What Commissions Are … and Aren’t

uncommoncostuming Community, Cosplay, Ethics, Fashion, Sewing

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 – …

The Problem with “Sexy” Costumes

uncommoncostuming Community, Conventions, Cosplay, Ethics

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 …