Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
I am wearing Gwendolyn from the video game Odin Sphere. Gwendolyn is such a majestic looking character and reminded me immediately of Wagner’s opera of the Ring Cycle and the Ride of the Valkyrie. There is somewhat of a silent beauty in this character, sweet, serene, and cold, but strong, the ideal warrior and an even more ideal woman. I ultimately decided to cosplay Gwendolyn because I needed a huge challenge… And of course, a challenge is what I got. Her wings of brilliant blues and purples were so striking that I just had to try my hand at making them. There was some strange attraction to her silent beauty that I had to capture, and I strived harder and harder throughout the process of creating this costume to achieve it.
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
This costume was an adventure, I always was facing some seemingly impossible obstacle that I needed to overcome. First off, every feather was hand cut out of Foamie or Sintra, a high density heat forming foam core. The feathers were painstaking, hunched over a band saw for hours and hours on end… They are mounted on a upholstery foam core and attached to me by home made wire “hooks”. The entirety of the blue leg armor was also made out of Sintra. Heated, formed, heated, formed again. Numerous coats of paint, and lots of Bondo. I’m honestly surprised that I have any brain cells left after all the fumes and debris I was breathing in! Safety first, right? I will have to say though, that even though the armor was incredibly tough, I am very proud of myself to have finished it. I have never constructed armor before, and I learned that with determination, it was a lot easier than I had anticipated. As far as sewing went, making her leather PVC tutu was really quite fun. I first made a home made tutu/petticoat to wear underneath, and then drafted a pattern for each piece of the PVC skirt. It took forever to sew, but finally it was mounted on an elastic waistband, easy on, easy off! The wig may have been the part I fought with the most. I looked through so many bun and braid tutorials, but came up empty handed, finally, I just winged it, and usually for me, that’s the best technique in the world!
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ? ^^
Haha, I had one kid scream across a room at me, “Gwendolyn, SO SEXY!” I looked at all my friends around me and was like, okayyyy then. It was very funny to say the least. The same kids who shouted earlier in the day finally found me and the rest of my Odin Sphere girls and were more than excited to have their pictures taken with us.
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
I have always loved playing dress up! I guess that when I realized it was time to grow up, that was the one part of my childhood I wanted to hold on to the most. After my grandmother taught me how to sew, making costumes was truly my calling. I finally discovered cosplay when I was about 11 and in the next few years I made my first costume for Connecticon 2003, I was Summoner Yuna from FFX. I could never stop cosplaying since then!
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
My first con was Connenticon, a small hometown con that has now exploded and is huge! I can’t even believe it. My favorite con however was a first for this year, Dragon*Con! Oh it was truly a sight, and it was soooooo much fun, everyone who is into cosplay, anime, gaming, fantasy, movies, sci-fi, you MUST got to D*C at some point! There was so much life there and so many interests and events to explore. Having a more adult and mature group also made it quite fun. It’s really a con where you can totally let loose, do a crazy costume, no matter what it is, and people will always love it!
What does cosplay mean to you ?
To me, cosplay is a way of life. It has truly brought me so much happiness ever since the first day I started doing it. It has brought me together with all the people I love most. All my room mates, my boyfriend, and so many other people whom I have come across on this great journey in the costuming world. Becoming someone else for a day, losing yourself in a different world is a truly wonderful feeling that brings me back to when I was a performer. I used to always be on stage, and I loved it. I was convinced that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but being a starving Broadway star just didn’t appeal to me after a while. I guess that cosplay is still that kind of outlet. I treat every costume as a character that I have to play, and I am always striving for a better performance each time I produce another costume.
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
Ohhhhh, wow, I have so many! But, if I had the skills, the money, and all the time in the world, I think I would have to pick Telos from Xenosaga. If only I was that tan!
