Wondercon- Pocahontas & Ms. Marvel

Finally! At this point, even I was like, "Lauren! Get your shit together and get these pics posted!" But what can I say, I left for Japan a 2 days after this, and then decided to edit pictures from the photoshoot in San Diego, some of my Japan pictures, and Fashion pics. My wondercon pics just fell to the wayside. BUT here they are now. I decided to combine the two days I went, as I did not take that many pictures on either day and felt like one post was enough (especially with this delay).

So, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post I busted out my warrior Pocahontas cosplay again, and still loved it. Except that darn wig. But, I got to meet so many awesome people while wearing this cosplay! I met lostweasleychild, mrleozombie, Italiacosplay, and theofficialariel! The cosplay community is so welcoming and nice. But it also made me realize that I seriously need to improve my cosplay skills, because all the people I met were so amazing.

On the second day, I went as my version of Ms.Marvel, and while I loved my original sketch of this design I think I can improve on it. I think part of the reason was my fabric choice, too shiny, sticking on the tail of the dress haphazardly, and my insistence that I put boning in the bodice of the dress. Sigh, if I had listened to my original instinct I think the dress would have turned out a lot better. But I actually started sketching a new version of this outfit and hope to make it for Long Beach Comic Con (or maybe update my Dee cosplay, she did get a new outfit update in the comics...). During the day, I shot with a few photographers, and have posted a few pics to my instagram (go check it out!). I will say dressing up as Ms. Marvel was super fun because she is such a fun and somewhat goofy character that it allowed me to be a little silly in my pictures. Writing this out, just makes me want to cosplay her again more....

I have decided to take a small break from cosplay, and focus on improving my sewing in-between now and my next con. My next con will be Anime Expo in July where I hope to have another twist on a classic character! Until then, TTFN ta ta for now.

Japan Adventures Day 1

Dress: Forever 21, Jacket: Vintage, Tights: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Thrifted (Dolce Vita), Backpack: Amazon

Finally getting my Japan photos up, took so long because well, I TOOK SO MANY PICTURES! I went through all my pictures and I took about 2500 pictures...over 2 weeks. After going through all of them, I think I will start grouping my days because there are so many pictures. Look forward to that!

So my first day in Japan...was magical and everything I ever wanted. I was surronded by Sakura (cherry blossoms) and my friends and I even stumbled upon a Sakura Matsuri (festival). I was really hoping we would find at least one Matsuri during our trip, and we actually stumbled upon a few! But before that we spent the day wandering Tokyo, trying to get the lay of the land, visiting the Tskuji Fish Market, and the Imperial Palace Garden for some Hanami (Cherry blossom viewing).

Originally, my friends and I thought we would go to the Fish Market at 3am and try and see the auction, but we were way too tired from our flight the previous night to make it. Instead we went at 10am, walked around the market and got to see the last bit of the market before the fisherman started to clean up. Seeing the market when it was "calm" was crazy, everyone was zooming by and little cars were shuttling fish, "calm" has no place at Tskuji. After, we went across the street to get our breakfast of nice and fresh sushi. Or chirashi bowls, which were delicious! The server at the restaurant was so fun and made the wait that much more entertaining (heads up if you decide to go to Tskuji, you will wait about an hour for some of the fresh sushi)! I learned I was switching around some words, and basically saying "hello!" to my food rather than "delicious/yummy". So, that was an amazing experience.

After, we wandered Tokyo a bit (passing cute shops and grand official buildings) we found a cute little coffee shop to help boost our energy. Unfortunately, everything was in Japanese and the owners spoke no English so thank god for real time translate apps! Once we were rejuvenated, we headed to the Imperial Palace Gardens and were greeted by Sakura everywhere! And because there were sakura everywhere, people where everywhere enjoying the Sakura. While you might imagine Hanami as quiet and tranquil appreciation of the blossoms, people are having a jolly time laughing, drinking beer, playing drinking games, and eating under the sakura. It was fun to watch them and totally a new experience!

And as I mentioned after some of our own Hanami viewing, my friends and I stumbled upon a matsuri and took full advantage. My friends and I ate so much food, I thought we would have to roll ourselves out of the place. And let me tell you, that Matsuri was kinda a maze. So many little pathways led to different food stalls and booths, and another pathway to a sitting area and then another pathway for floor seating. It was confusing but oh so fun to see a Matsuri in full bustle! Then another surprise found us at the end of the main path with a temple! The temple was beautiful and large and a great start to the other temples I would see during this trip.

Well, my first day in Japan felt jam packed and only led to many more adventures. Keep an eye out for my next Japan post, I will be sprinkling in regular post between my Japan posts! TTFN, ta ta for now.

Fun Little Hipster Dress

Dress: Boutique in Harajuku, Japan, Shoes: Alloy Apparel, Purse: Ebay (Sailor Moon x Samantha Vega)

When I recently went to Japan (Yes! I went to Japan!) I knew I had to go to Harajuku, the fashion capital of the weird and quirky. And oh did I find the quirky! I loved Harajuku so much, and kinda wish I had actually bought me more... Anyways, when in a cute little shop with my friends I was debating getting a little black dress with lipstick tubes, but then I saw this dress in the same cut but with a much more weird print, so of course I had to have it. My thought process was that, "Get stuff that you can't find in the states" and I definitely don't think I can find this in the states.

And yes, I did get some nachos while eating this dress, and they were delicious. I actually wore this dress out to a brunch outing with my mom, and felt every so comfortable. I wish I had taken a few pictures of the restaurant we went to, but ce la vie. Editing pictures of Wondercon and my Japan trip right now, so hopefully one will be done soon. Until then, TTFN ta ta for now.

Warrior Pocahontas in the Woods

Wow, I am so behind on posts. I took these shots over a month ago in San Diego at a cosplay meetup , and gotta say this was the perfect spot to take Pocahontas photos. Everywhere was so "nature-y" and beautiful that I really felt at home. I just wish it hadn't been such a pain to find parking! The same time this cosplay photoshoot was happening there was also a cherry blossom festival and wedding! So, you can imagine the parking lot situation. I think it took me 30 minutes to just out of the parking lot so I could park across the street from the park. Lesson learned, arrive on time and know your surrondings before arriving.

While taking these photos I met some awesome other cosplayers, and ran into them again at Wondercon (those pictures coming soon).  But it just made me realize the how amazing the way cosplay can bring people together. I probably would never have met these people, but I am so glad I did, and hope to run into them again soon.

So, onto my actual cosplay. My cosplay is based on Sadyna's version of Pocahontas where she is a wild warrior (go check out her other artwork as well). When I first saw her artwork, I knew I had to cosplay it at some point, but was so intimidated because other cosplayers had already done it. Then I realized, I shouldn't be intimidated, and just do it! And I am actually really pleased with how it came out! I was actually so pleased I wore it to the first day of Wondercon, I just wish I could figure out a way to stop my wig from tangling so much (untangling it is a pain, and causes it to shed *tear*). If anyone knows the secret of preventing wigs from tangling, please let me know. :D

I will be taking a break from cosplay until Anime Expo in July, but hope to have a post in between now and then discussing my journeys in cosplay. I would also love to hear from other cosplayers about their journey, so please chime in! I also hope to get back onto a more normal posting schedule now that I am done traveling (can't wait to share my pics from my most recent trip-if you follow me on Instagram you would already know where I went). Until then, TTFN ta ta for now.

Yellow at Vintage Fashion Expo

Dress: Vintage, Shoes: Mix No.6 (DSW), Hat: Vintage, Purse: Kate Spade

I feel like I haven't worn a vintage dress in forever (even though I know I wore one last month), so wearing one this past weekend felt amazing! A little over a year ago I went to the Vintage Fashion Expo, and although I wanted to go again (before this) I had to resist. Because every time I go to one of these, I spend way more than I anticipated. Of course, I always walk out with amazing vintage finds so it's a trade-off. I'm sure I will be wearing one of the pieces I got very soon (Side note: I absolutely love the navy wide brim hat I got! I want to wear it everywhere).

You know what's crazy...Dita von Teese was at this Expo and I didn't get a picture with her!? I was too embarrassed to ask for a picture since she was there for a book signing and I didn't have her book. Sigh, next time I will just throw caution to the wind and get a picture! She was so gorgeous in person.

So, after a few hours of shopping my friend and I ended the day with some nice iced coffee and local artist street festival. It was a wonderful day, now only if my wallet can recover as quickly as my feet (these shoes are not the most comfortable after a few hours)...TTFN ta ta for now.

Obi Korra Nobi at Anime LA

Woohoo! Only one week behind in posting! I got my pictures from Anime LA up in a reasonable amount of time! Pretty awesome!

As I said, these are pics from Anime LA at the end of January. I was looking for a con to go to because I suddenly felt very inspired during December and just had to make this cosplay come to life as soon as possible. And you may ask, where the hell did the idea for this weird mashup come from? Well, after watching the Star Wars The Force Awakens  of course! I loved the whole thing and knew I wanted my next cosplay to involve Star Wars somehow, so I decided to combine one of my favorite kick butt characters with one of the greatest series in the galaxy to create: Obi Korra Nobi. Plus, Korra is trying to bring balance between the human world and spirit world, and in Star Wars the Jedi are all about bringing balance to the Force. So, I made a warrior for both universes, who will bring balance and unity.

I was so proud of this mashup that I even got a little drawing commissioned by one of the artist in Artist Alley (Sebasun - go check out his artwork, it's amazingly cute!). I plan to get it framed soon. Plus I got to go to the Star Wars photo meet up and had a blast talking to fellow Jedi and avoiding the Sith (jk).

And I have to say I was super impressed by this con because almost 40% of attendees were in cosplay! It was amazing to see so many other cosplayers and their creations. I wish I had taken some pics with my fellow cosplayers (I did get one with a group of Avatar The Last Airbender, who were amazing, but wish I had gotten more). And definite shout out to my friend who was so understanding and walked around with me taking a bunch of pictures (I just like to have evidence of all the hard work I put into my creations). And another shout out to my other friend who made my lightsaber (she also made my Maleficent staff, she's just amazeballs).

I am already starting my next cosplays for Wondercon and am already freaking out a little about the amount of work I have to do, but excited at what the final product will be! Until then, TTFN ta ta for now.