I decided I didn't have enough time to finish the costume I originally planned for AnimeNext so I chose Count D's sister as a simpler option. I'd found a gorgeous floral brocade that I wanted to use for something and wanted to try making a properly fitted Chinese dress for a change after D’s more loosely fitted “dresses.” Plus, I wanted to do a female character again after 4 crossplays in a row! Everyone still thought I was trying to cosplay Count D though because they look like twins. But I suppose that’s understandable since she was mistaken for her brother when she first appeared. D and his relatives cause such gender confusion! XD;

I picked my own colors since there was only a black and white reference for the outfit I made. The brocade I wanted to use came in 4 colors and I went with the yellow since I thought pastels would go better with the character’s simple-minded nature than bold shades like red.

Dress: Fully lined and completely made from scratch, using a commercial pattern with lots of alterations (it was originally for a loosely fitted Chinese style top). I even made my own bias binding to use for the pink trim and handmade frogs. One of my favorite things about it is the brocade; unlike all other Chinese brocades I’ve seen, it has flowers and phoenixes brocaded onto a floral print rather than a solid and I love the unique look of the overlapping designs!

Shawl: Made from silk chiffon and finished with a hand rolled hem. It was the first time I’d done that type of hem but I got lots of practice since there was about 20 feet of it. ^_^;

Wig: I simply restyled the wig from my Count D costumes since his sister’s hair is a mirror image of his. (And got a new wig to style for D so I could have accurate wigs for both.)

Shoes: Believe it or not, the shoes actually turned out to be the biggest headache of this costume! According to the reference, I should have plain flats somewhat darker than the dress but I couldn’t find anything in a good pink to coordinate with the dress and shawl. I probably went through 2 dozen stores but everything was either too pastel or too bright and would not look good with the dress. After buying 2 pairs that turned out to be unsuitable and had to be returned, I ended up just painting an old pair of black flats I hadn’t worn in years. I hated having to resort to that because I knew they’d crack but I was just running out of time before the con. >_<

Other than the stupid shoes, I’m really happy with the finished result and it’s my favorite of the costumes I’ve made so far this year. ^_^

Anime Boston

New York Anime Festival

AnimeNEXT