This costume's gone through several incarnations. The first version was made the night before from a dress bought off of Victoria's Secret and a yard of red snakeskin pleather. From that day, it's had the jacket replaced and the dress resized. My hair has grown and been cut, and changed colors before I finally gave up and used a weft wrapped around a ponytail that was all braided together. The first time I did my bangs, my hairdresser mom - she'd only just graduated - did some backcombing, but over worked it. Four years later, I revisited the 80's and that worked. My dress was replaced in favor of something a little more flowy and fuller for pictures... but only made me look short and fat. I rebuilt the jacket as well for A-Kon 16, but it was a bomb. For Onicon 2006, I built the Striking Staff. I think I've almost become a part of the scenery at A-Kon, but Aerith's tired. She wants a break.

But like every great pop idol, she'll come out of reitrement eventually, bigger and better than ever. I miss the days when people stared at me like "I can't believe she's still cosplaying that! Why isn't she Yewnah?" That's "Yuna" for those of you not familiar with the Texas drawl.

Ikkicon

A-Kon

AnimeFest 2005

A-Kon 16