First post in a long time, and what a post it is! I finally got to do what I have always wanted and cosplay Kiki, one of my favorite characters of all time (and favorite Studio Ghibli character).
Before I get into how I made the cosplay and why I chose to do my own twist on Kiki, I want to talk about what a big deal it was for me to choose Kiki as a cosplay. Yes, Kiki is one of my favorite characters but she is also very light-skinned and I...definitely am not. With all the hate you see online towards dark skinned cosplayers who cosplay light-skinned characters, I was nervous about the reaction I would get. But Oh! I was so pleasantly surprised. The people I met at LA Comic Con, and others online have been so positive! I got so many compliments on my cosplay, and people enjoyed by interpretation of Kiki! The cosplay community is full of so much love and support. I love it so.
OK, onto my actual cosplay. As you know, I always like to put a spin on my cosplay, so of course, I had to put a spin on my favorite character Kiki. When I was breaking it down, I knew that Kiki had to be a Mage or Sorceress of some type (had to keep to her character's roots), but I also wanted her to still be cute. So I combined several elements of what a typical mage/sorceress is to create my version. I also knew that I wanted Kiki to have a huge staff. But I didn't just want Kiki to just have a broom, so I created a hybrid. My staff represented the cage that Kiki was transporting when she fell into the forest while being chased by crows. The branches wrapped around the cage, represent the forest, and my belt has the crow and star motif (from the art piece created by Ursula). On top of this, I put the motif of Gigi (smack dab in the middle) and the bakery onto the side of my choker (unfortunately you can't see it in any of my pictures, check Instagram where I will post one soon). I really wanted to echo parts of the film in my cosplay.
The actual construction of this things happened quickly like three weeks. I will do a quick run down of my cosplay: underskirts consists of a huge double circle skirt with horsehair braid (10yds of hem), the over skirt has a 5yd hem (had to draft it twice before cutting), and each sleeve has at least (1yd hem). Phew! And my staff is a sanded and shaved PVC pipe, with the cage and branches made of worbla.
So, now I can finally talk about my day at Stan Lee's LA Comic Con (aka Comikaze). I actually really enjoyed this con (getting there was a nightmare, come on LA, don't hold three events within two blocks in one day!). The con was great because I got to catch up with so many cosplayers and fellow geeks that I know. I was able to shoot with one of my fav photographers, took a bunch of pictures, and had a great time with my friend. I hope everyone else who went to LA Comic Con had a great time as well! I'm so excited for my next cosplay and am overwhelmed by the love in the cosplay community! TTFN, ta ta for now.
