Conventions can be a lot of fun, and the right costume done well can make for a truly epic con experience. That being said, the fact of the matter is that costuming is often stressful, labor-intensive, and an all-around pain in the ass. Once you've answered all the basic questions (What costume should you choose? How accurate does it have to be? Is it okay if you don't make everything yourself? Should you and your friends dress as a group? Will people know who you are? How expensive will it be? etc.) there's still the actual process of making the costume itself, which can take anywhere from a matter of hours to several months and result in pricked fingers, high blood pressure, and a fractured bank account. Even then, there's no guarantee that the clusterfuck of fabric and facing you end up with will be something you'd ever want to wear in public.
That's where we come in.
On this blog, you'll find tips and suggestions for choosing and making costumes for conventions, parties, and anything else you feel like dressing up for. We'll talk about how to find and prepare for a con, how to figure out what costumes will work best for you, and ways to get the most out of what you've got. We'll show you costumes done right and how to get good results, and we'll show you costumes done horribly, horribly wrong and how to learn from our fail. In addition to making costumes from the ground up, we've got advice on hair and make-up, packing and travel, making plans for con, and what to do when you need a costume in 10 mintues.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or tips and resources of your own -or just want to share your own examples of costume fail- feel free to email us at frenemycosplay@gmail.com, and remember: Costuming is fun... except for the parts that aren't.
We're Shadowen and Sabine, avid costumers and con-goers, and we're here to make your con experience just a little more painless.