Ten-Minute Cosplay: The Twister Board

You may be shocked to discover that, in addition to my professional and creative life, I also have a social life. (I know, I know. Try not to faint.) So I went to a Halloween party on Saturday.

Anyone accustomed to con-calibre cosplay knows that costumes at your standard All Hallows shindig are likely to be... unimpressive, and I tend to be on the look-out for the odd fellow geek or any especially clever costumes. I was pleased to find both a chainsaw-hand Ash (a con staple) and a Tenth Doctor with bride!Donna in tow, as well as Nick Fury and Black Widow. Obviously, it made me a little reminiscent for Dragon*Con.

But! In this sea of mediocre, vaguely sexy, occassionally geeky costumes, one fantastic party pleaser stood out from all the rest: The Twister Board.

That’s right, fellow cosplayers, The Twister Board.

She had taken an actual, plastic Twister board and modified it into a dress. This, on it’s own, would be pretty cute and reasonably clever, but here’s the kicker:

She had attached the game dial to her wrist and invited people to spin and see where they could touch her. While this might sound like a boring attempt at risque, it was actually a lot of fun and came with exactly the kind of hilarity you would expect from playing Twister on a vertical person. Somewhere out there is a photo of me in my six-inch-heel thigh boots with my foot on her chest.

I’d estimate this costume took no more than an hour to put together and only cost the sticker price of a game of Twister. It has that touch of hipster-esque nostalgia and cleverness, it’s creative and unusual, and it’s guaranteed to make you the most interesting and popular person in a 10 foot radius.

Keep this one in mind when you’re scrambling to make those last-minute costumes.

-shadowen

PS: Greatest apologies for the grainy pictures. It was dark, and I was using my phone.

Cosplay Linkspam, Halloween 2011

If you’re like me and haven’t glanced at a calendar in a while, you may be stunned to discover that today Halloween.

It’s okay. Just take a moment to let that sink in.

For many of us, Halloween is that strange annual event on which it is not only normal to dress in costumes, it’s expected. If you can’t attend conventions, Halloween is a great chance to let your cosplay skills shine and to impress all your non-geeky friends. If you’re a regular con-goer, however, this isn’t really the time to pull out the big guns.

It’s also a great time to tool around the internets looking for costume tips, inspiration, and other resources for your next con, since this is the one time of year that the average person gives a flying fuck about costumes. Just replace the word “Halloween” with “con” and you’ve got a cosplay guide.

The Daily Candy has a flipbook of super easy and fairly clever DIY costumes, an inordinate number of which involve flannel.

Just as lazy and exponentially more geeky are io9's “20 Zero Effort High Concept Costumes Guaranteed to Alienate your friends”. Personally, I’d love to see someone dressed as the monolith from 2001.

For those who are both lazy and demure, Jezebel has “Eight Alternatives to the ‘Sexy’ Halloween Costume”, as well as “The Last Minute Half-Assed Guide to Halloween Costumes”.

Unfortunately, Halloween is also the time when evil, cheap, tacky costumes come scuttling out of the dark, wretched sweat houses in which they were created to lurk on supermarket shelves, waiting to spring out upon unsuspecting shoppers. We must know this evil, fellow cosplayers, that we may wage war against it.

Another horror to watch out for is tacky pet costumes. As with human costumes, there are fine lines between adorable, clever, and just plain dumb. Exhibit A: The Tompkins Square Dog Parade. Occupy Wall St. Dog, FTW.

Exhibit B: Pure awesome.

Sometimes, the best costumes are born out of fusing things that have absolutely nothing to do with each other, as with this example from Chris Hardwick.

For further costume inspiration (or just an excuse to waste half an hour), The Mary Sue has links to galleries from NYCC, with some beyond cool costumes, and Adult Swim has video from the NYCC Venture Bros. costume contest, which is always entertaining.

If you’re still trying to decide what cons to hit next year, LA Weekly has a point-by-point comparision between San Diego Comic-Con and Dragon*Con, which hits some points that we didn’t address and also declares D*C the best place for cosplay.

Finally, whether you’re scrambling to prepare for Halloween or planning your wardrobe for the con, it’s important to remember that some costumes are just not okay. Now, I’m not talking about the follies of spandex and skimpy outfits; feel free to display as much of your physique as your personal confidence and region-specific weather will allow. I’m talking about costumes that, consciously or not, reveal your “inner racism”. Remember, fellow cosplayers: don’t be a dick.

-shadowen

One to Eleven: Doctor Who 10-minute Cosplay

Be warned, this post is very long and image-heavy.

Whether you grew up in the UK, glued to the BBC, or you started asking questions when your entire flist declared that bowties were cool, you know that Doctor Who is a force to be reckoned with. No con is complete without a few Doctors running through the halls and running into each other, and even non-Whovians can spot the Fourth Doctor at 20 paces. For the inexperienced or time-impaired cosplayer, Doctor Who can be a treasure trove of simple, low-maintenance, recognizable costumes. So here’s your guide to quick and easy Doctor Who cosplay.

First, a few notes for those just wetting their feet in the Whoniverse and some general comments on characters.

Doctor Who is a British science fiction series about a man called The Doctor who travels through time and space in a big blue phone box called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space). The Doctor is almost always joined on his adventures by a cast of different characters, known as Companions, who are usually -but not always- humans from contemporary Earth. Doctor Who aired consistently from 1963-’89, included a TV movie in 1996, and returned as a series in 2005. Currently, it airs on Saturday evenings on BBC1 in the UK and BBCA in the US, and it is broadcast on delay in 49 other countries worldwide.

Since 1963, the Doctor has been played by 11 different actors, and you’ll often hear fans referring to different incarnations of the Doctor by number. In the series, when the Doctor finds himself dying or close to death, he is able to “regenerate” and essentially become a new person, played by a new actor. (Yes, this is the Cliff notes version.) Though certain aspects of the Doctor’s character remain consistent across Regenerations, every version exhibits a different energy, personality, and style. For the purposes of cosplay, we should consider each of the 11 Regenerations as a different character requiring its own costuming approach.

Likewise, every Doctor has his own Companions, and pairs or groups of Doctor Who cosplayers can make quite a scene. The good news is, the Doctor and his Companions typically have basic, simple costumes that can be put together with a little ingenuity and a trip to the thrift store.

I’ve broken this post into discussions of each Doctor plus Companions, from One to Eleven, with pictures, a little background, and points on hitting the high points. In the places where the pics are grainy or I’ve used pics of action figures, it’s because those provided the best view of the costume as a whole.


The First Doctor
William Hartnell, 1963-’66
Basically, he’s a grumpy old man in an Edwardian suit.
Costume breakdown: long-cut black suit jacket, black and white (or grey) plaid pants, white dress shirt, black cravat.
Most men should have a suit jacket and dress shirt in the closet, already. (If you don’t, you have bigger problems than finding a costume.) Suitable pants should be easily found at a thrift store or vintage clothing vendor, as they’re pretty ‘60s-tastic. The tie could be a store find or homemade. This is a good cosplay for older fans, but it could also be cool done by a young person with make-up and a wig. Just remember to be extra grouchy.

The First Doctor has three major Companions: his granddaughter, Susan, and Barbara and Ian, both schoolteachers. They tend to dress in contemporary clothes, so go for a stylish ‘60s look. Susan is notable for being waifish with short, mod-style dark hair. If you’ve got that kind of look, already, Susan might be a good, easy costume for you.


The Second Doctor
Patrick Troughton, ‘66-’69
If you’re thinking he kind of looks like one of the Three Stooges, you’re not too far off. This Doctor is sharp, disheveled, and super snarky.
Costume breakdown: black suit jacket (the more obviously passe, the better), blue button-down shirt, polka-dot bowtie, moppish bowl-cut hair.
Once again, all things easily found at your local Goodwill. They key, here, is really the bowtie and the hair. After that, just make sure everything’s a bit rumpled, and you’re good to go.

The Second Doctor has a number of Companions, but the most recognizable will be Jamie, an 18th century Scottsman who wears, you guessed it, a kilt. As you can see, Jamie’s costume is pretty epic, and you’ll probably have to make most of it yourself. Even so, it’s a fairly simple look and should be easy to replicate. And, let’s face it, no one’s going to look twice at a con-goer running about in a kilt. Here’s a write-up, with pics, from someone who did this costume.


The Third Doctor
John Pertwee, ‘70-’74
Think James Bond, but from another planet. This Doctor is smooth and has lots of gadgets.
Costume breakdown: velvet smoking jacket, generally old-fashioned formal clothing.
The look you’re going for is old-school English dandy, which will take a little bit of research but gives you some room to move. Despite being one of the Doctor’s more ornate incarnations, this costume may actually be one of the easiest. Accessories like cravats and formal riding boots, though possibly expensive, never go completely out of fashion, so they’re not hard to come by. You can get a smoking jacket at any decent costume store, especially since Austin Powers costumes continue to be everywhere.

The Third Doctor worked with UNIT (UNified Intelligence Taskforce), so it might be awesome to have him wandering around with a random UNIT soldier in tow (fatigues, red baret, UNIT insignia). If you want a more specific and interesting character, try the Brigadier, leader of UNIT. Officer’s uniform + epic mustache = classic Companion!

This Doctor’s story also introduces us to the Master, a fellow Time Lord and the Doctor’s long-time enemy. Just as the Third Doctor puts us in mind of James Bond, this version of the Master makes me think of a Bond villain. Seriously, though. Is anyone not getting a Dr. No vibe from that guy?

 Of course, the one Companion we really care about here is Sarah Jane Smith, who is awesome enough to cosplay on her own. She was, after all, awesome enough to get her own show and to travel with four different Doctors. All you really need is a cardboard K-9 tucked under your arm.


The Fourth Doctor
Tom Baker, ‘74-’81
The longest running Doctor and by far the most recognizable. Excited and unpredictable. If you’re going to cosplay Four, be sure you’ve got the energy to do it.
Costume breakdown: 12-foot striped scarf, frock coat or long burgundy coat, vest, cravat, curly hair.
In this case, it’s all about that damn scarf. The only requirements for the scarf, really, are that it be multi-colored and impossibly long. You can buy different kinds all over the place online, but making your own Tom Baker scarf is a point of pride for Whovians. As long as you’ve got the scarf, you’re golden.

The Fourth Doctor, seeing that he was around for so long, has a lot of interesting Companions. However, unless you decide to stick with Sarah Jane, who was also a Companion of Four, your best bet might be Romana, who’s looks are both recognizable and easy to replicate. Romana, a Time Lord like the Doctor, regenerates during her tenure as Companion, so you have two versions to choose from.

Though Romana I wears a number of different and very cool costumes, by far the most fun is this white gown with an amazing feathered... cloak... thing. I have no idea what it’s supposed to be, and it would be a pain in the ass to make. But seriously, how fierce does she look?

Romana II is all kinds of adorable, and her straw hat and sailor ensemble would make for quick, easy cosplay. In both Regnerations, the character has lots of intelligence and attitude and would be a blast to play.


The Fifth Doctor
Peter Davison, ‘81-’84
It’s worth noting that Davison’s turn as everyone’s favorite Time Lord is what made a young David Tennant want to become an actor. So take a minute to chew on that. And, yes, that is celery in his lapel.
Costume breakdown: matching sweatervest, frock coat, trousers, and straw hat; plimsoll shoes (Chuck Taylors), stalk of celery.
This costume is an old-school cricketer’s uniform with, yes, a stalk of celery pinned to the lapel. The sweatervest, hat, and trousers should be easy enough to find, and some red or orange piping sewn onto a cream jacket will do the trick for the rest. It should also be fairly easy to piece things together from scratch, if you have the time and motivation. Celery is, obviously, available at your local grocery store, though you may want to pick that up on the day of the con to avoid unsightly wilting.

This Doctor has a few Companions carried over from Five (Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan Jovanka), but none that are especially iconic or that would be recognizable to any but the most devoted Whovians.


The Sixth Doctor
Colin Baker, ‘84-’86
I confess I haven’t seen any episodes from this period, but, judging by that outfit, I imagine they would have been fun to watch high.
Costume breakdown: trench coat in mis-matched colors, yellow pinstripe trousers, garish vest, equally garish tie.
Baker himself described the costume as “an explosion in a rainbow factory”. Ironically, this makes it a little easier to put together. Get some brightly colored pants and a vest that don’t match and add an ‘80s-rific cotton scarf. The coat, obviously, you’ll have to make, which might be a bit complicated. I have to say, though, that this looks like it would be a really rewarding cosplay to pull off. Just as recognizable as Four or Five, and there won’t be a dozen of them running around. On the other hand, non-Whovians are likely to just assume that you’re Willy Wonka.

The Sixth Doctor, unfortunately, has no Companions of note, unless you count the rainbow umbrella.


The Seventh Doctor
Sylvester McCoy, ‘87-’89, 1996
This Doctor’s style is about scattered, but I can’t help but think he looks like a stuffy college professor on a school trip.
Costume breakdown: Safari jacket, paisley scarf, vest (waistcoat or sweatervest), Panama hat, fob watch.
Seriously, though. Professor on a trip. All of this should be fairly easy to find, especially if you have older relatives who like to hold on to their old clothes. Bonus points if you have the right watch.

If you want a Companion from this era, go with Ace, a spunky young woman with a cool, punk-inspired style. She may not be immediately recognizable, but you’ll look great, anyway.


The Eighth Doctor
Paul McGann, 1996
I don’t know what it is with the <i>Doctor Who</i> designers and Edwardian costumes, but they seem to be a bit stuck.
Costume breakdown: green velvet frock coat, silver vest, cravat.
Okay, I’ll be honest here. Unless you just really dig this costume, don’t cosplay Eight. My impression is that Who fandom in general would prefer to forget the ‘96 TV movie ever happened. So let’s just get on with our lives, shall we?

It goes without saying that this Doctor is not cool enough to have any cool Companions... but I’m saying it anyway.


The Ninth Doctor
Christopher Eccleston, 2005
Now we enter the realm of new-Who, where costumes are more likely to be recognized and where you’re more likely to run into 20 people dressed the same way.
Costume breakdown: black leather jacket, dark sweater/t-shirt, black jeans.
Easy costume to put together, hard to pull off. If you’re a fit dude with buzz cut hair, go for it. Otherwise, you’ll wind up just looking either fashion challenged or like you’re cosplaying Neil Gaiman.

Though it only lasted one season, the Ninth Doctor’s tenure introduced us to two of the most popular Companions of new-Who: Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness. Rose is curvy, blonde, and dresses in funky, contemporary clothes. For recognition, try jeans and a Union Jack t-shirt or a cropped blue jacket over a fuschia t-shirt. I’ll talk more about cosplaying Jack in a few weeks when we discuss 10-minute cosplay for Torchwood.



The Tenth Doctor
David Tennant, ‘05-’10
At SDCC last year, I think I saw more Tenth Doctor costumes than anything else, and they all looked fantastic.
Costume breakdown: brown trench coat, blue or blue/brown pinstriped suit, tie, Chuck Taylors.
All these costume pieces should be easy to find, but they’re likely to be expensive. (As an aside, I’m totally assuming everyone knows what I mean by Chuck Taylors, but, for those of you who’ve never bought shoes, I’m talking about Converse All Stars.) Like the Ninth Doctor, you might want to avoid Ten unless you’ve got the right physicality. The costume is plenty recognizable, no matter what you look like, but, like I said, there will be a ton of them running around and several of them will look enough like Tennant to turn heads.

(Left to right: Sarah Jane, Mickey, Jackie, Rose, Ten, Martha, Jack, Donna)
Rose and Jack both carry over as Companions, but let’s not forget the awesomeness that is Martha and Donna. Martha has a tough, chic look, topped off by a very modern red leather jacket. (Bonus points to Martha for being the only character of color on this list. Way to go, Doctor Who.) Donna, bless her, dresses like an especially stylish mom, which is an easy, comfortable look for any ginger who wants to give it a try.

The Eleventh Doctor
Matt Smith, ‘10-Present
Just remember one thing: bowties are cool.
Costume breakdown: brown tweed jacket, brown trousers, black boots, suspenders (or braces, if you like), bowtie.
Now that Smith is really hitting his stride as the Doctor, Eleven cosplay is becoming increasingly popular, especially since the costume is so simple. For a twist, add a Stetson or a Fez and mop, or just throw on a torn up dress shirt with blue tie and trousers and be the Ragedy Doctor.


With the Eleventh Doctor’s Companions, you have a wealth of easy, recognizable looks to choose from. First and foremost is Amy, for whom you might wear oversized red shirt and slippers or a Kiss-o-gram uniform. For the lovely and glorious Rory, blue hospital scrubs are a quick solution, but, for added visibility and sexiness, try the Roman soldier ensemble. And then there’s River Song, whose style is built less on a single look than on a sense of tough, timeless elegance. If you have the time and resources, though, turning up in the exploration suits from “Silence in the Library”/”Forest of the Dead” would really make a splash.

Another vital character you might not have considered is, of course, the TARDIS. One of the simplest, most brilliant costumes I’ve ever seen was a young woman dressed as the actual TARDIS. She’d simply painted a cardboard box with the appropriate markings and put a flashing light on her head, and she looked wonderful. I spoke with her, and she said the costume had, in fact, been thrown together the day before leaving for the con. Evidence that good cosplay requires creativity above all else and doesn’t always have to break your spirit and your bank account. You could also go as Idris, the human embodiment of the TARDIS, but you might be mistaken for an extra from Sweeney Todd.

And that’s your rundown of iconic Doctor Who costumes, many of which can be put together without too much fuss and money. This series is a crucial part of science fiction culture, even for those who aren’t fans, and we who love it offer homage to its wild style.

In fact, I’m thinking I might go as Romana I, next year. Seriously. That coat is fierce.

-shadowen

Costumes I Have Known: The Question

On this lazy Sunday afternoon, I thought I would regale you with a story of my greatest, easiest, most unexpected cosplay triumph: Renee Montoya as The Question (II).

The whole crux of this costume, for obvious reasons, is the mask. Now, there are lots of different ways to make the mask. One of the most successful techniques involves cheesecloth, as you can see here. The advantage of this technique is that it gives a really smooth look from far away, though the illusion breaks down as you get closer.


But, my children, living as I was in a tiny apartment in the woods on the edge of nowhere, I did not have the requisite supplies. I also wanted something that would look good from close up and from far away. What I found was bathing suit lining. It's available from any good fabric store, it's relatively cheap, it's super stretchy, it's breathable and translucent, all of which make it a perfect material for this kind of application.

I tried a number of different techniques, including piecing the mask on, applying makeup over it, etc.

They all had one glaring design flaw: I couldn't eat while wearing them. And, my children, if you learn only one thing from me, learn that you cannot get through a whole day of con without eating unless you want to pass out. 


So in the end, what I did was cut out a piece of fabric roughly the same size and shape as my face, with enough to go around to the back of my neck, like so.

As you can see, I attached it around my hairline and around my ears, but left the bottom hanging. Because I had long enough hair to cover it, I stretched the fabric to the back of my neck and fastened it with a hair tie. I used eyelash glue to attach it to my face; if I had it to do again, I'd do it with spirit gum, but, again, I was in the middle of nowhere, and there was none to be had (and no time to order it by the time I decided to make this costume).


Since I took this shot at the end of the day, you can also see in this picture where I got mustard on it while trying to eat a hot dog. Whoops.


This method was not without its problems. Since the tie holding the bottom of the mask had to be undone and redone every time I wanted to eat or drink anything, it led to some problems of gapping and stretching.

Fortunately these were easily fixed, and I learned quickly not to adjust my mask without looking in the mirror. The mask also became easier to wear throughout the day, as the material became stretchier and more transparent.


At the time, Renee had just become The Question, so there was nothing particularly iconic about the rest of her costume. Accordingly, I wore what I had at hand (including the tie from my work uniform). I actually screwed up and forgot gloves, but the Rorschach who was travelling with us saved me.

NB: I don't know who this dude was, but isn't his expression priceless?


So that's pretty much how I did it. I think I paid less than 20 USD for the entire costume, because most of it came straight from my closet.

It was, I discovered, an easy costume to mistake, apparently. During the course of the day, I was mistaken for both the Invisible Man (several times) and Anonymous. Also, I learned that when you wear a full face mask, people assume that you can't see them, and they will gawk at you openly. I did freak a person or two out by waving at them as they stared intently at my face.


Would I do it again? Probably not, especially not for Comic-Con. Was it totally badass? Yes, it was.

-Sabine