Costume help and advice sought!

[Leencat]

I'm directly copying and pasting this from another forum I posted this on, where I've gotten no replies three days later. I get the feeling I'll find more luck with this here, maybe. Thank you in advance for any replies!

 

I haven't done anything for Halloween since I was really little. I've since never gotten excited about Halloween. Over the years, between lack of friends (baww), and being busy, there's never been reason. I was happy to let Halloween pass each year without acknowledging it.

 

This year, a friend turns 21 on Halloween and another good friend is moving away at the end of the year. My few "real life" friends would like to celebrate Halloween in light of both of these things. I'd like to actually enjoy it for once; I don't get out enough, really. I'm sick of having worked through every holiday for the past three years at my job and I'm actually pretty excited about it.

 

In the past week, several friends have "discovered" Welcome to Night Vale, something I'd recommend to anyone. I first had my closest friend texting me random quotes from it, then my boyfriend gushing about it over Skype, followed by another friend online mentioning his girlfriend telling him about it, and finally having a good friend at work ask me about it, saying she had just started listening to it a few days ago. I'm getting the feeling that it's starting to catch on with a lot of people, and that they might recognize things from it.

 

So, my boyfriend and I were talking. He's part Hispanic, and I was joking he should be Carlos for Halloween (at this point, I'm making no sense if you aren't familiar with the podcast, so I'm hoping some people here are and can help me out). And he said that it would be adorable if we were Cecil and Carlos for Halloween (mind you, I'm a girl, so I'd be cross-playing).

 

Well, I have no knowledge of costumes, and I haven't dressed up since I was some Disney character or something at about six years old, so I don't know where to begin, and I have to obviously start buying things really soon. I was browsing DeviantArt for fanart of the series, and as can be seen here, many people have a similar vision of the character Cecil Baldwin.

 

I really like him as he's portrayed as a blond man with purple eyes, with the strange eye on his forehead. I like the idea of a "business casual" sort of outfit with a tie, and/or suspenders, but as a girl, I don't know where I should look for those pieces.

 

Here specifically is someone's cosplay of Cecil that I really like. I'd prefer purple eyes over the pale ones, but I like the outfit idea. I think it's cute. I'd also really like to know where I could find a wig like that; I'm not dying my hair, I just murdered it with dye and bleach fairly recently and its recovering.

 

If people could link me pieces for the costume, I'd deeply appreciate it. Here are the specific things I need "expertise" on:

- Where should I look for the outfit pieces? I specifically like a "dressy" shirt as shown in the sample cosplay, along with a tie (which I know I can find ties anywhere), possibly suspenders, would it be easy to find those things for a girl without looking outright "costumey" (I kind of want the outfit on its own to look like I could wear it casually)?

- Where should I consider for purchasing a wig? What sites do some of you recommend that you've used? I also like the hair shown in the cosplay linked.

- What would I use to draw on that eye on the forehead to ensure it doesn't just wash off on me? I might be going out, walking around, sweating...being very drunk. I'd like my costume to stay semi intact.

- Where should I look for the contacts that won't cost me a million and a half dollars?

- He's also seen with glasses a lot in drawings, so I'm considering that, too. Suggestions for that? Where would I get glasses as seen in some of the art?

 

Any other suggestions are welcome. I always do things on a budget, but I want to look nice and "polished," as in the linked image example, but I know nothing about costumes. I also don't have any sort of sewing abilities, so none of that. I'd like to believe people will recognize the character, as I see the series gaining recent popularity in time for Halloween, and that's how many artists are portraying the character. What else might complete the costume? I was considering getting a headset to wear around my neck, portraying the studio headset Cecil might be wearing while on air, but I don't know if that would just be pointless.

 

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm pretty excited about this and actually want to commit to doing it.

[Brave]

Wow...

 

That's quite a wall of text there, BUT I may be able to help you.

 

Cosplay.com has a plethora of knowledge regarding things like tutorials etc.  I like to check them out for their market place on most things.

 

http://www.cosplay.com/marketplace/index.php

 

I normally buy my contacts at convention centers >< BUT I'm a big fan of:

 

http://www.foureyez.com/

 

Although I'm used to shelling out like... 25-60 bucks for contacts... (depending on what I'm trying to snag look wise)

 

As for your "third eye" I've had a lot of success with "printable" tattoo paper.  Take the image of what you're trying to make and use a color printer to print the image onto this special paper.  It's just like those old temporary tattoos you (may have) had when you we're a kid.  You'll get the eye to look exactly like your reference picture as well as close to the color you want.  (Without having yourself or a third party try to get it drawn right on your fore head)

 

Other than that... you'd be surprised what a good amazon.com search would yield for things like suspenders and glasses etc.  If you feel something about his outfit is really "iconic" and you just can't find it anywhere, cosplay.com has several talented cosplayers who do commission work.  Just be mindful that halloween is a busy season for them... so you'll have a hard time getting it imo (even though you started searching a month in advance).

[Leencat]

Is there a sort of art makeup you can use to draw on things like that and tattoos that will not easily smear or come off without being washed (or using special remover)?

 

Also, I'm good on a wig, just ordered one, so that's out of the way, at least.

[Brave]

Well to be honest there are a couple of theater style paints you could look into.

 

The tattoo paper really takes to color though.

 

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/212/f/7/crystal_by_awnry-d599rpy.jpg

 

That's a picture of one of the people I cosplay with.  The black design on her arm was using that tattoo paper I was telling you about.

 

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/214/8/e/Snow_Villiers_by_pixiekitty.jpg

 

This is another cosplayer I follow who used the tattoo paper for his L'cie brand.

 

But I know a lot of cosplayers just use come pretty serious eye brow pencils to get some nice lines.

 

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/157/a/8/rinoa_heartilly_make_up_tutorial_by_eyes_0n_me-d52ikel.jpg

 

The Rinoa cosplayer above pretty much used one to make her eyes pop out more.  The website I showed you (cosplay.com) has a huge forum of web help too.  All sorts of things to check out. =D

[Leencat]

I went ahead and bought contacts I liked off the site you recommended! Thank you!

[Brave]

No problem!  

 

I didn't think about it till now, but they did post their prices in Euros when I last shopped there. ><

 

I really hope you caught that when you bought them.  They are QUALITY though.  Man I was a huge fan of their silver and white contacts.

 

*edit* just checked their site again and saw they had a "currency" selection option at the top >< WHEW!

 

That could have been scary >< lol

[Leencat]

I had to check, too, because I just about had three heart attacks simultaneously, especially since in the same night I bought computer upgrades.

 

But thank you for double-checking for me and making note of that!

[Brave]

No problem.

 

If you need any other help let me know.  I do a little cosplay from time to time (although I follow cosplayers a lot more than I actually participate ><) BUT I enjoy talking shop and planning out things with them.

[Leencat]

I'll take and welcome any advice. I've never cosplayed and as stated in the long opening post, I haven't taken part in Halloween since the age of maybe seven years old, and I'm 24 now. The only motivation to partake and maybe even cosplay someday is having friends to do it with, and it just happens that I've found something my boyfriend and I love equally right in time to do something as a couple and go out with friends.

 

At the moment, I'm pondering where to hunt pieces of the outfit I want that will fit. I'm thinking a white dress shirt with a tie under a purple sweater vest, but as a girl, how should I go about this? I was also thinking dark dress pants.

 

I also welcome advice for chest binding options; I might do that, I'm kind of busty and I'd rather it not be really noticed because otherwise, being average weight with pretty straight hips, I could manage looking fairly androgynous, which is what I'm going for.

[Torn Sky]

- He's also seen with glasses a lot in drawings, so I'm considering that, too. Suggestions for that? Where would I get glasses as seen in some of the art?

 

I suggest getting some inexpensive reading glasses. You can easily pop out the lenses if you don't want them bothering your eyes while walking around.

 

For wigs:

 

http://www.epiccosplay.com/

http://arda-wigs.com/

http://www.amphigory.com/c/catalog/kword/short-medium-wigs

http://thefivewits.net/cosplay-wigs/

 

(If you have trouble picking out a wig to work with, I might be able to help)

 

These sites are all US based, so if you're in the US they should have no trouble getting your order to you on time. There are also many china-based wig sellers on ebay, but the quality of the item received and shipping time is always a bit of a gamble with them.

 

I second tattoo transfer paper for the makeup portion. I could talk a lot about bodypaints, but I'm going to go ahead and say if you want makeup that doesn't smear you would probably end up spending more on that than you would on the paper. Alcohol activated paints won't come off with sweat, but they cost a good bit. Oil-based makeups require a lot of sealing and are a nuisance to get off of clothing if you happen to get it on your outfit. Water-based paints are fun to paint with, but they are the quickest to wear off. For the latter, Kyrolan or Mehron paint and a good setting spray usually lasts me a whole day at a convention.

[Leencat]

I'll take the info about the body paint, but I already purchased a wig I found that looked ideal for what I want! But I'll keep those references handy as they may have use in the future, for whatever costume things come up. Thank you!

[Brave]

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/310/b/f/tutorial__basic_boy_make_up_by_chibinis_chan-d5k3sr2.jpg

 

That's a tutorial on boy make up lol (honestly... the lengths some people go to ><)

 

One of my fave cosplayers took down her "how to bind yourself" tutorial =/  But I'll see if I can find something else (unless you know how to already).

 

Regarding the dress shirts, if you're worried about them bunching up on you or being too loose, you can "pinch" the material together on the back and safety pin it.  You see a lot of "girl sweaters" (sorry I'm a guy I don't know what they're called ><) with strings on the back that do something similar.  It helps the shirt hug you a little more.  Since you plan to have a sweater vest though you might not even need to worry about it.

 

Men's Wearhouse will tailor fit a shirt to you (at least mine does) but for a costume... I think that might be going a little over board.  Going to say it again but you'd be surprised what an Amazon search brings up.  For my Cloud Strife cosplay, it was pretty impossible to find a "men's" turtleneck that was ribbed.  I ended up just buying a woman's turtleneck several sizes larger and having a friend assist me with altering it.

[Torn Sky]

I'll take the info about the body paint, but I already purchased a wig I found that looked ideal for what I want! But I'll keep those references handy as they may have use in the future, for whatever costume things come up. Thank you!

 

Cool! Choosing a wig is always so stressful for me. Haha.

 

For binding, you've probably heard this a dozen times, but do not use ace bandages. It is possible to injure yourself.

 

DIY binder tut! http://marvinuniverse.tumblr.com/post/34631541789/tutorial-chest-binder

 

I did this for myself and it works pretty well, however I'm rather small-chested.

 

http://www.underworks.com/

 

You could also order a regular binder from here. There's one style that runs for about 30$.

 

I buy my pants and shirts and such for male characters at Kohl's, department stores, goodwill, thrift stores etc. If there aren't any actual men's sizes that can fit you, you can try getting larger sizes from the boy's section. A purple sweater vest might be a hard find, but if you see a white one- check the tag. If it's made of a natural fiber, you can dye it purple!

 

:cactuar:

[Brave]

I can relate to wig stress -.-

 

I have a pretty big head. So just because it looks great on the model, doesn't mean I'm not going to stretch it out or get it to cover the way I want it to.  Make sure you have a wig cap!  And if you have a lot of hair, how you lay it under the cap will make all the difference.  You don't want your wig looking lumpy.

 

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs29/f/2008/060/8/7/Tutorial__how_to_add_hair____by_chibinis_chan.jpg

 

That's a tutorial on adding hair to your wig (although it may be a bit complicated if you aren't into sewing etc).  A lot of the wig shops Torn Sky put up sell wefts!  Which may be easier for you to add later.  I know a lot of people who just stitch a weft in or even use a bobby pin to attach it, then have the original wig hair hide the evidence >.> lol

[Asyria]

For cheap clothes of all kinds, there's always those cast-off clothes stores (fripperie in French... maybe frippery in English too? I dunno).

You can be surprised by what can be found in those places at times and it's always cheap.

[Leencat]

Thanks so much for all the links and help everyone. It's funny how the "strange" aspects of such a seemingly simple costume were easy, such as odd-colored contact lenses and a wig, and now I have a variety of ideas for the makeup portion.

 

I'm going to have to pick a day I don't get stuck at work where I am able to go browse around different nearby stores and try things on. I'll try that first since I'm especially picky about things fitting right. I think the chest binding bit might be a bit tricky, but I'll read into some of the provided links for those too.

 

Again, thanks a ton everyone. Advice will be welcome, all the way up until Halloween. There's a whole month yet to figure things out that work and adjust clothing pieces as needed.

[Fates Skein]

I used to do a lot of costuming for LARPs both for my husband and myself.

 

I -highly- recommend going to a Goodwill or second-hand consignment shop for the shirt/suspenders, possibly even the glasses.  You can look in the men's or boy's section to find dress shirts and sweaters- with a tiny bit of work they adapt very well to just about any female figure.  If you are looking at binding your chest, be very careful where you look up the information as it is possible to hurt yourself.  I have a fairly generous bust so I used to bind on the cheap with 2 pairs of sports bras from goodwill- one in the proper size and one in a size down from the right size.  It didn't make me flat chested by any means but it did...minimize.

 

Luck with the costume and I hope you post a picture for us!

[Leencat]

Well, without getting this conversation too awkward, how would binding likely handle a C-cup bust?

 

And I'll do my best to have pics! I aspire to make sure I have one of my boyfriend and I together before we're too drunk to know what's going on.

[Fates Skein]

I think a C-cup chest would be just fine with binding.  I'm rather larger but a cousin of mine has bound herself before.  She likes to run and is an amateur traceuse (parkour runner) and I believe she's about a C.  The fit of men's dress shirts does make it easier to hide your bust, too, which is nice.

 

On a quick search I found this link, it gives several different options:

 

http://www.ftmguide.org/binding.html

[Asyria]

People love rule 63, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Rule 63, not to be confused with Rule 36, states that every fictional character has an opposite-gender counterpart.

[Leencat]

I'm here to poke this thread again with more chest-binding inquiries. I have been looking at the following link, specifically the third option (the tri-top chest binder):

 

http://ftm.underworks.com/

 

I wanted to know if anyone can tell me if that should be good and safe, and furthermore how to know what size to order! I mean, I don't know how long I'll be wearing it on Halloween. I'm fearful now that I won't even get the day off from work, which would mean I'm only wearing it for a few hours after work from say...midnight to three or four AM (doubtful even that late).

 

I want to be sure it's safe and okay because I'm very paranoid about this; I'm a very paranoid person in general, and I've heard some really bad things can come of chest binding unsafely.

 

On another note a good friend wants to go to Genericon (spelling?) next year, and I've never been to a convention, but I considered using this same costume idea there. She mentioned they have something related to Night Vale (a photo shoot, I believe), so I also am considering that whatever chest binder I get is not only safe, but good to use again.

 

So again, thank you for any further help. I still haven't bought clothes yet. My wig and contacts are still in the mail, probably arriving in the next two days. I'm waiting to get through another week of working out (which I started doing a month ago in an attempt just to get in shape prior).

 

Blah blah blah, I'll stop rambling. Further help is welcome and appreciated! I've been trying to do some research, but I've been lacking adequate time to do so.

 

Oh, also, where should I look for glasses just for costume purposes? I like the idea of thicker framed ones with purple frames.

[Torn Sky]

The binders on that website are made for daily wear. Just a few hours in it would be fine. It may take some getting used to if you've never bound before, so that would actually be perfect for you. For sizing take some measuring tape and:

 

(fullest part of bust + under-bust measurement) / 2 = your size

 

A good indicator of when you should definitely take your binder off is if you start feeling sore or have any trouble breathing.

 

Ebay and amazon are great for cheap glasses.

 

Two-toned black/purple wayfarers:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Purple-Medium-Wayfarer-Clear-Lens-Glasses-Geek-Fashion-Vintage-Designer-/181227507876?pt=UK_Sunglasses_Adults&hash=item2a320050a4

 

Bright purple wayfarers:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NWT-CLEAR-LENS-WAYFARER-COLOR-NERD-GLASSES-OPTICAL-QUALITY-80S-RETRO-VINTAGE-/270886125459?pt=US_Sunglasses&var=570052501642&hash=item3f12123f93

 

Narrower style with a kinda cool gradient:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-PAIRS-NEW-RETRO-RIMMED-READERS-READING-GLASSES-1-5-2-00-2-50-3-0-4-00-/390617225929?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_VisionGlasses_Lenses_SM&var=660146050270&hash=item5af299dac9

 

Not purple, but I think a Cecil costume might look good with horn-rimmed glasses:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eyeglass-Frame-Club-Half-Horn-Rimmed-Glasses-Unisex-New-Black-Silver/330865274998?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27%26meid%3D1786665844813310474%26pid%3D100033%26prg%3D1011%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D140753654815%26

 

I didn't look into the reliability of the sellers themselves for those links, but with ebay - lots of positive reviews are a good sign. Just check the comment sections to make certain they were posted by real people and it's not the seller mass-posting reviews from dummy accounts to make their store look better. It's generally pretty easy to tell. I didn't check amazon myself and these are just some quick finds. I only searched things like "purple wayfarer" or "purple glasses" and narrowed the price range to 10$ or less.

[Leencat]

Thank you so much for the binding measurement info; I'm pretty horrified of the whole binding thing.

 

It turns out glasses were super easy to find. I ended up getting cheap reading glasses from a convenience store.

 

The next step is to handle the tattoos. I almost wondered if I can't find fake tattoo sleeves that are "fitting." I'm otherwise figuring out the best methods to draw them so that they last and look nice.

[Brave]

I'm glad your costume is coming together nicely!  I keep checking to see if I have anything to give advice wise... but uh...

 

This convo has clearly gone into territory I have no knowledge of rofl

[Torn Sky]

Thank you so much for the binding measurement info; I'm pretty horrified of the whole binding thing.

 

It turns out glasses were super easy to find. I ended up getting cheap reading glasses from a convenience store.

 

The next step is to handle the tattoos. I almost wondered if I can't find fake tattoo sleeves that are "fitting." I'm otherwise figuring out the best methods to draw them so that they last and look nice.

 

I hadn't even thought about fake tattoo sleeves. It's possible you could find one out there that strikes your fancy.

 

Looks like there's plenty of DIY out there on them as well.

 

 

This lady put panty hose over a rectangle of cardboard and drew designs with art markers & pens. If you have those kind of materials around it might be worth a shot.

 

:moogle: