Umi was my first cosplay with the intention of cosplaying (Cho Chang had been a spontaneous thing for the movies). My friend introduced me to the idea of cosplaying and proposed that we do Magic Knight Rayearth since there were three of us going to A-kon. We had a blonde and a redhead so by default, I was Umi.

After having no luck at thrift stores and the mall, I found the jacket and skirt at Kohl's. I already owned the shirt and accessories, and my grandmother made the jacket much shorter. Not bad for my first true cosplay.