Costume accuracy in sets

[Administrator]

When looking at a set does costume accuracy make or break the set for you?

[Vicious]

Just wanted to let you know it's not working on the front page. It says something about being invalid and then re-directs you here.

Anyways, costume accuracy is one of the most important things IMO. If you don't have all aspects of the character down, what is the point? We aren't just another site that shows girls modeling nude, we are a COSPLAY site. People pay to see hot chicks/guys portray their favorite characters in the sexiest ways imaginable. We as models owe it to them to do it correctly. If a character has short blonde hair but you have long brown hair, get a wig and style it accordingly. If a character wears brown knee-high boots but you already have black ones laying around, too bad, paint the ones you have, make boot covers, or buy new ones for your cosplay. I may sound harsh here but it's the truth!

[Ruby Renoir]

For me, it's all about branding and quality workmanship. I'm going to maybe make some enemies here, but I am a STICKLER for quality. I'd rather see something creatively reinterpreted but using all the character's distinguishing marks than a shoddily made piece copying the original design. Here, case in point:
THIS is an awesome reinterpretation of Chun-Li:

THIS is a shit-tastic Party City approximation that looks almost exactly like the original costume:

Which would you rather see?
So, I think what's important to me is not photo-accuracy per se, but making sure the workmanship is good and the character's identifying marks are honored well. As Vicious said, black boots will not do if the character's are brown. Color is very important. Line is important. But some characters can have more than one look. To be Emma Frost, you need blonde hair (or wig) and a kickass body. Beyond that, if the lines are clean, the coverage scant, and the color white, you're in pretty good shape.

Here at CD, the whole point is for the character to be instantly recognizable, and still faithful to the original all the way to the skin. Stylization and creative reinterpretation are secondary or even unnecessary in this context, even if they can be appreciated. Certainly anything that strikes the viewer as just plain WRONG for a character is completely unacceptable, even if it's beautifully made.

Personally, on my own time, I like to reinterpret iconic characters into new aesthetics, particularly steampunk versions. The trick is to work exclusively in the chosen aesthetic, and end up with something that is UNDENIABLY the character. I'm going to enjoy showing off my Steampunk Starfire one day. Plus there's a Rule 63 Steampunk Nightwing planned to escort me...

[quinn]

I agree with Ruby. Accuracy is of course always important. How are members to know you're cosplaying Princess Top Hat The Eighth if her hair is red and she wears a green dress, but here the model has brown hair and a black dress?

But I know people love some artistic creativity with the costumes. Maybe Princess Top Hat The Eighth could have a floral pattern added to her otherwise bland green skirt. You still instantly recognize the character, but it spices it up.... so long as it fits the character's personality of course.

For one costume I plan on wearing black boots with heels, instead of the generic boots shown in the show. For two reasons, the animation obviously gave way to showing heels being hard so I believe they went the easy way out and gave them all the same generic boots, on top of it being uniform... But it fits her personality to have some sexier foot wear. Do I understand the boots are not 100 per cent accurate?? Yes. But do they still hold up with her personality and the costumes physical aesthetic? Yes. So do I care? Not really, no. Haha.

It's all in how WELL you pull off the purposeful inaccuracies. The costume should be well made (well enough. I understand we don't all have a small fortune or five tons of talent for our costumes. And that's OK! But put forth as much as you can to make that costume good, or else you're making everyone else who DOES do that look bad by comparison.) it should show effort and care. No loose threads all over the place showing in images, no dresses COVERED in wig hair that you could have taken a lint roller to, and try to get the hair style as close as possible to the design.

The site as a whole is only as strong as it's weakest models and sets. (This also goes for photographers.) So keep that in mind when you go "Wow, this costume is irritating me. Whatever, let's just shoot the stupid thing and be done with it. I don't want to even bother with this wig anymore." It will bring morale down for the other girls who work very hard on their sets.

[geeky-pixie]

I'm happy to see others agreeing that accuracy is important. That's what the site's about- portraying a character, in character, in a way we wouldn't normally get to see them but always wanted to. lol It's what I like about CD, that it's not just a porn site. Not that there's anything wrong with porn sites. :p
For me it's very disappointing when a cosplay was obviously not even made an effort on. Like crucial color differences or style changes that aren't explained by a joke or something else that would make sense. That bugs me a lot.

[quinn]

Why are only the deviants answering?? I think we should hear some member opinions as well! Speak up people.

[Administrator]

Why are only the deviants answering?? I think we should hear some member opinions as well! Speak up people.

Members are voting too

[quinn]

Why are only the deviants answering?? I think we should hear some member opinions as well! Speak up people.

Members are voting too

Voting. But I'd like to see what they have to say... Like, fleshed out. The way the other girls and I did.

[quidem]

Why are only the deviants answering?? I think we should hear some member opinions as well! Speak up people.

I like it when a character is instantly recognizable, even if i don't really follow the series/game/whatever it's from. But also best if there aren't little things that make you question if they are maybe doing a different character that just looks similar to something i know. So a reinterpretation of something like maybe a shorter dress works, whereas changing the dresses color doesn't.

[quinn]

Why are only the deviants answering?? I think we should hear some member opinions as well! Speak up people.

I like it when a character is instantly recognizable, even if i don't really follow the series/game/whatever it's from. But also best if there aren't little things that make you question if they are maybe doing a different character that just looks similar to something i know. So a reinterpretation of something like maybe a shorter dress works, whereas changing the dresses color doesn't.

So sounds like you feel the same as Ruby and myself. Stick to a character's personality and clothing aesthetic, and do a good job... but nit-picking isn't always necessary?

[ShadeInfinity]

Just stick to the spirit of the character. If you've never seen or honestly can't imagine the character wearing what you had in mind, get some opinions from other people, maybe they can help.

[Catfish]

I tend to agree with Quinn's and Ruby's points of view.

Even if accuracy is important, to me it's less important thant the appropriation of the character. When I look at a set, it's a model in a costume I want to see, not neccessarily the perfect exact representation of a character. I want to see the model's personality as well as the character's one through the costume, how the model's enjoying it and try to mix both of those elements in the costume and posing.

My point is that I don't mind a little personalization, as long as the character is recognizable and as the model's enjoying incarnating it as much as I like to see it. In the end, it's up to the model to choose between perfect accuracy and personal view of the character. I'll be fin with both as long as I can see the photoshot being enjoyed. And be sure that even on a serious or masked character, it will inevitably shows.

And seriously, I really like the first Chun-li costume you posted Ruby: still recognazible, still "In Character", but very personal.

[Vicious]

The site as a whole is only as strong as it's weakest models and sets. (This also goes for photographers.) So keep that in mind when you go "Wow, this costume is irritating me. Whatever, let's just shoot the stupid thing and be done with it. I don't want to even bother with this wig anymore." It will bring morale down for the other girls who work very hard on their sets.

This. A thousand times this.

[Wolfman_Sam]

The site as a whole is only as strong as it's weakest models and sets. (This also goes for photographers.) So keep that in mind when you go "Wow, this costume is irritating me. Whatever, let's just shoot the stupid thing and be done with it. I don't want to even bother with this wig anymore." It will bring morale down for the other girls who work very hard on their sets.

This. A thousand times this.

Absolutely second. Well... Third. I think, if the model does not have the right energy, it comes through. The hyper, bubbly character should not look stoic or somber. Costume accuracy can go a long way. But in this case, when it comes off, I'd still like to feel the model is in character.

[zentaiguy]

If I'm looking at nerds in the nude, I need to believe in the nerd :)

In a broader context, cosplay is about people dressing up as characters they love just because they're a huge nerd and they want to. So regardless of where on the internet I see a costume photo, if someone is wearing a craptastic costume that looks like they didn't try or they made the grievous error of getting the whole thing from Party City, I just question whether they really like the character at all.

Unless you're that one guy in the GUNDAM box. That guy is awesome.

That said, I don't necessarily expect a costume to be perfect, and I don't expect everyone to be a super awesome at making costumes (or spend a zillion dollars commissioning stuff), but I do want it to be good. I want to believe you like the character enough to make it as good as you could. Obviously the better the outfit you've got, the easier it is to believe, but if you like the character, the further you will go along that road anyway.

[Administrator]

All of this input is fantastic! I'm glad to see the polls generating so much discussion.

[ZERK]

The site as a whole is only as strong as it's weakest models and sets. (This also goes for photographers.) So keep that in mind when you go "Wow, this costume is irritating me. Whatever, let's just shoot the stupid thing and be done with it. I don't want to even bother with this wig anymore." It will bring morale down for the other girls who work very hard on their sets.

we are a COSPLAY site. People pay to see hot chicks/guys portray their favorite characters in the sexiest ways imaginable. We as models owe it to them to do it correctly. If a character has short blonde hair but you have long brown hair, get a wig and style it accordingly. If a character wears brown knee-high boots but you already have black ones laying around, too bad, paint the ones you have, make boot covers, or buy new ones for your cosplay. I may sound harsh here but it's the truth!

For me, it's all about branding and quality workmanship. I'm going to maybe make some enemies here, but I am a STICKLER for quality. I'd rather see something creatively reinterpreted but using all the character's distinguishing marks than a shoddily made piece copying the original design.

So, I think what's important to me is not photo-accuracy per se, but making sure the workmanship is good and the character's identifying marks are honored well. As Vicious said, black boots will not do if the character's are brown. Color is very important. Line is important. But some characters can have more than one look. To be Emma Frost, you need blonde hair (or wig) and a kickass body. Beyond that, if the lines are clean, the coverage scant, and the color white, you're in pretty good shape.

Here at CD, the whole point is for the character to be instantly recognizable, and still faithful to the original all the way to the skin. Stylization and creative reinterpretation are secondary or even unnecessary in this context, even if they can be appreciated. Certainly anything that strikes the viewer as just plain WRONG for a character is completely unacceptable, even if it's beautifully made.

If I'm looking at nerds in the nude, I need to believe in the nerd :)

if someone is wearing a craptastic costume that looks like they didn't try or they made the grievous error of getting the whole thing from Party City, I just question whether they really like the character at all.

Unless you're that one guy in the GUNDAM box. That guy is awesome.

That said, I don't necessarily expect a costume to be perfect, and I don't expect everyone to be a super awesome at making costumes (or spend a zillion dollars commissioning stuff), but I do want it to be good. I want to believe you like the character enough to make it as good as you could. Obviously the better the outfit you've got, the easier it is to believe, but if you like the character, the further you will go along that road anyway.

I quoted the parts I agree with the most from all the responses so I don't have to say anything.
Seriously though, those reflect my opinions perfectly and I think those points really need to be paid attention to

[GianVA]

I definitely agree that the more accurate the costume is the better. It's one of the things I nit-pick about in live action adaptations for video games or anime. If you're a living, breathing adaptation of that character, it makes it all the more enjoyable to see. Though I also believe artistic license is allowed. I think Ruby's first example with the Chun-Li adaptation says it best. I think artistic license is necessary in some cases. Like in Jsica's SeeD set. Obviously a female "Squall" wouldn't wear the same thing as a male one. And again, for Ruby's example the party city version is pretty much a cheap thrown together imitation.

Though on the contrast, for some reason i'm bothered by certain other little things. I wanna try to phrase this as cautiously and as delicately as I can. For example, some of the models who have a lot of piercings or tattoos. Going back to the Thief set. Rikku is one of my favorite characters, but Jett has so many tattoos, while Rikku has none, kinda takes me out of the experience. Again, don't get me wrong. She's beautiful, and there's nothing wrong with tattoos if that's what you're into. And for something more recent, the nose piercing in the Fool set and the fact that she has brunette hair is a stark contrast to Misa.

But as a disclaimer I'll throw out there that I'm not a big fan of an excess of tattoos or piercings in general. That's my opinion on things anyway

[quinn]

I keep getting Quoted For Truth in this thread. *High fiving a million angels*

[KeyTobias5]

I think accuracy is important but with some characters that's hard to do, especially if they go threw look and/or costume changes as the series progresses.

But a well done costume (namely not just something thrown together) is great.

Also, I really love rare cosplays. Some one who does a character that is hard and/or not well done. Example, my Tonberry costume (seen in avatar).

I suck at sowing so it cost me a good chunk to have my costume sown together to my specs. But it was so worth it, especially with all the FF cosplayers wanting to take pics with me. There were lots of Yunas, Tifa, Clouds, and Sephiroths but only one Tonberry.

[hsote]

It's been covered better than I can put it already, but to add to the chorus. Accurate costume is nice, but it's the character that really shines though. Like in the scotaholic set, it's not just the costume, but the actions and expression that really sells the character and the set. Also considering most sets end up with but a few sparse elements of the costume still in sight (for some strange reason), it's the people who can really sell you that character with the minimal props that impress me the most.

[isilnemura]

The points i feel are important have already been made, however another vote in the throng could win the election.

Nit-picky accuracy isn't as important as personality. You dress up to become someone else. Act like the character, be the character. However, on the other side, if it looks like the whole thing costs less than lunch, i'm not sure i could believe that you care about it at all. Point in fact, L from Death Note was super-overdone after the series came out. Heero Yuy is another example, overdone. All because the "costume" was super easy to put together. However, VERY few cosplayers actually pulled off the character. A Heero Yuy who was playing pranks and super-pervy kinda ticked me off. A "L" who wore a jean jacket, smiled all the time, and wore hiking boots, but was "L" because of his wig and eye makeup, was pretty asking me to use my Mangekyo Sharingan's Amaterasu on him. -.-;;

So character is more important than accuracy, but that doesn't mean get away without putting ANY effort at all into it.

[Drugslinger]

I agree with Ruby. Accuracy is of course always important. How are members to know you're cosplaying Princess Top Hat The Eighth if her hair is red and she wears a green dress, but here the model has brown hair and a black dress?

But I know people love some artistic creativity with the costumes. Maybe Princess Top Hat The Eighth could have a floral pattern added to her otherwise bland green skirt. You still instantly recognize the character, but it spices it up.... so long as it fits the character's personality of course.

For one costume I plan on wearing black boots with heels, instead of the generic boots shown in the show. For two reasons, the animation obviously gave way to showing heels being hard so I believe they went the easy way out and gave them all the same generic boots, on top of it being uniform... But it fits her personality to have some sexier foot wear. Do I understand the boots are not 100 per cent accurate?? Yes. But do they still hold up with her personality and the costumes physical aesthetic? Yes. So do I care? Not really, no. Haha.

It's all in how WELL you pull off the purposeful inaccuracies. The costume should be well made (well enough. I understand we don't all have a small fortune or five tons of talent for our costumes. And that's OK! But put forth as much as you can to make that costume good, or else you're making everyone else who DOES do that look bad by comparison.) it should show effort and care. No loose threads all over the place showing in images, no dresses COVERED in wig hair that you could have taken a lint roller to, and try to get the hair style as close as possible to the design.

The site as a whole is only as strong as it's weakest models and sets. (This also goes for photographers.) So keep that in mind when you go "Wow, this costume is irritating me. Whatever, let's just shoot the stupid thing and be done with it. I don't want to even bother with this wig anymore." It will bring morale down for the other girls who work very hard on their sets.

I couldn't have said it better myself or agree more with this post. Thank you, Quinn, for putting it so perfectly.

[author5]

I think the accuracy is somewhat important. However, it depends on whether the body type of the person wearing the costume fits the costume. For example: I would not expect Quinn to wear a Wonder Woman costume because she doesn't have the right body type for it even if the costume was completely accurate.