Alfina - Grandia III
Complete
| Although Grandia 3 isn't out in the UK, I'm a big fan of the previous games and the series simply doesn't get enough cosplay love, so I decided on cosplaying Alfina long before AmeCon (no pressure from friends at all) The wig was bought from Wildcat Wigs on ebay. I had to cut in the fringe and short pieces at the front, and I parted it at the back just by carefully zigzagging. I got away with it with low ponytails. The ornament thingies are stupidly awkward for something that looks so simple; they took a lot of experimentation with paper shapes to plan out. They safety pin into the wig mesh so they’re easily removable. I got the latex ears from Hightower Crafts. The top is lined and has plastic boning. It was difficult to fit correctly with the low back, but I’m pleased with the results. In the references the back just laces up, but I put in grommets since it seemed better than just punching holes in the fabric. I had a lot of trouble getting the bias tape neat, particularly around the cutouts, so I hand stitched a lot . For the design on the front, I didn’t like how plain black looked, so I chose a purple/black taffeta instead. It appears purplish in some screenshots, so I think it was a good alternative to black. I also covered a strapless bra in the same fabric as the leggings for the bit showing at the back. The shorts were the main challenge since I was determined to have them stick out. I can’t sit down nor even bend over whilst wearing them, but they are accurate! There’s wire encased in the side seams and in channels at the front and back. The lines in the artwork are maybe meant to be creases, but making them seams made it much easier for me, and they’re more prominent too. The wire pieces are all anchored at the waist with duct tape, which was covered by the waistband. The green design at the back is topstitched on, and has the same blue bias tape surrounding it. The leggings are a dark purple stretch fabric which went well with the taffeta I used on the top. It was a bit of extra work dealing with two layers at once since I had to line them in order to do the cutouts and zigzag hem. My boots began as a normal knee high pair which I cut up. Because of the cutouts, I painted the interior instead of lining it. It had to match the exterior colour somehow, since it shows a little inside the petals. The gold detail is all craft foam glued on. For the gloves I chose a suedette to match the colour of the boots. They were awkward to design due to the cutouts. I couldn’t see a neat way to do deal with the raw edges, so I simply used a small zigzag stitch. There’s foam inside to support the petals and have them stick out slightly. The belt is foam carefully cut out and glued on to a normal belt, with the detail pressed in before painting. I couldn’t find any stones or gems I liked, and my attempts at making or adapting some failed, so I ended up painting circular stickers and gluing them on! The bag was built around a cardboard box which was the right size – it’s sandwiched between the lining and outer fabrics. I used leather from the boots I cut up and green felt for the detail, both ideal as they don’t fray. The kitty keyring is sculpted from air-drying clay. The bag has loops at the back which allow it to be suspended from the belt. It conveniently hides where the belt fastens too. Mana kindly let me borrow her staff for the masquerade. I didn't want to think about making my own one because I was flying to the convention. Even fitting a collapsible staff in my suitcase safely wouldn't have been fun... As it turned out, UK airports went into chaos the day before I flew out (that liquid business), and hand luggage was banned. So with the extra hassle of getting my hand luggage into my case at the last minute, I'm very glad I didn't also have a staff taking up half the space already! |
i love this costume! excellent work ^_^
wow this cosplay is sooo cool *.* and it suits you perfect^^
How come I missed this during 2006's Amecon? Lovely cosplay and especial the design on the staff. ^^b
Love it. You look great.