Parts of a Cosplay Part 1

Since I have been in a cosplay dry spell since I completed Amilyn Holdo over six months ago, largely because of financial constraints, I have been left in a place where the closest I can come to starting a new project is dreaming and sketching, which led me to think a great deal about how I plan out a cosplay.  I think this is a really important skill that's hard to master, but it's absolutely essential to the final outcome to understand how the costume will be built from the inside out BEFORE starting to even shop for materials.

Cosplay is, and always will be, an experiemental craft, so I am not necessarily telling you that you need to have a step-by-step layout of what goes where on your costume.  Rather, that what goes underneath will affect everything that goes on top of it.  I've made this mistake so many times in my own projects.  In fact, I'm staring at a 1770s robe a la polonaise (okay, it's a historical repro, not a cosplay, but bear with me) that I made BEFORE making or purchasing a proper corset.  The result is that the bodice fits...a little snug in the bust, which means I can't wear it at all until I make a corset *specifically for this dress that can't be worn with any other dress* because I need bust compression that I would normally consider too extreme for comfort.  This is a lesson that I should know well by now, but I know, we all want to get to the exciting part, and no one ever thought that hand-stitching a 1770s corset was good fun.

To get myself back into the swing of properly planning a project, and to give you what I hope will be a good primer in how to do this, I thought I would start out with some exercises to help you understand how this process works.  This is something that takes practice and research and a great deal of understanding with regards to how outfits are put together and how garments are constructed, so don't feel bad if it takes some time.  My first few examples will be relatively easy because they will be paintings or photos of ensembles from real human history and ALL of them will be ensembles that I have made, so you can see the final result.  Later we will get to the fantasy cosplay stuff because that requires more creativity and problem-solving.  These, at least, we can be relatively certain existed in one form or another, so we aren't dealing with incompatible garments or gravity-defying shit.

La Duquesa Blanca by Francisco Goya, 1785, Collection of the Dukes of Alba

This is a fairly simple outfit, and it's one that I covered on here in a fairly recent post.  It's a good place for me to start this lesson because we know the date of this painting, who the subject is, exactly where she lived (Spain), and that she likely posed for it.  A fashionable garment in the 1790s, it would not be hard to find that this type of garment has several possible names from "robe en chemise" or "chemise a la reine" to "Chemise à l'Anglaise" and that, while all of those names have specific connotations with regards to the style of the garment, all of them will be good keywords to use when researching how to make this garment and what was worn underneath it.

The dress itself is likely made of a lightweight cotton Swiss dot textile, almost sheer, so that you can see the layers of fabric rippling beneath it.  Although the sash lowers the waist visually, the waist on a dress like this is right below the bust and all the skirt fabric is gathered at this point.  Research will tell you that early versions of this dress, such as Marie Antoinette's famous chemise a la reine, were often NOT gathered to a "waistband" but gathered only at the neckline and then belted at the waist with a sash.  For this particular outfit, either version is an option, although by the mid-1790s you were much more likely to see this style of dress WITH a waistband.  That will be especially helpful in keeping the gathers over the bosom perfectly in place the way the Duchess's are.  Below you can see two examples of this type of chemise dress from the 1790s without a sash so that you can see where the waist falls. 

Dress, American, 1799, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988.242.4

Vestido (dress), linen and silk, 1795-1805, CE000668, Museo del Traje

Because we are already talking about a garment called some form of a "chemise dress", named so because it resembles the ladies' undergarment of the same name, it can be hard to conceptualize the idea of putting structural undergarments under such a seemingly freeform ensemble.  It is very important, I tell you, that you do not skip this step!  With a few exceptions, a corset was ALWAYS worn in the 18th century and if you have a corset then you MUST have a chemise to prevent the corset from chafing and blistering your skin.  Design your undergarments with the final ensemble in mind.  The Duchess's dress is very low-cut, so your chemise and corset must have a suitably wide and low neckline.  The following chemise would be the perfect undergarment and this corset from the Victoria and Albert Museum will give you the necessary "perky" bosom for this silhouette.  You also need a good petticoat or two and likely also a butt pad.

Chemise, French, late 18th century, linen, C.I.41.161.7, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Stays, England or France, Cotton, c.1790, T.237-1983, Victoria and Albert Museum

There is very little else to this ensemble besides the sash, which at this time would have been a simple rectangular piece of fabric long enough to wrap around your waist a few times.  The shimmer indicates that, unlike the dress, it's probably a high-quality silk taffeta or some other suitably shiny silk.  I am not an expert in jewelry and decided to forgo the bracelets, but you can certainly find information about this type of cuff by researching the painting itself and by researching late 18th century jewelry.  The necklace is likely coral or some precious red stone.  Appropriate shoes for the late 18th century can be hard to find, but I encourage you not to forget that footwear can really make or break the visual authenticity of a costume.

Shoes, 1785-1795, Spanish, MR000863, collection of the Museo del Traje, photo by AlbinoShadow Cosplay

Me as the Duchess of Alba at Federal Hall, New York City

For my second historical example before we get into the cosplay stuff, I will jump ahead about seventy years to the late 1860s.

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, c.1867, Drexel University Archives and Special Collections, P2122

I have a fascination with "cosplaying" (err, I'm sorry, in reenactment we call them "impressions," my bad) as historical figures.  Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was a doctor and surgeon who served in the Civil War and a lifelong dress reformer.  Around 1870 she stopped wearing skirts at all and only wore masculine suits, but at the point where this photo was taken just after the War (it was taken after because she received her Medal of Honor for services rendered in wartime), she was still wearing the short dress and trousers of the dress reformers.  I am upping the difficulty a little bit with this example because in this case there are NO publicly-known surviving examples of exactly this type of reform dress (if you find any, please email me?), so this is a little closer to cosplay where we must recreate a garment that we can never see in person.

We are lucky, in this case, that one of Dr. Walker's contemporaries and friends, Dr. Harriet Austin, wrote and spoke about how she dressed and how her garments were made.  We know already from articles about the Dress Reform movement in general that these women refused the corset and voluminous petticoats on the grounds that they inhibited the wearer's ability to move.

Dr. Harriet Austin in a similar ensemble to Dr. Walker's, unknown date, 03169, Loma Linda University Department of Archives and Special Collections

These dresses are cut fashionably for the 1850s or 60s and in that way, even without a corset, it gives the wearer some of the effect of fashionable (that is, WITH a corset) dress.  That said, you can definitely tell that neither Dr. Walker's nor Dr. Austin's bosoms (yes, I'm telling you to look at their bosoms) are not propped up the way a foundational undergarment would.  They looks fairly natural, which is not what we are used to seeing in 1860s fashion.  In any case, patterns for 1860s combined skirt and bodice dresses are fairly common and may even be what these women used to make their garments.  I would not be surprised to find that these dresses had boning just like their fashionable counterparts, at least for such a smooth fit over the waist, which would have provided some bust support.

As for the trousers, I will pass the microphone to Dr. Austin herself, who leaves little to the imagination with regards to what these look like:
"My pantaloons are all cut, at the bottom, like a gentleman’s  I like them better than straight ones; and those which some ladies have worn, full and fathered at the bottom, are “unmentionable.”  My pattern was cut by a tailor, his wife taking the measures.  Where this is not practiceable, a skillful person may cut a pattern from a pair of gentleman’s pants.  I always wear a pair of elastic suspenders."
(““The American Costume.”” The Louisville Daily Courier, 24 March 1860)

This being the 19th century, every person wears undergarments, so once again, we must consider what will both work with this ensemble and fit into the parameters set forth by the Dress Reformers.  Once again eloquently put by Dr. Austin:
"The best undergarments, for winter particularly, are a waist, with long close sleeves, and drawers buttoning to the waist.  These may be of jean, cotton, flannel, or other warm material, and if this is not sufficient, woolen flannel garments, corresponding to the inner ones, may be worn over them.  Ladies of the feeblest vitality dress comfortably in this costume.  Some can wear over their inner drawers, another pair wadded.—The drawers may be buttoned or tied onto the pants at the top, instead of buttoning to the waist.  Of course, each person will arrange all such matters according to their own judgement." 
(““The American Costume.”” The Louisville Daily Courier, 24 March 1860) 

While we are left with our modern difficulties in parsing exactly what Dr. Austin is talking about, I would guess that a "waist" means either a corset cover or an underbodice, which would have been a typical undergarment and would have worked quite well...provided you don't need too much bust support (how bustier dress reformers achieved this is still a big questions mark).

Corset cover or underbodice c.1860, via Antique-Gown

When Dr. Austin talks about drawers, my guess is that she's not referring to women's drawers, which I could not fit under my pair of authentic 19th century men's trousers.  They were too bulky and with the split crotch just didn't want to, well, behave.  So I expect that the dress reformers were wearing something closer to men's drawers.  I can't find any photos of men's drawers from the 1860s with a confirmed date, but they looked something like this:

Godey's Lady's Book, September 1869

With that, you've got most of your outfit from inside out.  I will admit that I forwent the corset cover and drawers and wore a regular (authentic) chemise instead, but as Dr. Austin said, "each person will arrange such matters according to their own judgement"!

The final touches to consider are Dr. Walker's watch pocket, watch and chain, and, if you're really going for photo realism, her Medal of Honor (which I decided to leave off).  I took my hair inspiration from another photo of Dr. Walker.

Vogue, August 1989

My reform dress at Mt. Vernon Hotel and Museum; photo by Elisa Libratty

At Mt. Vernon Hotel and Museum with Elisa Libratty; Photo by Kathy Libratty

That's all I have for this post, which is probably one of the most comprehensive that I have written to date!  I will be posting this on Instagram and Facebook and I look forward to your feedback.  Which cosplays do you want me to break down for my next post or posts?  Do you want more historical examples?  What would you find most helpful?  Leave me a comment here or on any of my social media!

Instagram: @albinoshadowfire 

Facebook: AlbinoShadow Cosplay

Amilyn Holdo Process Post: The NOT Fabric Elements

As soon as I saw her in The Last Jedi I knew I needed to cosplay Amilyn Holdo.  Of course I wish there had been more of her, or that she had survived, but that isn't the universe she lives in.  I am pretty sure, especially after reading Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray, that she was queer and that she and Leia were a couple by the time of the events in The Last Jedi.  You can't convince me otherwise after their parting scene where so much was left unsaid between them.

 

I am writing this many months after I finished the cosplay, so I am going to break it up into fabric and non-fabric elements.  You are currently reading about the non-fabric elements.  This is to avoid a tl;dr post, to which I am prone.  In truth, this cosplay was happening at a time when I had a lot of other stuff on my plate, so it was rather chaotic in coming to fruition.  I debuted it at Anime Boston 2018, where I was a masquerade judge and the theme of the weekend had to do with space travel.  I thought it was a particularly appropriate costume for presenting awards.

So you know what we are working on here, I present the official costume breakdown (click to enlarge):

As ever, the first thing I purchased was the wig, and since that's right at the top, I will start there.  This is a Bucky from Arda Wigs in lavender.  What is so excellent about this wig is that it is not only a lace front, but also a lace part, meaning that it can be made to look extremely natural.  The only problem was in the center lace part, where Amilyn has her part on her right side.  I let this slide so I could make use of this excellent wig.

You'll notice that Amilyn has greyish/dark purple lowlights, so I knew this would be a thing I would need to do.  I am not super sophisticated with wig dyes, and somewhat loathe to spend money on them, when India inks works just as well.  I mixed purple and black Winsor and Newton inks with 70% isopropyl alcohol and brushed it into the roots in layers.

At the same time I removed a lot of the "frizz" that the less expensive cosplay wigs come with for extra weft coverage, because it was giving the wig too much volume for Amily's classic style.  The end result once the lowlights were dry was pleasing and very accurate.

 

But when I put it on...

Meh.  Too much volume.  This is pretty common with wigs: the hair does not fall in the way that hair sprouted from your head does.  It sort of wants to go up and then out and then down, and it wants to go every which way.  This was a few days out from the con, so I pinned the back into pin curls and steamed them to within an inch of their lives.  I also steamed the part flat and steamed the hair so that is flowed back from the hairline instead of falling over my face.  Amilyn's hair is NOT in her face.

All the steaming, plus a bit of hair spray every time I put the wig on, creates a very nice, natural style.  Mind you, I wear this over a flesh-toned wig cap (these are available in every skin tone) to fill in the lace part with "skin" and use toupee tape to keep the lace front in place.  The tape sometimes needs a dusting of powder to reduce shine.  Even my mother approved and she's hated every wig I've ever had since I started cosplaying a decade ago!

My hair piece is kind of janky and maybe I'll replace it in the future.  It's not really up to my standards of quality.  Anyway, it's aluminum tubing threaded with wire and then curved into shape.  I wrapped the ends in wire so my hair wouldn't get too tangled.  For the first few times I hairpinned it into my wig, but now I have a comb attached and that works a lot better.

Earrings were hard to locate because 1. my ears aren't pieced, and 2. these have a rather unique shape that is larger on the top than on the bottom where the drop attaches.  I found a pair on Etsy that suffice, and I've replaced the drop since with a purple glass bead.  They get buried under my wig and never show up in photos.  Oh well?

 

Screen-used earrings

You'll have an interesting time locating Amilyn's rings as well, as any Amilyn cosplayer will attest.  I recommend as search terms "rhodochrysite", "moonstone", "cluster ring".  I am sure there were more, but this was about four months ago and I just don't remember, except that I spent hours finding the rings I eventually bought.

 

The screen-used ring (left) vs. the ring I bought (right)

Very pleased!

 

My rhodochrisite ring looks *fabulous* but...it's considerably larger than I thought I ordered, so I can't wear it on my ring finger like Amilyn does.  It was kind of pricey, so I'll replace it, but not right away.  Meanwhile, if you have a size 9 ring finger and need this ring, comment and we can work something out...

 Some of you will be surprised to know that Amilyn's bracelets are available for about $5.00 each on eBay.  That is exactly where the costume department got theirs, so you know these are legit.  It kills me every time I read the official costume breakdown (at top of this post) and they're like, "these represent Gatalentan constellations."  Yeah sure...eBay constellations maybe...anyway, at least they're easy to get, so put down your worbla or whatever.  There is a document in the Facebook group Admirals in Purple that lists sellers that currently stock them.  It doesn't matter if you get them in gold or silver, because you're going to be painting them so they are Amilyn's matte silver.

 

Compare my painted bracelet (left) with an unpainted silver one.  This not only is screen-accurate, but it will photograph a LOT better.

Don't go away: I am writing about the dress and neck drape next!

Circa 1917 Vacation Photo Album

I had a request on Instagram for a full scan of this photo album, after I posted a few photos from it awhile back.  Since my life is in flux and I've been on the cusp of moving since last summer, it has taken me this long to do this, as it along with many of my other antique treasures live at my father's house where they are not at risk for moving damage.  I present it to you in full here and I hope it will prove educational.

Now, I'm going to talk about use of these photos before I lose the tl;dr people: Please include a link to this page any time you use these photos.  While I'm not going to charge you for them or anything, and I do want them available for educational purposes, I don't want them ending up decontextualized all over the place where they'll become a nightmare for researchers who don't know where they came from.  If you have any questions, send me an email at fehlel (at) sage (dot) edu

I got this photo album at the Cambridge Antique Mart in Cambridge, MA.  While some of the subjects photographed are labeled with their first names, no last names are included, and so I have no way of knowing who these people were or where they lived.  One of the monuments photographed, Endicott Rock, in New Hampshire, still exists in much the same state as it was photographed here.  The other named place, Lake Winnipesaukee, is nearby in the same state.  Some of the later photos in the album are dated 1917, and the fashion seen in the album is certainly consistent with that date.  The same subjects, for the most part, appear again and again throughout the album, so I am inclined to assume that this was a family photo album for a New Hampshire vacation in 1917.  It shows the relationship between photography and the desire to document one's life and experiences over a century ago.  This behavior is not new to the 21st century, and in fact it gives us valuable insight into the lives of people in the past!  I only hope that family photo albums like this will survive in some form, as I know I have never made one in my life and all my photos are dumped onto my computer and never labeled.  It makes me wonder if future historians will have a hard time studying the post-digital age, and whether it is our responsibility to create content or if that will skew the future's view of history.

No more rambling!  Here is the photo album.  I have photographed it page by page so you see how things were laid out.  Fifty five pages of photo are followed by about twenty blank pages in the back of the album that I have not photographed.  Many of the blank pages show scars of having once had photos glued to them.  I hope these photos were simply moved to another album and not discarded.  What wonders might they have shown?

Please click on the photos to see the full-resolution version.