patterns? Check my pattern collection and cosplay related downloadables. Also, remember you can support me on Ko-fi, and support my work. It will help me create more cosplays and more tutorials to share with you! Happy Halloween to come!

The post 6 Reasons why cosplayers don’t do Halloween appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.