Commissioning a costume can be overwhelming. I’m here to tell you what to expect when buying bespoke clothing. Uncommon Costuming is a commission-based business, meaning people come to me saying, “I’d like to have this costume/article of clothing/giant dice bag/etc. made. Could you make it for me?” and then, often, I do, and they pay me for it. Like most commissioners (possibly all), managing the client’s expectations is a big part of the job. No commissioner worth their pins wants to create shoddy work, waste their time, or not get paid, just like no client wants to wear shoddy work, waste their time, or overpay. In order for everyone to come out of the deal happy, it’s important to understand going into it what all is involved with a commissioned item. [Note: for the purposes of this post, let’s say we’re commissioning a costume, but it could be anything – …
How To: C2E2
“How To” is a series on tips and tricks for attending conventions all over the country. If you have a tip for us or a convention you’d like to see covered, please comment below! From its inception in 2010, the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) quickly became one of the top tier geeky events in the country. Held in April (usually), it’s well worth risking the dodgy Chicago spring weather for the panel discussions, celebrity photo ops, massive vendor floor, and of course, epic cosplay viewing. The next C2E2 will take place April 6-8, 2018 in the South Building at McCormick Place (2301 S. Lake Shore Drive). For convention information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.c2e2.com/. Getting to Chicago Chicago is a hub for any number of airlines, trains, and interstates, so you have plenty of options for getting into the city. I’ll leave the googling of various options …
The Problem with “Sexy” Costumes
I wish we lived in a world in which people could – weather conditions aside – wear whatever they want with no worse consequences than the occasional sunburn (no, but seriously, wear sunblock!). Wearing a mini-skirt past age 40/over 200 lbs.? Have at it – you look fab! Wearing clothing traditionally assigned to another gender? Rock on, have fun! Covered from head to toe? Do it! Walking down the street naked? Just watch for broken glass! I wish we could all get over our prejudices enough that people could do what felt right without being harassed or criticized, or contributing to negative stereotypes. Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world full of subtle and nuanced biases that affect our perceptions of others. This is where I have some reservations about “sexy” costumes. Much of this post applies to “sexy” costumes in general, but I’m referring specifically to costumes of the …
Creating Better Convention Photos
Know Your Tools I assume professional and hobbyist photographers already know how to use their cameras, but if you only bust out that DSLR a couple times a year, or if you’re using your phone’s camera, check out all the features it has available before the convention so that you’re ready at a moment’s notice. The minimum features you should know: Turning the camera on quickly: most phones have a quick-swipe in the lower right-hand corner of the lock screen; this is critical, as you don’t want to stop someone for a photo just to waste time opening the camera! Focusing: usually just a tap of the screen on the focal point Flash: know how to adjust this for different lighting conditions; bright flash can make photos look washed out, so it may be best just to turn it off Actually taking a picture: no joke; I’ve seen it happen …
Why We Cosplay
I think some people are drawn to costumes, often from an early age – Halloween is our gateway drug to cosplay. But for all the people who really don’t care about this year’s obligatory Halloween costume, seeing people – ADULTS – spending time and money to create costumes year round probably looks like some sort of cult. And I fully understand that “It’s fun!” really doesn’t cut it as an explanation. I mean, why would that be fun?! Why do people cosplay?! Too often, I see lists of “Why We …” as a sort of defense against those who would criticize. I don’t believe we need to justify to others why we do the things we love. Instead, I’d like to offer, for those who are baffled by this hobby, as complete an explanation as I can, and for those who looooove cosplay, a celebration of why we do what …