The Costumer

There’s a saying: “If you have to ask how much, then you can’t afford it.” That’s likely true for Braithwaithe Wallets–but with good reason. These designer items each come with their own ‘creation’ story.

The Canadian-based company presently produces wallets exclusively for men. The wallets come in long jacket-wallet size and than the square billfold type worn in the pants pocket (depending on the style you select). They’re made from the high-quality leather you’d expect for a high-end wallet–but the real value seems to come in their style.

These would also make fantastic Father’s Day gifts!

The Orpheus wallet, for example, holds guitar picks. Raptured (featured above) is the one that caught my eye–as usual, I have the interests of LARPers and cosplayers in mind! Continue Reading »

Picking up right where we left off in Part I of Star Trek Costume Ideas for Couples, let’s examine pairings in other Trek series:

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Though some may disagree with the manner of pairings in DS9, there is truthfully a lot to choose from. Deep Space 9 is a particularly good series choice if you want to wear a comfortable uniform or go heavy on the makeup/prosthetics. Many of the pairings involve a non-human humanoid. My favorite pairing consists of Odo and Kira, who happen to both have non-human traits and non-Starfleet uniforms. (See the FAQ on this relationship here.) Anyone representing a Bajoran should be sure to get the earring and nose piece. Continue Reading »

Most Star Trek fans are thrilled by the success of the latest Star Trek movie. New and seasoned fans alike are ready to find their first (or next) Star Trek costume. As someone who enjoys attending LARP and cosplay events with my significant other, I offer the following couples costume ideas (one from each series as well as one from the new movie).

Relationship spoiler for latest Star Trek movie will be featured under a cut in part III of this series.

Star Trek: The Original Series: If you’re looking to play a couple from The Original Series, you’ve selected the most versatile era. This is mainly because Captain Kirk has been featured with a large variety of women, leaving the costume options very much open for the lady. TVSquad even narrows Kirk’s many affairs down to a top five.

Fans should also note that green-skinned Marta and Kirk were never actually a couple in any fashion. That said–Kirk and the Orion slave girl ? Classic combination.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Of the many actual and potential pairings in this series, my favorite couple of all time is Imzadi–Will Riker and Deanna Troi. After reading so much apocrypha about this duo (and probably having my hopes dashed so many times in the Whedonverse), it’s only natural that this pair are my favorite. Imzadi, most closely translated as ‘destined soul mates,’ this pair provides a stability throughout the series unmatched by any others. The pictured book (by Peter David) is also highly recommended. Continue Reading »

Star Trek–it’s iconic. In short? Abrams captured and expressed the action and excitement experienced by long-time fans in this latest edition to the Star Trek universe–and the costumes kept on target. He succeeded in revitalizing interest in Star Trek. Oddly enough, former classmates who once ridiculed my interest in Star Trek now openly tweet about their joy over the new release. “Fascinating.”

Let’s move on to the important topic: Star Trek costumes and uniforms. While there are no major spoilers below, please note that there are mentions of minor events and characters in the film.

Continue Reading »

Are you an avid Halo fan? Get your Master Chief on with the Halo Costuming Wiki . Yes, while other fandoms merely have a few scattered pages about costuming tips and advice, Halo fans have a Wiki-based resource. This well-organized, oft-updated site features multiple categories, including Marine armor from Halo. Readers can use this information to create wearable costumes, game-rendered costumes, or papercraft costumes.

Instructables also offers a step-by-step how to for those interested in making Halo Costumes. Check out the video below!

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Happy Earth Day!

In respect of our planet, here are some tips to help you consider our environment (and your own health) when you are looking at purchasing or making costumes. Some of these tips will also help you save money–in this economy, why say no to that?

Reuse! There are many materials which can be reused. The staff over at Seventh Kingdom IGE (a game kind of like a LARP) has been known to utilize all sorts of foam, padding, and various ’scrap’ materials to make their costumes and atmosphere. You can reuse the following types of materials: Continue Reading »

Germans take their lederhosen very seriously, and lederhosen love is quickly becoming a rising trend here in the United States as well.

So what’s the appeal of lederhosen, particularly in America? They’re culturally identifiable, and items that are such usually garner popularity, like the kilt. People wearing culturally identifiable folk costume pieces are often considered approachable and knowledgeable about their garments.

My friend Stef is a Polish-American college student with a great interest in other cultures. She’s fallen in love with the German language–lederhosen and all. Traditionally worn in plain fashion by young boys and in more decorated fashion by Bavarian men (complete with embroidery), lederhosen are now part of a more international fashion statement, being not-so-subtly incorporated into male and female garments at fashion shows for attention.

Culturally, it seems, Americans tend to take ‘costuming’ in a very Halloween sense, at least according to some moustache and beard champions who compete internationally. Men competing from Germany, they say, show up in traditional folk costumes, such as painstakingly-embroidered lederhosen. Continue Reading »

Hello, faithful readers! I just wanted to announce a few changes that will be occurring on this blog. This blog will still remain up, available, and active, but as you have noticed, I will not be posting every day. My new goal is to make a comprehensive weekly post. Among other projects, this blog is and was intended to bolster my freelance career. Now that I’m obtaining more substantial freelance projects, I am unable to update daily without sacrificing quality of content. Therefore, I’ve decided not to sacrifice quality, and to simply post less frequently.

Readers of Merry Meet (my other blog) will be happy to learn that the same applies to that blog as well. I also still blog weekly over at LARPers.

The second change is the use of Entrecard. I will no longer be using Entrecard after April 7th, due to guideline changes and marketing strategy.

Thanks!

~Tara, AKA The Costumer

My good friend Michelle asked if I could help her research Twilight costumes. Even though I haven’t read/seen Twilight, I figured I’d help her out anyway. Please post additional advice in the comments if you have it, as Michelle is looking to make an Alice Cullen costume. Continue Reading »

By now, we all know that I love men in kilts! After all, I did blog for an entire week on kilts, including a special blog about hot famous men who wear kilts. As much as I love some of those top men, such as Nathan Fillion, this list is all about kilts appearing in movies, and the hottest circumstances thereof.

Without further ado, here is the list… Continue Reading »

Complaints about the lack of historical accuracy in costumes abound, particularly in criticism of historical films and television series. In general, there is also a lot of discussion about historical accuracy at renaissance faires and festivals and in specific groups.

If You Want Accuracy: Continue Reading »

Hey, I’m a nerd. I go to nerd events like LARPs and conventions. However, I’m not a fan of all nerdly things–I do have my preferences. Anime isn’t my thing, nor is the whole furry deal. Furry fandom can be innocent and cute, regular and ferocious (think werewolves), or adult, which is one reason why I’m not a fan.

Technically, you might even consider beloved characters like Minnie Mouse to be furry, since she’s a cute, animated, intelligent animal. I still think it’s bizarre that Donald Duck doesn’t wear pants. WTF?

Anyway, furries are out there, all types of them. I won’t lie–I’ve thought it might be cool to dress as a female werewolf or a dragon-chick. With the disclaimer that I find “hot furries” really bizarre, I’m going to post a brief list of a few neat costumes I’ve found: Continue Reading »