Seeing all the elaborate costumes at Comic Con got you excited about going to the next one in costume, but where do you start? Here's a guide on how to get started on your first costume.
Choose a character you love
Cosplay is about coming together to celebrate different characters and different universes. Your passion for that character will shine through even if your costume isn't the most elaborate. Just have fun with
Ways to get your cosplay costume
There is a costume for every budget and every skill level. Scroll through the list below and you might find you already own the basics for your cosplay.
Start in your closet
Go through your closet and see if you can find any items to act as the base layer for your costume. Got a green skirt for Kagome from Inuyasha? Blue skirt for Sailor moon? What about a blue shirt for Ash from Pokemon?
I wanted to do princess Serenity and had a simple white empire dress that could act as the base. It wasn't perfect by any means but I could do a way better job gluing pearl trims and adding an extra layer of chiffon than I could sew a zipper or reading a pattern to sew the dress from scratch.
When you are starting out, don't worry about perfection, but rather focus on recognition. Would people recognize who your character was if you were in costume? If the answer is yes, then you are golden
Go thrifting
If you can't find a good base layer from your closet, checking out your local thrift store is a great way to get a cosplay costume for cheap and support the local charitable cause.
Premade cosplay costumes
If you really don't have time or don't want to do any kind of crafting yourself, going the premade option is always a possibility. Some cosplayer favorite sources to check out include:
- Amazon/Ebay: large selection for costumes and wigs though tough to find anything more niche
- Aliexpress: affordable option
- Etsy: higher price point, more handmade and niche options available
- DokiDoki Cosplay: Cosplay specific website for factory made costumes with decent selection
- Uwowo: Similar to Dokidoki although the selection is even smaller. They do more wigs than costumes it seems
Secondhand or used cosplay
An options that requires a lot of patience and advanced planning is trying to find something secondhand. Check out your local cosplay groups or cosplay resales groups on Facebook or market place listings to see if anything fit your needs.
The pro of this option is you can get inspiration from past cosplayers, a high quality costume or commissioned piece for a fraction of the price, and support other cosplayers.
The con though is you really need to plan and think ahead and maybe even have a few characters you'd be open to cosplaying since finding the cosplay you want, in your size, by the time you need it can feel like checking coffee meets bagel everyday for matches so you can take them to church in 2 months... not easy and requires a lot of luck to say the least
Custom Commission
Finally, if you truly love a character and want a high quality costume, it might be good to invest in a custom costume or prop commission.
A commission is a unique piece of art that is designed, crafted and made to your precise measurements and based on your imagination.
Getting a commission is an experience and finding the right maker given your needs, budget, location will be key to a good outcome.
Check out commissioner profiles on Coscove to get a quick snapshot. Stay tuned for more posts on how to prepare for a commission and what to look for in a commission, and how to estimate the rough cost of a commission
Check out our most recent costumes buy&sell event at Wicked Comic Con Boston!
Mengshu is a co-founder of Coscove. Growing up in Canada, Mengshu loved theatre, dance, and all things photography. She did photoshoots in costume before even learning what cosplay was! Find her on Coscove: coscove.com/mengshus
