Steampunk Yuuko (original design) - XXXholic
Worn April 2010 for the Wellington Cosplay Ball, and again briefly at NZAE in Dunedin.Haha, I am such a terrible model! I'm too used to being on the other side of the camera - I try and boss the photographer around and get all stroppy and blargh...major kudos to Jess and Lucy (the wonderful Moro-chan and Himawari pictured with me) for putting up with me and also taking pictures for me :) I'm embarking on Mission Must Photograph Own Costumes at the moment, so hopefully there'll be a whole lot of actvity on the site soon! This outfit was designed by me based on a pseudo-Victorian riding costume work by Yuuko in an artwork. To steampunk it up a bit, I chose a grey pinstriped suiting with bronze accents, and drew heavily on 1890's fashion plates for inspiration. The jacket was modified from a double-breasted coat pattern, with the flared hem altered by me. The sleeves were poofed out at the shoulder, and the lapels shaped slightly - though they wound up a bit straighter than intended! I had planned for a sharper angle. I LOVE the silhouette of this jacket - it's gorgeous. I don't like the flar at the side seams though - from the front, it gives a really odd shape, which I didn't notice until it was lined and hemmed - and thus, too much effort to alter! The lining is a copper acetate, and the buttons were originally silver. It also has welted pockets which I am extremely proud of! The shirt is nearly identical to Lucy's steampunk Himawari, it just lacks sleeves and the frill at center front. It's a nice smooth polycotton blend, and is lovely to wear - the cravatte is just a piece of dupion silk tied in a (very amateur) knot. The corset pattern was drafted by me, and is boned with spring steel. I've always avoided it in favour of spring steel, but this corset is surprisingly comfortable to wear - or would be, if my normal posture wasn't so bad that being forced upright is damn painful. It is easier to bend in than any of my other corsets, and the boning has held up very well, which is great! It has a busk at the front and 44 eyelets up the back - and yes, it is a HUGE pain to lace. The skirt was made from a five-gored Victorian pattern by Laughing Moon Mercantile - and is sloppy. With everything happening with the Ball prep in the day leading up to the event, I had to finish it as quickly as possible, which unfortunately resulted in a terrible finishing job. I love the back pleating though - the contrast fabric was actually because I ran out of the striped suiting, but I rather like it! Much less accurate, but more steampunky :) The hat was bought, and the ribbon/buckle/feather detailing added by me. Photos by Jess (Moro-chan, blue wig) and Lucy (Himawari, blue kimono). Thank you both so much! Ha, I am such a derp. 
|
| Layout inspired by the F8 Theme for Wordpress - theme by Graphpaperpress.com |