Student Blog: Creating Cosplays

I've been cosplaying since 2020, when I decided I wanted to try my hand at making a SIX: THE MUSICAL costume. Katherine Howard's corset was very ambitious for my 15-year-old self, and thanks to my broken sewing machine, I hand-sewed the entire thing. And if you've ever worked with holographic vinyl faux leather fabric, you'll know that's not exactly an easy task.

Since then, I've created many cosplays and costume pieces. Some of my favorites include hand-glued rhinestone boots, a wooden Camp-Halfblood t-shirt stamp, Wanda Maximoff's entire AGE OF ULTRON outfit, and my all-time favorite, Heather Duke's tearaway jacket costume from HEATHERS. A week ago, I hand-sewed a tearaway dress for Anna of Cleves in SIX: THE MUSICAL in under two hours, which was stressful, but turned out really well. I've also done a Belle transformation dress, closet cosplayed my favorite book characters, and two different Katherine Howard outfits.

I wore the latter to BroadwayCon this past summer, donning my pink hair extensions, handmade corset, and my trusty rhinestone boots for the special occasion. I had been planning to wear the original K Howard costume, but to my surprise, when I tried it on the week before, I had grown! It no longer fit, and I frantically turned my room upside down in an attempt to find a different Broadway cosplay. I didn't find anything readymade, but I unearthed a swath of sparkly black fabric. I sprung into action, sewing the fabric on top of a pink skirt, Katherine's iconic color. For the top, I tried my hand at creating my very first corset using hot glue, leftover vinyl fabric, and a pattern I'd found online. For the finishing touch, I grabbed my mini SIX: THE MUSICAL playbill earrings.

One viral TikTok video (and hours and hours of work) later, my cosplay was ready! Was it an exact copy of Katherine Howard's costume? Most definitely not, but it was in a style that I was more comfortable wearing. It was a lot of fun to make, even though I ran into quite a few challenges.

(Ie: my inability to insert grommets with proper strength; the decision to make the corset with hot glue - would NOT recommend; rhinestones that preferred to be on the floor rather than on my boots.)

While you can definitely cosplay with store-bought pieces, part of the fun for me is making my own costumes. It might not be a perfect copy, but it'll still look great, and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you made it yourself. If you're looking to start cosplaying, here are some tips I wish I would've known:

1. Anyone can cosplay any character - you don't need to look exactly like the actress/character.
2. Look up other cosplayers online - see what they did for a character, and if you're comfortable enough, reach out and ask them where they got the costume from.
3. Closet cosplay can be just as fun! See what styles/outfits you already have in your closet, and create a casual version of the costume.

You can check out my cosplays at @.allie.sarah on TikTok, and in the videos below. I hope this article has given you some inspiration, and happy creating!

Photo Credit: Shoshana/bwaySHO (BroadwayCon K Howard)