/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

[Anonymous No.10756432]

Is there a such thing as making a cosplay as authentic as possible? By that I mean using expensive materials for clothing. Is it even practical? I just want it to look like the real thing as opposed to polyester fabric n shit, but I don't know if this is something people would usually do. Picrel just as an example.

[Anonymous No.10756440]

Well people who cosplay as film characters sometimes take authenticity to the extreme, especially for certain groups of Star Wars fans for example. Using the exact same fabric, paints, strap systems and such as were used in the films. But if you mean like using "in-universe" authentic, like what a royal person like Zelda would wear, well I'm sure it has been done but I would imagine capturing the authentic look is more important since ghee costume wasn't likely designed with real materials as a high priority.

[Anonymous No.10756446]

>>10756432
I don’t know if I would call it practical, since it’s usually more expensive, but it’s definitely possible. Think about what the costume would be worn for: is it a Royal ceremonial outfit? Something to be worn into battle? A uniform? Research what the actual items would be made out of and use that or something similar (ie using poly gabardine instead of wool for budget/comfort/practicality). Don’t just use the cheapest thing, which is what happens with China costumes a lot. Natural fibers tend to be higher quality and more comfortable to wear, but they’re often more expensive.

[Anonymous No.10756456]

>>10756446
That's where I have trouble most of the time. I wish there was some reference guide to look back to, or a fabric 101 course that I can read up on.
>>10756440
Makes sense. I suppose what I'm looking for is real-looking stuff. Doesn't even have to be "expensive," per se. You could easily substitute Zelda's sapphire gem thing for plastic, or glass if you wanna tap your finger on it. Whatever looks real at the end of the day.

Thanks for the responses, Anons. I'm hardly even a newfag to this; I have zero clue where to start. My goal right now is to do some research into the cosplay I want to achieve, save up a decent budget (which I already did), then forward this to a local cosplay maker; their outfits look really nice.

[Anonymous No.10756457]

>>10756446
>Natural fibers tend to be higher quality and more comfortable to wear, but they’re often more expensive.
I'd be willing to go as far as to make stuff out of cashmere so long as it stays within the boundaries of 1k.

[Anonymous No.10756465]

>>10756432
What's authentic typically isn't practical. They're on two different ends of the spectrum. Authenticity is also up to interpretation. Some people interpret is as 100% full dedication to ONLY using materials, tools, and styles that would be possible within the source material's universe or historical time period. Some people might use "canon" materials, but modern tools like sewing machines. Others view authenticity as representing the image or in-game model as pixel-perfect as possible. I mostly see this in photography because it's easier to manipulate or edit the results for a split second than it is to wear to a con.

All this to say: it's up to you what authenticity looks like. Just remember: set a budget and proper deadlines, and have fun!

[Anonymous No.10756467]

>>10756456
If you're planning on commissioning this outfit, then ask their opinion, a costume maker would definitely what's best to use.

[Anonymous No.10756471]

I also just realized one aspect of cosplay I'm concerned about are shoes. The craft of shoes seem really complicated. I wouldn't know if your average cosplayer would know how to build a shoe and not just slap some covers on. Would be nice if I could find some shoe maker, but this isn't the 1700s.

>>10756465
I think out of all of those definitions you listed, representing the image pixel-for-pixel would be what I'm going for the best, followed up by modern tools and stuff. If the artist won't use historical integrity, then neither will I. Not trying to build off of their ideas, just bring it forward to life.

[Anonymous No.10756548]

>>10756457
Within the bounds of 1k can be very possible or very unlikely depending on different factors (are you making it yourself or commissioning? How complicated is the outfit? Does it have a lot of accessories/jewelry? Armor? A complicated wig?). If you’re making it yourself and it’s a mainly fabric costume, and not something that requires a tremendous amount of fabric, staying within $1000 shouldn’t be too hard. Commissions will be more expensive but it’s possible depending on what it is.

[Anonymous No.10756571]

Plenty of costume makers use Nice looking, high quality or otherwise whatever you think accurate would be type fabrics in their costumes. Cosplayers often do not go as far in as say a historical costumer would.

[Anonymous No.10756576]

>>10756471
In that case, the expensive material is not always the better one if you want to represent an image exactly - it's the material that looks most like the source. Which doesn't necessarily cost the most.

[Anonymous No.10756586]

>>10756471
>If the artist won't use historical integrity,
They probably won't because that increases the workload tens of hours and by extension the price. Historical accuracy is typically a labor of love, not for a sustainable means of production. If pixel-perfect is what you're after, I recommend having thorough conversations with your commissioner your choices throughout the process. And make sure you chose someone with a high level of detail -- checking out their portfolio is going to be essential.

[Anonymous No.10756606]

>>10756471
I wish cobblers isn't a dying profession

[Anonymous No.10756609]

>>10756432
>muh authentic

Unless youre trying to win some spergy competition, the only people who care about that are those nobody can stand being around by.

[Anonymous No.10756695]

piggy backing on this thread to ask what are anime military uniforms supposed to be made out of? You know things like the owari no seraph or d gray man stuff. The always look so much thicker and sturdier than what people wear is it even a material that exists in real life?

[Anonymous No.10756710]

>>10756695
Yeah its called wool.
Before you freak out understand theres dozens of types of wool

[Anonymous No.10756845]

>>10756609
If I'm being perfectly honest, this is not for wearing. I don't plan on flexing my authenticity and the other stuff you said.

[Anonymous No.10756902]

>>10756845
ntayrt, but anon what. You're gonna spend all that money on a costume and not wear it??

[Anonymous No.10756987]

>>10756609
Not necessarily. I try to use realistic fabrics when making costumes too. For example I used a blend that looked like wool for my Saber costume. It drives me crazy how most people use satin or velvet when she’s wearing it to fight battles in.
>>10756695
Real military uniforms are made of wool gabardine. This tends to be very expensive ($40-$50/yard) though. There is polyester gabardine which looks quite similar, or you can look for a wool suiting that isn’t as heavy (which will probably run $10-20/yard depending on the weight and if it’s pure wool or a blend).
Most Chinese made uniforms use polyester poplin which is… ok. It doesn’t have the proper weight. If you’re going to use polyester, spring for gabardine

[Anonymous No.10757040]

>>10756432
yes, it's technically feasible, but the issue is that you'll never have enough reference shots of garments in order to make it 1:1 authentic. one of the hardest things is guessing the fabric choice from pictures. most of the guesswork comes from looking at the clothing piece, seeing what the closest real life analogue is, and using that sort of material (ie. if it's a hoodie, then you would use hoodie fabric).

the issue arises if there isn't a real life analogue, so you have to basically guess what it would be. an example is something like emiya archer's mantle/muscle shirt. some people think the mantle is leather, some thing it's spandex, some think it's just broadcloth. some think the muscle shirt is a hardened leather piece, some think it's spandex. so on and so forth. there's no real life analogue so you kind of have to wing it.

after this, you have issues of construction, what seams are on the piece, if there's any distinct structures like darts (that wouldn't be present in reference images, they're too fine a detail to draw out).

This is completely exclusive of all the retarded anime physics where half the time, fabric just clings to the person's body as they move around through magic or something, like boob pockets for instance.

so no, it's not really possible. best you can do it is make it surface level similar, and even then, you'll have to sacrifice some bits of accuracy for ease of movement/convenience.

[Anonymous No.10757069]

>>10756710
>>10756987
where do I even look this type of stuff up?

[Anonymous No.10758537]

>>10756609
I would care if I’m trying to take high quality pics

[Anonymous No.10758553]

>>10757069
You just look for the real life equivalent. So you would look up what similar real life military uniforms are made out of and use that for inspiration.

I personally like and have gotten good responses from using more realistic materials in cosplay. I think it matters a lot actually

[Anonymous No.10758670]

>>10757069
If you're commissioning the costume, your commissioner would be shopping for you unless you have a specific desire to provide the fabric.

[Anonymous No.10758753]

>>10756432
i try to do this sort of concept to the best of my ability. i have never once done a fake buckle on a cosplay, each layer on my costumes are a complete piece (in costuming many people will take shortcuts on layering and only make the visible parts on the layers), i will only do fake pockets on pieces that real pockets don’t work on, etc. when it comes to fabrics tho, it can get tricky bc like a lot of people said, it’s up to interpretation and a lot of artists for anime/games aren’t really thinking of how these fabrics work irl when drawing the character’s costumes. for example, i see many characters who are from these fantasy settings where you’d assume that their outfit uses 100% natural fibers. but their outfit is completely fitted to their bodies without any sort of darts on them and you can’t even see how they would put on/take off this costume. (pic related is atelier lulua who has a turtle neck blouse with no seam lines, darts, or closures on it)
my advice is to just use the nicest materials you can afford to use and make your costumes to the best of ur ability. i honestly respect the idea of using authentic materials/techniques bc it’s very anti fast fashion which is what the cosplay community has been turning into. but you might drive urself crazy or go broke trying to make every costume like that.

[Anonymous No.10758823]

>>10756456
There are multiple books about different fabric types, there is one reference that even has swatches, but it's quite expensive. Just go to a fabric store in person so you can see how the fabric looks and feels in real life. You can make things that look realistic and still affordable (ie linen blends instead of 100% linen)

[Anonymous No.10758831]

>>10758823
nta, but do you recommend any in specific? I've had my eye on the Fashionary's Textilepedia, but idk if it's just the hype or actually worth it.