Cosplay Journal - Chadley (FF7R)

In this you will find:

• Materials used

• Estimated cost (often after coupons/sales)

• ̶M̶̶̶y̶̶̶ ̶̶̶h̶̶̶e̶̶̶a̶̶̶r̶̶̶t̶̶̶f̶̶̶e̶̶̶l̶̶̶t̶̶̶ ̶̶̶t̶̶̶h̶̶̶o̶̶̶u̶̶̶g̶̶̶h̶̶̶t̶̶̶s̶̶̶ ̶̶̶a̶̶̶n̶̶̶d̶̶̶ ̶̶̶e̶̶̶m̶̶̶o̶̶̶t̶̶̶i̶̶̶o̶̶̶n̶̶̶s̶̶̶

Fabric:

• 2 Yards of Jazz Blue Symphony Broadcloth Polyester Blend (~$3.50/yd = $7.00)

• 3 Yards of Black and Blue Plaid Cotton Flannel (~$5.50/yd = $16.50)

• ̶2̶ ̶Y̶a̶r̶d̶s̶ ̶E̶g̶g̶s̶h̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶S̶y̶m̶p̶h̶o̶n̶y̶ ̶B̶r̶o̶a̶d̶c̶l̶o̶t̶h̶ ̶P̶o̶l̶y̶e̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶B̶l̶e̶n̶d̶ ̶(̶~̶$̶3̶.̶5̶0̶/̶y̶d̶ ̶=̶ ̶$̶7̶.̶0̶0̶)̶ ̶

Other Materials:

• 1 Pack (2 buttons) of 22mm LaMode Gold Etched Buttons (~$5.50)

• 1 5” Gold Aluminum Zipper (~$4.00)

• 4” Zipper (~$3)

Other Accessories:

• I wrote up about my Chadley wig here! (~$25)

• Backpack (~$50.00)

• Scarf (~<$1.00)

• Glasses (~$10)

• Sock Stays/Garters (~$10)

• Socks (~$10)

• Shoes (~$45)

I’m trying to do a better job journaling my cosplay progress for multiple of reasons.

1. I hope it will encourage me to complete projects

2. I can reflect back on areas I need to develop skills and research techniques for

3. It allows me to go back to find exact fabrics/materials (if I remember writing those down in the first place)

4. It’ll make me aware how much I spent on materials so I can cry about it.

I ordered online and there’s a 2 yard minimum for online fabric orders, so I have a lot of excess. I also ordered Eggshell Broadcloth that ended up being way yellower than I thought, so I’m forgoing that and just going to use the muslin (shh…).

The Character

Chadley’s shirt has two seams going down the middle and a zipper that goes about half way from there. There’s also a bottom half to the shirt that doesn’t have any seams in the middle. The sleeves have a blue layer that looks more like an under layer than a trim. There’s also the blue for the pockets and the collar.

I drew it out to help me minimize mistakes for this one (I only used the seam ripper 3 times!).

Honestly, I can’t even read my notes.

Shirt

I cut out a basic shirt shape with a yoke on the back for that more “school uniform” kind of look, made the pockets, and added that to the front before attaching the front to the back. The zipper goes only about half way. I wanted to find a white zipper, but black was all I could get.

For the collar, it’s a simple peter pan style, sewing two sides together and flipping that inside out for a clean edge.

I added the gold buttons to the pockets (they’re functional pockets!), the blue layer underneath the white on the sleeves, added that weird bib part of the shirt (not photographed), and finished the bottom half of the shirt.

Shorts

At the time of buying fabrics, I threw in what I could for Chadley’s pants also (for that sweet, free shipping). My issue was that I couldn’t find a pattern match I liked in a material I liked and opted for a pattern I liked in a fabric…. that isn’t great. Flannel shorts sounds like a contradiction. Yet, here we are.

The shorts ended up being cursed or something. I ordered a zipper (just a zipper!) four separate times because it was either canceled or straight up lost! Finally got it on the fifth try, after driving an hour away for a zipper under $5 (why…).

I first used packing paper to trace shorts from my Angus Macdonald cosplay (that in retrospect would have worked for this Chadley cosplay *facepalm*) to use as a pattern.

I matched my seams, added pockets (using a serger), a front zipper and a waist band (using a sewing machine)!

These shorts are a bit bright compared to the character render, but this is the first time I made shorts that had pockets and a front zipper, so whatever!

And that’s it! Making shorts with pockets and a front zipper was way easier than I expected. I’ll revisit to add belt loops at some point, probably (probably not). It’s a simple sewing project that cost me under $200 (mostly due to the bag, wig, and shoes).

Total Cost: ~$187

Feeling satisfied enough with it, I took these phone pics using a greenish light, because I felt like that made me look like I was in the Shinra HQ building or something with all the lights from the Mako~

My phone went off as my sock stays fell…

Cosplay Journal - [WIG] Chadley (Final Fantasy VII Remake)

It’s been 23 years since the original Final Fantasy 7 and 15 years since a tech demo released showing FF7’s opening in updated graphics. From that point, fans were begging for a fully fledged remake and it finally released in 2020! Probably one of the most anticipated games in history due to the classic and iconic nature of the original, I’d say the title sold itself. The remake is slated to be episodic and upon release proved to be way more than what people were anticipating. Rather than a full 1:1 copy, it was reimagined, rewritten, and reworked to give an expanded, clarified, and detailed look into the FF7 universe, giving greater depth for beloved characters and introducing new characters, like this nerd here:

Meet Chadley! I instantly screamed when I read his name because of how absurd it sounded to me (sorry to any IRL Chadleys out there). Chad + Bradley is an all new monstrosity that somehow fits his character. He just a kid you simultaneously want to tease and want to protect at the same time. In game he’s a teen intern hoping to “undermine” his company’s efforts by helping the heroes with new items. So, of course, I had to try to cosplay this good, good boy.

FYI, this is not a tutorial. I have no idea what I’m doing.

The Base Wig:

I took Arda’s Skyelar Classic Wig in Victory Blonde (CL-053A) and straightened it loosely so the curls weren’t as tight, but the wave was still present.

Straightening + Cutting

As the the wig straightened, it became quite long! So I cut the wig to a length that was just at the shoulders first, before cutting even shorter, leaving the bangs for last. Knowing how many mistakes I make, it’s best for me to cut little by little. I can always make it shorter, but I can’t make it longer!

Create Layers

In order to create layers, I separated parts of the hair into thirds creating a top, middle, and bottom layer, making the top layer the shortest and the bottom layer the longest. Using thinning sheers, I cut it at an angle to make sure that the top layer was always the shortest, but with the thinning sheers, I think it creates a more natural look because not everything is cut straight across. And because of the waves already present in the wig, it created it’s own voluminous look.

Heat + Set

I repeated the process until the shape started to look as close to the character as I could create it. For the bangs, I put the wig on my face and cut it from there. Lastly, I used my hot iron to create additional curls and set the entire thing with a light coat of hair spray.

And that’s it! I’m actually quite proud of this one even though it’s so simple, since my other attempts at styling have either been super basic or not quite executed as well. I hope to be able to cosplay him fully at a convention soon.