Now talking about what to wear on your torso. There are so many options to consider because this will be completely about what kind of character you're trying to create and the kind of effect you're going for. You don't have to go with the sea shell bra. Technically, you can wear any kind of swimwear or t-shirt or some such. But we can have some fun looking at clever nautical themed outfits to try.
Bikini Tops
I've seen a lot of very creative solutions for a mermaid bikini top from silicone scales to sea creatures to "found objects". Commonly, sea shells such as lion paw clams, starfish, big leafy kelp or fishing net.
Here are a f ew tutorials on how to make a mermaid top out of old bras or how to sew one of your own.
In the previous post , I laid out how to describe different aspects of fabric when trying to find a good fabric for your costume. This post will go over ways to apply those terms and actually pick out a fabric for your costume. I will attempt to teach by examples. 4 Avenues of Research Cheat! I mean...look at other cosplays. You can often find images of photoshoots which make for better references than illustrations. If you are lucky, the costume maker may have posted a journal about how they made their costume or at least list the materials they used. Check for Suggestions in Sewing Patterns Sewing patterns will list suggested fabrics to use for the costume. Pop those terms into a search engine and see the results. Historical, Cultural, or Real Life Examples With a search engine or books, you can find out about how clothes were made back in the day or what materials are used around the world. You can also check the tags on your clothes to see what it's made of. Narrow down to
The bright red hakama with a white kimono is a common sight in both anime and video game characters. Shrine maidens or Miko also wear this combination of colors when they work at Shinto shrines. Honestly, there is a LOT of history and cultural significance wrapped up in this one. Anime/Games: Inuyasha, Genshin Impact, Sailor Moon, So let's talk Design. Design Considerations Cultural Significance This is one I'd pay attention to if I was creating a character of my own. I assume that already created characters have had this research done and have taken their artistic license. Some of the research taught me a few things: The color is technically scarlet or vermillion, not "red". 🤷 Miko are not part of the Shinto clergy. Sometimes they are just seasonal workers. Generally, Miko are young women in their teens or early 20s. After a certain age, they wear different colors. This was based on Heian nobility colors and fashions. Color Like I said earlier, the color is ve
Part of designing costumes is finding a way to pick from many solutions. Limiting these choices can be the art of design. I have some of my own "Guiding Principles" or Design Principles when it comes to costume design. Some of these constraints are based on non-mutable factors. (Or currently difficult to change.) The fun ones are a bit on the arbitrary side. These are self-imposed limitations for the costume that as a designer I decide to apply to any given costume. The point of these principles is to help you make a final decision if you are paralyzed by many choices. I may get hung up on some pretty silly things, so at the very least, this helps me move forward and kind of imply that I had a plan all along. Immutable Design Principles We might run into some touchy subjects here but whatever, here we go! Immutable principles are either constraints your life situation has you in at any given time or core beliefs about what you wear. This can mean things like religious beli
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