Costume Critique: Kawaii-Kon 2015 Masquerade

SURPRISE! Not an anime show! but still anime related. Sister Dooley suggested I did a critique of the cosplay show and for my last review I think that it is an excellent idea. The official title is in the title above, and there is no designer for this. Most outfits are pre-designed by authors, and artists, and animators, ect, so the people are just modeling work they transformed from 2D to 3D.

 5) There were lots of great cosplay this year and it surprised me that I took the Master title. Comparatively, this was the smallest and shortest competition I've been in. Texas and Spokane had A LOT more competitors and took longer. Despite that, most of the cosplays I really enjoyed and awed at. Luckily, I've narrowed it down to my top 3 (aside from myself)

The first group are the Sailor Scouts from Sailor Moon, but with a little twist

The reason why I love this group is because they take an original, overdone idea and make it their own. Below is artwork of the show's original character design. They designed and created their own armor to add onto the regular uniform

Not to mention that I was right next to them in line so I got an up-close look at the armor. I love the craftsmanship and colors of it all. The only critique i have is that the belt on the blue one is falling off. I informed her of this backstage and she fixed it, but it must have slid off again with the waiting and walking. Lots of things could be the cause of it though. I understand the rush of the con and maybe whatever that was holding the armor up wasn't fitted to her body as well as the others

The second on is Raven from Teens Titans. Ah, nostalgia. A favorite childhood show with one of my favorite characters. I didn't get to see this one up close, but she looks good in this picture! The shape of her suit fits her really well, but not too tightly, her wig looks great, and her belt looks well-done. Her cape could have been a bit fuller, but making a large cape takes lots of fabric.

I have no idea what this is from, but i love it! I'll just leave this here.... Those tails.... <3 to die for

6. Sadly, there was one group that was not on my top favorite list... It was a Batman group but with a steampunk interpretation. I think?

 If I'm completely honest, this looks like a closet cosplay meaning that they just dug everything theyre wearing out of their closet and slapped some makeup on. However, to enter, one's cosplay has to be handmade or bought and modified about 70% (if i remember correctly). I wasn't there at their interview so I don't know how they actually pieced everything together. Aside from that,the only two recognizable characters are harely quin and the joker, but I have no idea about the other two. Poison Ivy and...? I have no clue. Just look like ordinary clothes and some crazy makeup (not even any wigs!). I may just be picky, but I can't help but be "meh" about this cosplay

Costume Critique--Kai Langer on Ellen Degeneres

There are a couple of YouTube videos of an adorable Bruno Mars fan who comes on the Ellen Show and sings. He is a toddler, and he has some impeccable style for such a little kid. Ellen looks pretty good, too. Professional-looking menswear style. But this little kid looks pretty dope! And the fedora, he always has one, and the button up shirt and the vest--for some reason it is so cute to see little kids look like well-dressed adults. When my friend showed my one of the videos I thought it was so cute I nearly died, and then when I got home I looked up the rest of them and decided that it was worthy of a blog post.

 For designer...I am not certain but I am gonna say his mom dresses him. Is it right for the production?--absolutely!! Just look at him! The style is great for being on the show, and it seems like he is getting inspiration from his favorite singer, Bruno Mars. The clothes make him look cool and classy, while his personality makes him seem sweet and adorable. It's a pretty perfect mix. There is not a single out fit he wears that I don't like. I will remember this for someday when I have a little boy and will make him look as cute as this.



If you haven't seen the videos, I would suggest checking this one out--it is my favorite.

He got his first moment of fame from a video that his parents posted of him singing that went viral, and then the people on Ellen contacted them and invited Kai to come sing. Pretty cool!

He looks cute and very professional. And I just have to say that for a 4-5 year old kid he has a heck of a lot of confidence to be comfortable performing in front of such a large group of people, several times.

He actually got to sing with Bruno Mars, too. And it was very cool for them to work  it out that he would get to meet him. It really meant a lot to this little kid. And the outfit he wears when he sings with him is my favorite. He's a cool, well-dressed little kid.

 This is my favorite outfit of his because it is the most relaxed looking. He looks more casual in this--it's the denim jacket, I think--but still has that flair with his trademark fedora.

Costume Critique: Bleach

Bleach Costume Critique

Another anime! Surprised? Probably not. This is what I mostly watch *shrug*. This is an old time favorite of mine that I started waaaay back in high school, and I started it from the beginning again recently and totally loving every minute of it. The original character design of Bleach is done by the author Tite Kubo

4) There are four main characters which are a different species from the other main characters and they certainly stand out, but overall, there aren't any differences between major and minor characters. Same black uniforms. The only factor that makes major characters stand out from minor is the hair and accessories worn by them. Most unimportant characters have dull hair colors (black and brown) and simple hairstyles. The more important characters will have flashier hair, scarves, accessories, tattoos, ect, ect. Aside from the characters in the black uniforms (the humans), the unimportant background human characters (when you actually see them) are very similar. Cut and paste hair styles and clothes. Sometimes even the faces aren’t completely designed/defined.

(traditional soul reaper uniform)

5) The challenge of any anime with a wide variety of characters is deciding which one is your favorite. For the most part, every character is dressed in the same uniform: black, traditional Japanese Shihakusho. Therefore, most of them don’t stand out or aren't anything special. It’s not until the third season that some variety enters with some new villains! The main theme of the villain’s Shihakusho is inversed of the soul reapers: the main color is white with black sashes and trims and very diverse and unique to each character.

(A few examples)

Lauren Hadley, Costume Critique

A recently popular TV show I have been avoiding as long as I could, The Walking Dead, has been introduced into my family. I now find myself glued to the TV whenever it is on. The Walking Dead is about human survivors living during a Zombie Apocalypse and if you are queasy at the sight of blood, do not watch the show. 

Eulyn Womble is the current costume designer for the show. Before she was the lead designer on the show, she worked as a set designer and then worked her way into the costume design for the show. Womble “deploys a psychologically driven arsenal of color, style, texture, and accessorizing to subliminally enhance plot and character development. If she does her job right, you don’t notice it. You feel it.” Through her deigns, she engages with the characters, “she draws inspiration from the personalities, personal styles, and backgrounds of the actors, her costumes help inform acting choices.”

One would think that during a Zombie Apocalypse, you would not worry about what to wear. However, when it comes to Zombies, or Walkers, potentially biting and attacking you, you want to wear clothes with can move naturally with the body as you run, and boots to protect your ankles from being bit. Womble said, “The characters do a lot of walking and action. Also, the boots are comfortable but they can be used as a weapon. We do not want a walker to grab onto a skirt or something…the characters have to be stealth like ninjas so they can’t get caught on anything.” Another piece of clothing which is essential to every human character on the show, is a belt which can hold weapons. Even if a shirt is ripped and used as a belt, a knife could be tied to it.  She also wanted to add a sexy twist as characters develop in later seasons. She believes there is something sexy about being dirty and sweaty.

As for the Walkers, dressing them came easy to her because she knew what poor and tattered looked like, from her upbringing in Cape Town, South Africa.  Womble first thought of what the Zombies looked like before they died, and how long they might have been dead. Before every Zombie went on screen, Womble examined their costume. She wanted to portray the Zombies as realistic as possible because she wants them to come across as believable when seen by an audience.

The biggest challenge she has come across while designing costumes for characters on the show is to create multiple of them when someone has a death scene. She designed unique, custom-made jacket worn by the Governor, and then she found out he was going to die and had to make five more. 

I can't say I love or hate any of the costumes worn by characters. But I do enjoy and love how unique, and detailed every costume is. Womble's talent can be seen through the costumes of the show, from the Walkers to the Survivors. 

Lauren Hadley, Costume Critique

A production I saw when I was younger and fell in love with is Wicked. If anyone has not seen the musical, I highly suggest to do so because you will not be disappointed. Not only is Wicked known for its music and lyrics, it is also known for its beautiful, colorful and innovative costume designs.

Susan Hilferty, is the creative brains behind the costumes of all the characters on Wicked. Hilferty takes pride in designing and creating costumes which faithfully represent each character she works with. She has also designed costumes for the productions: Dirty Blonde (2000), Into the Woods (2002), Annie (2012) and much more.  For her work on Wicked alone, Hilferty has won three awards: a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Critics Circle Award.

There are over 200 costumes, and accessories which were created through the imagination of Hilferty. Not only was Hilferty the lead designer for all of the costumes of Wicked, she also personally tailors each costume to each character. All of the award-winning costumes of Wicked, play a huge part in representing the productions themes to the audience. She has said that a lot of her inspiration for the costumes came from Dr. Seuss, especially the costumes of Emerald City. For Wicked, “She created a style called “twisted Edwardian” which is Edwardian-era suits and dresses with asymmetry and literal “twists” in them.”

One of the biggest challenges Hilferty faced while designing the costumes for the two main characters, Glinda and Elphaba, was to distinguish them as good and as evil. In a recent interview, when asked about the costumes for Shiz University, Hilferty stated: “When I was trying to figure out what the school colors would be, I moved Elphaba to be all blue so she was always the darkest person at school and Glinda to be all white so she was always the lightest person in the school and everybody in the middle was a mix. But Elphaba and Glinda always stood out.” Additionally, Hilferty was inspired by natural sources to convey the good of Glinda and the evil of Elphaba. For Glinda’s costumes, she was inspired by “the sky, light, starts, and rainbows.” Whereas for Elphaba’s costumes, inspiration came from the earth. “[Elphaba’s] dress isn’t black, it has many colors in it—the same way that mica or coal or jewels, when you think of mining into the earth, so that’s why the dress is designed to feel like it’s planted or coming out of the earth.”

My favorite costume from the play would definitely be Glinda’s dress in Act II. Initially, I would describe Glinda’s dress as very Cinderella-y. For inspiration for this dress, Hilferty turned to young girl, whom she asked, “What do you think Goodness looks like?” The girls responded with the ideas of goodness as a Princess and a Bride.  The gown which represents lightness, air, and bubbles, was created to appear like every girls fantasy of a princess. Hilferty explains that over 25 different kinds of sequins were used for Glinda’s gown. 

Costume Critique: The Producers

Aside from The Phantom of the Opera, this is another one of my favorite musicals! Since this is a musical adaptation by Mel Brooks, it is hilarious borderline offensive and inappropriate. William Ivey Long is the costume designer (I was actually able to find it) and he is also known for Annie Get Your Gun and Big Fish (musical version only I believe)

5. Since this movie/musical is set in 1959, the costumes are more realistic than anything. So normally they wouldn't stand out, but  this is Mel Brooks! His movies are anything BUT mundane. My favorite scene in the movie is so hilarious and wonderful and full of bright costumes. But there is one. That stands out from the rest. This character is a director and he enters a Director's Costume contest and and in his words "I'm suppose to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia! But I look more like the Chrysler building!". I love this dress for a couple of reasons. 

     1. The grand entrance he does with it is hilarious!

     2.The details and sequence on it! I imagine all of those had to be done by hand and took... I don't even want to think about how long it took

     3. That hat. I don't know what or how, but it's beautifully made and constructed.

3.  Every character is well represented by their clothes! You have the two main characters in their business suits, Will Ferrell in a German uniform which matches his character, the flamboyant director and his assistant always well dressed, and every background character fitting the time period. There is one character though that I'm questioning a bit. Uma Thurman's character is an immigrant from Sweden, but that's all we hear about her background. She is a very well-dressed, beautiful.  and kind of empty-headed woman who came to America to try and make it as an actress and she seems to be FOB (fresh off the boat), so why is she so well dressed? Unless she came from a wealthy family and had nothing else better to do, I'm not entirely convinced if her costume fits her current place and level in life. But, this is all speculation since it's never mentioned how long she's been in the states, if she's had other acting jobs, or her family's or person financial situation

Costume Critique: Legally Blonde

Elle arriving at Harvard

Movie cover

More sleazy Warner

This past Friday, I decided to watch Legally Blonde with my roommate and her two friends. I, personally, love this movie because it's really funny. I also enjoy the really dated costuming and California girl references.

The woman responsible for the costume design of the movie (not the Broadway musical)is Sophie de Rakoff.  Sophie de Rakoff was born in June of 1969 in London. She is mostly known for Legally Blonde (2001), This Means War (2012), and Sweet Home Alabama (2002). She seems to work with Reese Witherspoon mostly, seeing in how Reese was in all three of these movies.

Sophie de Rakoff

I want to talk about three characters in Legally Blonde. These characters are Elle, Warner, and Paulette. Firstly, let's talk about Elle. Elle is one of my favorite chick flick characters of all time because she's a hilarious mixture what the United States sees as "California." She speaks with the stereotypical California valley girl accent, she's a "Gemini vegetarian," she's an animal rights activist, and she even looks like LA, bright and shiny. Rakoff did a great job of displaying stereotypes. When you look at how Elle dresses, she dresses in pink a lot. It's her "signature color." She stands out at Harvard. That's the point. She wears a lot of bold colors and fabrics while everyone else on the east coasts is wearing boring sweaters and colors.

Warner and his sleaziness

Paulette 

Next, I want to talk about Warner. Warner is the jerkiest jerk ever. He's shallow and spoiled and selfish. I feel that it was really important to dress him appropriately when he was introduced as a character. He's sleazy. Handsome, but sleazy. When he was introduced, he was wearing a tie-less suit. A shiny blazer with broad shoulders. His hair was slick, and he was chewing gum obnoxiously. Not to mention, he was wearing sunglasses at night. Who does that?! Ugh. I feel like it was a California twist on the boring east coast. Shiny, yet still grey and dull. It did a good job of showing that he had his fun with Elle in California, but that he's going back to the East Coast to go to Harvard.

Now, I want to talk about Paulette. Paulette is a funny character who is older, who dropped out of school, and does nails at a nail salon. I feel like her outfits reflect that really well.  She's wearing stylish 80's clothing (probably what she would have worn as a teenager in the 80's). She just looks like an aged teenager with glamour and love in her eyes. She's kind of like the 13 year old in 13 going on thirty, but a lot older. She's usually in pastel-like unthreatening colors as well. It reflects her passive personality well.

My favorite costumes would have to be Elle's. She's so bold and out there and it cracks me up to see what she wears. Her clothes are really dated and pink. It reflects her colorful and bubbly personality well. When her clothing changes (as an intern) it shows how she was trying to change temporarily. But then in the end, she brought pink to law.

Costume Critique: Hetalia

The show I am critiquing ins (another one of my favorites) Hetalia. This show is originally created by Himaruya and the whole show is about characters who represent countries with generalized and stereotyped personalities and behaviors, so what happens in te show is based on history and the interactions between the different characters

2) Since this is a show based on history, it would stand to reason that the character's clothes are period appropiate. Most of the events that take place in the show are around WWII or the 1940's, and Hima really does his homework not only about historical facts and events, but also fashion.

 Here is a wonderful example of this. Up above is none other than the Country of Love, France. He is sporting a rather bright and colorful military uniform that England often teases him about. Believe it or not, that was the uniform of the French army through WWI and part of WWII (see below). It is a long standing joke in the show that France is very flashy in his dress, especially his uniform which makes him easily spotted in battle and attacked (also historically accurate).

Another example with 'MURICA

5. My favorite? In the show, nothing really stands out to me. They are basically in their uniforms or just ordinary clothes. Yes, some of them look cool, but nothing i would completely fawn over and want (other than russia's coat because he's my favorite and i love him! I would sleep in his coat....) Hima has done some wonderful artwork of the different countries in traditional, royal attire, but it isn't exactly in the show so I'm not sure if it counts. I could go on and on about Hima's artwork and also fan artwork and the outfits in those!
I'll just sneak in a couple of artwork pictures....

 (Japan left, Taiwan right. Fan art)

 (Russia in Royal clothing. Official Hima artwork)

(Vietnam in a depiction of the Vietnam War. Fan art)

(France and Joan of Arc *holding back tears*. Fan art)

Lauren Hadley, Costume Critique

A show which is extremely popular in my household and brings many laughs, is The Office. When one thinks of the wardrobe worn by the characters of The Office, Plain Jane is a good term to use. There have been a couple of difference costume designers for The Office, but the one I am focusing on for this critique is Carey Bennett. She worked as the costume designer on The Office from 2005-2006, on a total of 35 episodes. One of her most known work was done on the TV show, Scrubs, which she worked from 2001-2010. As I was doing my research on Carey Bennett, I was surprised to discover that she also did some costume designing for The Muppets. That must have been a fun job!

If you did not already know, The Office is based off of a British show, also called the Office. Before Bennett began designing the wardrobe for the characters, she wanted to research and study the British version first. From her observations of the British version, she was inspired a little but did not want to be too influenced. She was also extremely nervous because she had not had must experience working in an actual office. She had the opportunity to visit a real paper company called, Economy Paper, for further inspiration. She and the directors loved what they saw. Even the actual set was heavily based off of a real paper company. The last place Bennett went for inspiration as she began designing was to real life people walking the streets. She was fascinated to realize people “don’t wear outfits,” instead people wore very unexpected and personal clothing. She wanted this to be the main focus for the characters on the show. 

 Although Bennett wanted a very real, casual, and personal look for the characters, you would be surprised how much work and attention to detail was put into each piece of clothing. One of my favorite characters, and whose clothing choices I enjoy is Jon Krasinski, who plays Jim Halpert. In an article, Costumes of The Office, written by Elizabeth Chou, it stated regarding Jim Halpert’s character, “His clothes reflect the character’s apathy toward the corporate world. The story behind the look is that he probably dug his clothes out of his father’s closet, Bennett says. Jim’s clothes are shapeless and don’t fit him very well, and the wool ties date back to the 1970s. Since dad’s clothes are no longer the rage, Bennett had to look everywhere to maintain a steady supply of wool ties. She says she sometimes kicks herself for setting up her characters with costumes that are so hard to keep in stock.” 

What I like most about all the characters costumes on the show is that they are very realistic and definitely relate-able. Although some may say that Bennett did not do much as a costume designer on the show because it didn't consist of much fashion, I think she did a wonderful job at portraying each individual characters personalities and roles at The Office.

Costume Critique :Kami-Sama Kiss

I just started the second season (that has been coming out finally!). I love this show soooo much. As normal, this started out as a book so the original designer of everything is the author/artist Juilietta Suzuki.

This series is based on modern day Japan but it also mixes traditional Japanese mythology into it. Nanami is a regular high school girl but was abandoned by her father who owned a large debt because of his gambling addiction so she was kicked out of her house. She meets a man in the park who is up in a tree evading a little pup barking at him. Nanami merely tells the dog to go away and in short, the man kisses her forehead telling her she has a new home. She later finds out that he was the land God of the region and he passed his Godhood onto her, making her the new God of the land.
Even though she is a God, she still attends high school and wears her usually school uniform.  You rarely see her in formal attire, one of those times is when she purified and blessed the land with a dance at an annual festival.
Along with the modern clothes, it also has that spice of feudal Japan because of her servants which are spirits which leads into my favorite costume modeled by Tomoe

He is a fox spirit that usually wears a traditional Japanese outfit of some kind unless he's going to school with Nanami. I just love traditional Japanese clothes and the elegance to it. Tomoe's clothes change of course; his Kimonos are never the same but he does have one he usually fights in.
If you love romantic-comedies and traditional Japanese mythology and clothes: this is the show for you ;D