Sunday was a little more relaxed, with us spending time in the exhibit hall or just hanging out, and one last panel for Chris, on 3D filmmaking. We ran in to several friends who just came for Family Fun Day.
This was also my steampunk day. I chose the shorter day because wearing a corset all day is not fun. I completed my outfit early on in the hall with the purchase of the overskirt and a map holder. I'm quite pleased with the results. I received a lot of compliments on my costume, including one from a self-professed history geek, who delighted in my very Victorian (other than the corset as outerwear) costume. That pleased me because I built it from the Victorian base and then steampunked it, rather than the other way around.
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| Sunday was Steampunk day for me |
I was delighted to see some Battlestar Galactica cosplay. Starbuck and Apollo, perhaps? A few years ago I had BSG and Firefly on my Bingo card and didn't see any cosplayers. This year, I found both.
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| Yep, Battlestar Galactica pilots |
There was something interesting I noticed this year. A lot of attention has been spent on women who cosplay, and the number of sexy outfits. My thought on that is that if you want to feel sexy, if you have the confidence, go ahead. But I don't, so I have more conservative cosplay. Sure I'll wear a corset, but it has a shirt underneath.
Now, what I really noticed this year, perhaps because I was paying attention, was that, while the 'sexy' cosplay got plenty of attention, there was a lot of admiration for the 'non-sexy'* cosplay. Even from men. Which is only worth remarking on because there has been so much attention paid to the more lascivious attention. So, I'm just putting this out there: good cosplay is good cosplay. Men who enjoy seeing the costumes, men who aren't just looking for half-naked women, are out there. They are there admiring the hard work and creativity. And they aren't getting enough credit. Some of them are cosplaying as well.
I like dressing up. It's fun. Sometimes Chris joins me (this year he was just too busy so he didn't). I love seeing what costumes other people wear.
And a final note on cosplay: If you like the idea but find it intimidating, here's an easy costume just about anyone can put together. Wear a bathrobe and carry a towel. Viola! You're Arthur Dent from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. There are plenty of easy costumes. They don't have to be handmade (my steampunk outfit is all purchased). They don't have to be expensive (mine usually are, despite my best intentions). The point is to have fun.
* By non-sexy, I don't mean to say that a costume isn't sexy, just that it isn't overtly sexy.
I loved that people appreciated my "innocent" version of Elizabeth from "BioShock: Infinite". There were at least two other Elizabeths on Saturday in the corseted, mature version, and as beautiful as that outfit is, I just didn't feel like wearing a corset all day. Plus, I wanted to construct as much as my costume as possible. I've never made a corset before, although I have a pattern. Too intimidating for now. A blouse from a pattern however, and a pleated skirt from a muslin (after much trial and error) was more than enough work and fun for me!
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