Cosplay Journal - [WIG] Noctis Caelum (Final Fantasy XV)

Background:

It’s no secret that FFXV is one of my top Final Fantasy games regardless of the criticism, tumultuous development histories, and rumors. I could go on and list so many reasons why I love the game, but that would be just TOO much. But all that is to say, of course I’d want to cosplay my best boy, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prince of Lucis and King of Fishing.

In 2017, I tried. I did a genderbend Noctis with a group of friends and it was really great! (Except that it was during San Diego Comic-Con and I’m honestly too old to try to cosplay there anymore.)

Ignis is RPGadventurer Twitter | Instagram
Prompto is AshleighWeasley Twitter | Instagram
Gladio is SaylumCroft Twitter | Instagram
Luna is Tranmasterflash Twitter | Instagram
Gladio’s shield was made by TonyCos3.0 Twitter | Instagram
Photography: Justin David Photography

Photography: Sventure Snaps

Photography: Sventure Snaps

Genderbends and reimaginings are fun. But on me, with my bad sewing techniques, poor design decisions, body image issues, and making the Sword of the Father way too big, it just didn’t sit right with me. So, of course I’d want do a canon style Noctis.

It’s taken me three years to start even on just his wig. So! Here it is.

Base Wig:

If I’m not mistaken, the base wig is a Magnum Long Classic Arda Wig in some kind of grey (I can’t find my invoice to confirm and it’s not on my account). It’s one of these colors… I think (It’s a good thing this isn’t a tutorial or a guide, because so far it’s extremely unhelpful):

Tools:

For all my wig stuff, I use two types of scissors: Thinning Scissors (the ones with the teeth) and regular ol’ sharp hair Cutting Scissors. And I use them two ways.

• Thinning Scissors - I cut from the top and trim down to the tip (To create layers, natural looking ends)

• Cutting Scissors - I cut from the tip and go up (To trim/cut to length, to cut off fly-away strands)

Is this how you’re supposed to use them? I don’t kno~w!

Styling:

Starting with the base wig, like the Chadley wig, I added more layers and straightened the front.

I blow-dried everything upside down and then hair sprayed the back. Using my fingers, I pressed the ends into small spikes and created a sort of triangle shape (or like a duck butt?) in the back. I kept the very bottom wefts alone so that it could cover my neck.

Using heat again, the hairspray hardens and the strands maintain its shape. For the very top, I teased back the top layer a bit so that it could stand up higher on the head.

I cut the front of the wig to a length longer than the desired length and added layers from there. And for the sides, I added long layers so that it would stick out on the side as well as trying to make it frame the face like Noctis’ does.

After spraying the front, I used a straightener to press the tips together to create spikey shapes, but also pulled it apart gently to create more natural looking strands.

From the top of the wig, I picked out groups of strands and pulled them forward to try to make it look more natural, kind of like a plucking motion. And I also tried to pull apart fly-away strands or cut frayed edges.

Voila?

Mirrored Bathroom Selfie~

Annnd there it is! What do you think?

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.

Cosplay Journal - Annette (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

In this you will find:

• Materials used (not including mock muslin which I buy in bulk)

• Estimated cost (often after coupons/sales)

Materials:

• 4 yards Polyester Black (~$30)

• .5 yards Gold Performance Vinyl (~$10)

• 3 Offray 3/8"x9' Firefly Metallic Woven Wired Edge Ribbon-Gold (~$5)

• 1.5 Yards Gold Trim (~$5)

• Gold tassel trim ($5)

• Horsehair Braid ($9)

Other Items:

• Purse ($10)

• Boots ($20)

• Wig ($30)

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

Background Info:

A few friends in a cosplay group for FE3H were missing a few characters including Annette, so I asked if I could join for Anime Los Angeles (January 10-13 - Ontario, CA).

Annette is an adorable character that loves to sing and bake (opposite of me). Her design, aside from her uniform, is very soft, round, and friendly. Her uniform matches the typical Gareg Mach uniforms (very inline with characters like Lysithea, and nothing too modified like Hilda or Dorothea), but has a pouch that is unique to her.

The Mock-Up:

I made a muslin mockup without a pattern by draping the fabric over the dress form and pining shapes to where I think they're supposed to go.

Construction:

I think what is commonly used is a Polyester/Cotton blend material for the uniforms. However, I went with a full polyester fabric because of the weight and feel of the underside. I feel like I won’t need to add a lining to it. It does appear shinier (oops), but it also appears blacker (Yay), which is also why I went with it.

Using the muslin mockup, I cut the black fabric to the same shapes and begin pinning that to the form.

I used the Offray Ribbon for the details. I’ve seen people use iron on vinyl which produces a nice, clean shape.

Wig

I picked a Peach wig from Arda Wigs because I felt like it matched Annette's hair color closest. I would have picked a straight style but items were on backorder. So I opted for their Ferrari style (wavy) and straightened it with a flat iron. Annette has two loops in her hair for some reason. In order to capture that shape, I used horsehair braid, which is a stiff polyester used to hold shapes in trims. I adhered that to the wig using Got2B hair gel. I left some strands on the side, rather than pulling it back because I like to hide the sides of my face with hair.

Details

My apoxie sculpt ended up drying up and I couldn’t figure a way to salvage it. So I used moldable foam to create the pieces and glued a safety pin to them to pin to the skirt and top. It wasn’t the best sculpting work, but it’d have to do. I was definitely too embarrassed to photograph it close up.

I painted the gold trim black since I didn’t want an excess of the gold. It didn’t quite work, but it didn’t not work… It actually looked kinda cool when it caught the light- like a black gold kind of effect. That, or I’m trying too hard to justify what I’ve done.

I could not find any buttons that had the same shape I wanted, so I painted the button covers black and sewed those on without the bottom half of the button covers. I had the same problem with painting the gold trim, that the black paint didn’t stick well (granted, it was cheap acrylic paint). But shhhh….

Post-Con Thoughts:

At con, the glue ended up peeling off of the boots and the foam pieces and things started falling off. (I even lost one without knowing!) The buttons were extremely loose given the shape and how I sewed them on. The ribbons didn’t capture the look I was going for, either. In the future, I'd like to use 3D printed pieces for the embellishments and buttons. I’ve seen others use iron on transfer for the design, but I wanted something with more texture (which is why I chose the type of ribbon in the first place). I would use a different kind of trim in lieu of the ribbon or embroider the design.

This did end up being cheaper than buying it from a costume/cosplay shop, though, and was really fun to try and pattern myself! I definitely learned the importance of not taking any shortcuts and have ideas to plan out my construction a little bit better.