I attended
Gamma.Con again this year, this time with my friend, Lady B. The event was several weeks earlier than last year – well and truly in winter. Saturday began with a half hour wait outside queuing for admission, during which it briefly snowed. I wore my
Misery costume again and so had layers, long sleeves and gloves, but poor Lady B's Belle costume didn't provide much protection from the weather. The best protection from the weather is, of course, wearing something you want to be wearing so it wasn't as cold as it could have been.
Inside the temperature was much more agreeable. Belle was very popular, with young children especially, so we were often stopped for photos and occasionally hugs. I even managed to find someone who remembered
Ruby Gloom and was excited to see Misery and that was quite nice.
On the second day Lady B went as MCU Scarlet Witch and I dressed as
Elizabeth from
Bioshock Infinite. I dyed my hair to go with the costume. While the hairstyle looks simple, it took a few practices and an extra pair of hands to get the hair to have body in the right places.
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| I made the bow the night before, of course. |
Because I was entering the cosplay competition I wanted to do character makeup to go with the costume. I don't normally wear makeup irl so I contacted
Simone Turnbull, a makeup artist I met at a photoshoot a few months ago, and asked if she would give me a lesson. Her training and product advice proved very useful and after a few night’s practicing I managed to get an outcome that I was very happy with. I think it adds a lot to the overall look (even if it means being paranoid about touching my face all day).
The costume is worn over my
Edwardian corset which, I realised in the car on the way there, I had never actually worn for any length of time before – only for photo sessions and fittings. Turns out it’s very comfortable. I also made a new chemise which was an opportunity to do lace insertion again (yay!) and more tucks (less yay).
Also very comfortable were the shoes (Ellie Shoes: Amelia) which I bought, from eBay, for the occasion, although I will never quite forgive them for having zips. I mean they lace up anyway!
I won the sewing category of the cosplay competition. The prize was a voucher for a sewing machine. That's two sewing machines I've won in two years – not a particularly useful habit to get into. However, the sponsoring store,
Cardif Collective, has said they are willing to be flexible about the prize.
I struggled for a bit to work out what kind of handbag to wear with this outfit since Elizabeth doesn't have one. Then I remembered that she's a bookish character that we first meet in a library. So, a few days before Gamma.Con I went looking for a book that I could cut out and modify to serve as a handbag. Or a fake-book container that could be adapted. The first shop I went into had something more perfect than I imagined I could find. Not only did they have light-weight magnetic closing book-shaped boxes, they had one that was a scrapbook about Paris – the place Elizabeth dreams of going. All I had to do was glue a zipped pouch inside.
With the book I never had to put my purse down for photos and it gave me something to pose with. I appreciated this a lot as I often feel awkward posing for photos and don't know what to do with my limbs.
The event itself was small but good. There were more cosplay-focused panels than last year and I found the leather working one (given by
A. K. Wirru) particularly useful. I will definitely be embossing leather on my costume for next year.
