Your Cosplay Rules!

This photo looks like a screenshot, if any console’s graphics could *ever* be *this* good.  This is an example of a great use of lighting and color; you can’t see much (even though the rest of the costume is just as epic as what you can see here--that’s one of the best wigs I’ve ever seen) but what you can see conveys *everything*. @khamryn, your Cloud Strife cosplay rules!

This dress is insane--I can barely count the number of poppies sewn to this dress, forget about trying to figure out how many crystals are incorporated.  And look at that elaborate headpiece--it must defy gravity, not only because of the way the wires extend, but can you imagine how heavy it must be?  The ruby crystal on her lower lip is the final perfect touch.  This Jupiter Jones cosplayer, photographed at Big Apple Comic Con 2015, rules!

Expecto Patronum by PolinaBilka This is such a great character to cosplay because she’s such a nut--you can add almost anything to her costume and have it be in character.  As long as you have Ravenclaw colors on and a long blonde wig, and are as quirky (and kind) as humanly possible, you’ll be all right.  @polinabilka, your Luna Lovegood cosplay rules!

You know what?  More people need to cosplay from Free! Iwatobi Swim Club.  I mean, look, they’re fairly easy costumes.  Black swim jammers.  You can buy them online.  Add the team jacket if you really want to get fancy.  Maybe throw on a pair of goggles for authenticity.  It’s easy.  Everyone should do it! This has absolutely nothing to do with my desire to see more shirtless male characters running around convention centers.  Absolutely none. Nicholas IX, your Haruka Nanase cosplay rules!

I’d love to know how the “skin” of this was made--covering yourself in what looks like metallic rivets has to be one of the hardest parts of this costume, since most of the rest is black clothing you can probably pick up in most stores, and a black cloak.  The mask with the goggles is pretty intense, too!  AndyMcFearsome, your Death Gun cosplay rules!

HIS SHIRT LIGHTS UP, HIS SHIRT LIGHTS UP, HIS SHIRT LIGHTS UP.  I didn’t ask him how he got his shirt to light up, though really green LED lights worn underneath would do it if the fabric was thin enough, but glory be does that make this already awesome costume spectacular.  This Evil Ernie cosplayer, photographed at New York Comic Con 2014, rules!

It’s amazing that we live in a time of quality licensed costumes: thirty years ago, if you bought a licensed costume, you got a scary death mask made out of thin plastic with the eye holes cut out, and a cheap vinyl smock that vaguely resembled what the character wore, but also had a picture of the character and the franchise’s logo stamped on the chest, completely destroying any authenticity.  Nowadays companies are taking great pains to make their licensed costumes as screen (or page) accurate as possible.  @micromoose, your Harley Quinn cosplay rules!

This “deck dress” was partially hand-drafted but also combined with an older pattern, in order to get it “just so”.  Since the entire dress is never shown in the movie, embroidery was added and the ends were beaded for a more “finished” look.  The dress itself is yellow taffeta.  Errowyn, your Rose DeWitt Bukater cosplay rules!

Is there any other word for this costume than “breathtaking”?  How about “labor intensive”?  (Okay, that’s two words.)  The wig was bought from a Chinese store and started out life teal, so it was hand-dyed it with Fabricmate markers to the green you see, and then the pink flower was attached with some light pink rhinestones added.   The three necklaces were made in a group, with a variety of beads, crystals, and pearls.   The bodysuit, gloves, and leggings were altered from a previous Jade costume.   The leggings have seed beads hand-stitched to them underneath the gold band. The gloves have the dark green draping added on with beads hand-stitched to the edges on the gloves to add more of a look and texture to them.  I could go on and on, but you can see the level of dedicate that went into this costume.  Yunie-chan, your Rydia cosplay rules!

Video game costumes are probably the second most popular genre at anime conventions, assuming you lump anime and manga in together.  Phoenix Wright inspires a lot of costumes, in part because the games themselves are so well done, in part because the character designs are outstanding.  And, of course, any excuse to carry a whip is a good excuse.  This Franziska Von Karma cosplay, taken at Otakon 2014, rules!

It’s so nice when the natural world cooperates to give us epic cosplay photography.  This is a great costume regardless; the detail on the hem and the sleeves is really astounding.  That’s an awesome sword, too.  @shinreidate-blog, your Ge Nie cosplay rules!

You should always use caution when buying a costume online; this one was purchased from Taobao, a Chinese website for online shopping similar to eBay, Amazon, and Rakuten.  Visually it looks fantastic, but the measurements weren’t correct, so I imagine some last minute fixes had to be done.  That being said, if you don’t sew yourself, this is still a legitimate way to get the costume you’ve always wanted.  broadwaystart12, your Super Sailor Jupiter cosplay rules!

This costume, made by Allen Ryde, has the best of both words: the severity and elegance of a military uniform and all its details, and the femininity and flounce of a ballgown.  I love how tailored the top is, versus how full and sweeping the skirt is.  This princess has both a crown and a sword. Yucari, your Utena cosplay rules!

How do you make magical girls even more magical?  Add some bling.  ADD ALL THE BLING.  The Sera Myu (the commonly used term for the Sailor Moon musicals) costumes are sailor fukus injected with glitter; everywhere shiny can be added, it has been added.  All of the features (the bows, the tiaras, etc.) are slightly exaggerated so they’re easier to see from far away, and the shoes have structural supports added to them for dancing.  This costume was made by @starlit-creations.  Morgan Skye, your Super Sailor Jupiter cosplay rules!

Three cheers for love for underrated characters.   Arthur Curry does not simply talk to fish.  He’s ridiculously strong.  He has magical invulnerability.  He has some psychic powers--maybe not on the level of Jean Gray, but certainly more than the average non-mutant.  But never mind the character, check out this costume--I love that the scales are reflective and the leggings are shiny, making this look less like a superhero’s costume than the robes of a king, which is certainly fitting.  Even the trident has some bling to it.  This Aquaman cosplay, photographed at Special Edition: NYC 2014 rules! 

This is a costume that nearly anyone can do, but this one has the most extra touches to make it jaw-dropping that I’ve ever seen.  Look at where the light hits the stitches, you can tell they’re raised.  The wig looks like real yarn instead of hair (probably the only costume where this is appropriate), the contacts really make her pupils look like pinpricks, and the lashes are clumpy--again, something you usually want to avoid, but in this case you want them to look fake.  This is really incredible.  @the-moonsquid, your Sally cosplay rules!

Pay attention, students, history class is now in session.  Long before Love Live of 2012, long before Revolutionary Girl Utena of 1996, there was The Rose of Versailles of 1972.  Military costumes are so elegant: the stand-up collar, the epaulets, the piping along the coat, and the sash are all so well made.  It fits so well, too!  @gothicmagpie, your Lady Oscar cosplay rules!