Dressed to thrill, cosplayers bring fantasy to life at comic expo

Sexy, silly, cute and outright bizarre sums up the atmosphere at the Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday, the opening day of the annual Ani-Com & Games Hong Kong fair.

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The event showcases the latest trends in comic books, animation and computer games, but has also become a stage for Hong Kong's burgeoning cheap cosplay costumes uk culture.

1M InuYasha Sesshoumaru Cosplay Wig

"I feel more likeable, unique and cute when I am dressing up," said 15-year-old Lai Oi-ying, who arrived dressed in a Pikachu costume, one of the main characters from the Japanese series Pokemon.

"I love Pikachu's personality and character and want to make him better known to others by bringing him to life."

80cm InuYasha Kikyo Cosplay Wig

Kiki Fung, a 15-year-old cosplayer, came dressed as the eyepatch-wearing femme fatale from the Japanese anime Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions.

"After putting on this cheap cosplay costumes uk, I feel like I'm a totally different person," Fung said. She spent about HK$600 on her outfit, most of which she bought over the internet. "It's also kind of nice because I've never had so many people want to take photographs of me," she said.

In leather trenchcoat and shaggy blonde Cosplay Wigs uk, Jennifer Sora Bae, 16, was living out her interpretation of Belphegor from Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
SOURCE:http://www.scmp.com/news

Japanese Lolitas Plan World Domination

Disconcerting news from the world of Japanese fashion: adherents to the cutesy subculture of Lolita fashion are organizing themselves into an official group. Their target: the whole world.

Blue Classic Lolita Dress

The Japan lolita dresses uk Association was formed in February to spread Japan’s special brand of ‘kawaii fashion’ to the world. Aoki Misako, a well-known Lolita model who in 2009 was appointed ‘Kawaii Ambassador’ by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (an absolutely real, and possibly even serious, position), will serve as chairperson, and the society’s office will be established at Fukuoka’s Omura Beauty College.

Green And Black Satin Bow Classic Lolita Dress

The Association’s main activities will be to report lolita news, recruit and appoint Kawaii Ambassadors to support the global lolita shoes uk network, host events such as tea parties and get-togethers for Association members, and encourage and nominate lolita cosplay uk fashion-related schools and educational institutions. It all sounds perfectly innocent, but who knows what’s really going on behind those frilly petticoats and lacy parasols.

Black White Cotton Women Lolita Dress

Becoming a member gets you perks such as subscription to their email newsletter and notifications of tea-parties and events. You can sign up here at their homepage. If you sign up with your smartphone you even get a super-extra-kawaii membership image. Count me in?

The Association is also seeking information on Lolita-related events, so event promoters who want their event shared with Lolita fans should submit their information to the ‘Events & Tea parties’ page.

While the news is sure to excite some, I’m sure it’s also struck a note of trepidation in the hearts of men and women alike. I mean, just look at that bunny’s eyes. Take a good look, and tell me he’s not up to something. *shudders*
SOURCE:http://en.rocketnews24.com

Lolita fashionistas flaunt feminine style

YORK - Some people garden or hike in their spare time, but Alesha Leach and her friends like to dress up in elaborate baby-doll costumes and then get together in public places.

Classic Cotton Short Sleeves Ruffle Lolita Dress

They call themselves the Maine Lolitas, one of hundreds of such groups around the world that follow the Lolita style, a street fashion that originated in Japan in the 1990s. Enthusiasts spend hundreds of dollars on their frilly, ultrafeminine outfits. They are mostly young women who would never be caught in public wearing a pair of sweats.

Cotton Short Sleeves Ruffle Bow Classic Lolita Dress

"Today a lot of girls want to discard their femininity. This style celebrates it," said Leach.

Leach, 23, of Kennebunkport, a student at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, said dressing as a Lolita is a form of creative expression that also ties into her interest in Japanese culture.

Like many Lolitas, Leach discovered the style in her teens and did a lot of Internet research. She finally worked up the nerve to wear one of the outfits in public a year ago and now has 20 Lolita-style dresses, with prices ranging from $80 to $300, in her wardrobe.

Leach and about 20 other Lolitas get together about once a month, to be seen and to visit with each other. They have toured the Victoria Mansion in Portland, had a potluck picnic at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park in Freeport and showed up at the Yarmouth Clam Festival. They have also gone bowling and roller skating.

On Saturday they toured York's Wild Kingdom, where they managed to turn as many heads as the animal attractions.

Red And Black Flower Satin Classic Lolita Dress

"People come up and ask, 'Oh my God, what are you doing?"' said Leach.

Lolitas say the Lolita style has nothing to do with the Vladimir Nabokov novel about a middle-aged man's obsession with a 12-year-old girl by that name.

In fact, the style -- which combines elements of Victoriana, the French Rococo period and other influences -- is deliberately modest and not intended to be provocative.

The poofy dresses end at the knee. Legs are covered by anklets, knee socks or stockings. Bloomers and layers of petticoats protect against unintentional glimpses of flesh should a breeze send hemlines flapping.

Light Blue Bow Ruffles Sweet Lolita Shirt Dress

Sleeveless tops are taboo. Bonnets and other headpieces are part of the look. Mary Janes, a parasol and a cute purse complete the look.

Rebecca Cole, 22, of Gray, an art major at Southern Maine Community College, has been dressing as a Lolita since 2008. She has about 25 outfits. She has purchased many of them from high-end Japanese manufacturers. She also sews some of her own fashions.

Cole said dressing as a Lolita gives her confidence she doesn't have in other clothes.

"I am really shy in real life. I use it as armor," said Cole.

At York's Wild Kingdom she sported a pink-and-brown dress with a deer-pattern print -- after all, the group was there to pet the deer at the park. She dyed a formerly white ruffly blouse brown to match her dress, and wore her grandmother's cast-off, lace-up brown bootlets.

Cole said she rarely dresses in anything else, while other members of the group say they "dress down" for their jobs.

For Jaimie Jollotta, 26, of Winslow, dressing as a Lolita is a refreshing change from the scrubs she wears to work.

"I am a dental hygienist," said Jollotta.
SOURCE"http://www.pressherald.com

Comic-Con cosplay: Costumed role-players become temporary superstars

Clad cowl- to-boot in her handmade black and purple Batgirl suit, Briana Roecks arrives in the Gaslamp Quarter and pauses to adjust her boyfriend’s Robin cape. Instantly, the couple is surrounded by Comic-Con International attendees wielding camera phones.
Roecks, 27, and her sidekick, 30-year-old Adam Earnhart, shift seamlessly from pose to pose as the cameras snap. Soon a Yahoo producer snags them for a quick interview. Afterward, a group of fellow Batman fans dressed as the characters from “The Dark Knight Rises” join them for a round of impromptu photos. A man approaches Roecks and plops his baby in her arms for a picture. More videos. More pictures. More poses. In half an hour, the couple has moved only 50 feet.
“When you cheap cosplay costumes uk, you’re not a nobody,” said Roecks, who works in Hollywood as a visual effects assistant. “You’re not a stranger. You’re suddenly a character that everybody here knows and loves and wants to interact with, and they feel like they already know you, not in a weird getting-too-comfortable kind of way, but like you’re an old friend.”
Cosplay, short for costume play, is a mix of costume creation and role-playing, and it’s a big part of the scene at Comic-Con, the annual pop culture expo that kicked off Thursday and runs through Sunday.
Transformers and Stormtroopers mingle with Dothraki warlords and Disney princesses. Cosplayers strive for authenticity, trying to come as close to the character as possible.

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Briana Roecks dressed as Batgirl at Comic-Con 2013. The San Diego Convention Center is in the background. (Kirk McKoy/ Los Angeles Times)
That doesn’t come easy. The Batgirl and Robin cheap costumes uk that Roecks and Earnhart are rocking are the products of more than three months of bargain hunting, pattern-making and sewing.
While there are plenty of cardboard-and-tape costumes on the Comic-Con floor, serious cosplayers often spend months and sometimes thousands of dollars creating elaborate Superhero Costume uk, often more than one per convention.
Roecks and Earnhart are each wearing three costumes for San Diego Comic-Con. In addition to Thursday’s Batgirl and Robin getup, the couple joined a group of people dressed as fairies from Disney’s Tinker Bell franchise on Friday. And for Saturday’s Masquerade — the expo’s annual costume contest — Roecks, Earnhart and another friend are entering as Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts.
Now in its 43rd year, Comic-Con International has attracted costumed participants since the very beginning, said David Glanzer, spokesman for the convention. Glanzer recalls working with friends to create “Star Wars” costumes in the 1970s.

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“It was living in a fantasy for a couple of hours and having people acknowledge that,” Glanzer said.
Jessica Merizan, lead community manager for Electronic Arts division BioWare Edmonton-Montreal and co-founder of cosplay fabrication shop Crabcat Industries, wrote her masters dissertation on cosplay and fandom. Merizan theorizes that putting on a costume is transformative, either revealing an aspect of the wearer that is normally hidden, or hiding an aspect the cosplayer would rather not show.
“Cosplay helped me get over being socially anxious and have more confidence in myself,” Merizan said. “It sounds really egotistical, but it does make you feel like you’re kind of a celebrity, just for that moment. Everyone is like paparazzi, and everyone wants your picture. And it’s really cool because you worked so hard and you’re really proud of what you’re wearing. … It’s like being Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.”
For some cosplayers, however, the appeal is more in creating the costume than in wearing it.
Lisa McKeever, a 29-year-old engineer who works on heart valve replacements, has been cosplaying since 2008. She spends months designing her costumes, spending between $200 and $900.
COMIC-CON PHOTOS: Cosplay costumes, in all their crazy glory
McKeever said there are two kinds of cosplayers: the people who enjoy making the costumes, and the ones who enjoy playing the character.
“I tend to be more of the first type of person,” she said. “I probably spend more than the average person does, because it’s a lot about the crafting. I like to take my time and kind of figure things out and try various methods to see what comes out best.”
Briana Roecks tries on her Tinker Bell costume as Adam Earnhart adjusts her wings. (Kirk McKoy/ Los Angeles Times)
McKeever learned many of those techniques from online tutorials by other cosplayers and message boards on sites like cosplay.com.
“New people can come in, they can ask questions, so there is a lot of welcoming and help,” McKeever said. “Most people at a convention are so incredibly nice, excited to see you and genuinely appreciate your hard work. It’s these people who make all the work, stress and aching feet completely worth it.”
It’s that inclusive spirit and celebration of diverse interests that helps make Comic-Con the pop culture mecca it has become, attracting an estimated 130,000 fans and entertainment industry professionals.
“I felt like for the first time, I didn’t have to crack jokes about who I was,” Merizan recalled of her first visit to Comic-Con. “The thing I remember most profoundly about my first Comic-Con was how depressed I was at the end of it. It was like something was over, and I couldn’t get it back for another year. It was like ‘Brigadoon,’ like something that only happens every once in a while, and you’re never sure if you’re actually going to be able to get there, but when you do it’s amazing.”

COSPLAY OF THE WEEK: THIS HIT-GIRL REALLY DOES KICK-ASS

JailBreak Photography/LionsGate

What happens when a 22-year-old cosplayer decides to dress up like the pint-sized badass Hit-Girl from the ‘Kick-Ass‘ series? You get a costume so cool that you really don’t care that she’s twice the age of the character she’s portraying!

In ‘Kick-Ass’ (as well as its upcoming sequel), Hit-Girl is a pre-teen girl who was trained by her vigilante father to be the ultimate killing machine. The result is a foul-mouthed 11-year-old who can effortlessly take down an army of criminals with all kinds of weapons without breaking a sweat. The fact that she does it while wearing a skirt (and tons of pink and purple) makes it all the more impressive.

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Cosplayer HyperShadow has been creating her own cheap costumes uk for eight years now, but her Hit-Girl outfit was a special labor of love that took two years to get just right. After an initial commissioned Superhero Costumes uk failed to live up to her standards, she began the lengthy process of fixing it, buying new pieces and accessories from various locations. The finished suit looks insanely close to what actress Chloe Moretz wore in Matthew Vaughn’s film. Heck, even many of the weapons (real and replica) and accessories are the same brand as those featured in the film.

For further details about the creation of the costume (and plenty of additional images), you can check out thismessage board thread on TheRPF.com, where HyperShadow isn’t shy about sharing the gory details!

Martin Wong

Adrienne’s View

Jason DeSomer

JailBreak Photography

Fearless Photographs

SOURCE:http://screencrush.com

Memphis “Lolitas” bring style from Japan

In modern culture, the name “Lolita” summons the image of a sexually precocious young girl straight from the pages of Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel. But the fashion movement that goes by the same name is far from an attempt to imitate a promiscuous pubescent.

Since the 90’s, the subculture from the streets of Japan has slowly spread to the Western half of the globe.  Some believe the style based on Victorian and Rococo clothing is a reaction to an over-sexualized society and a regression back to modesty.  

For Morgan Smith, a junior art major at the University of Memphis, wearing Gothic Lolita Dresses uk is just another way to express her personality. She has been a Lolita — the term for followers of the fashion — for five years.  Nearly every morning of her first two years of college she would wake up as early as possible and dress in beautifully patterned skirts with lacy hems, fluffy petticoats and ruffled blouses.

Now, however, she has had to stop wearing it daily to protect her delicate outfits from being ruined. And considering how much she has paid for her collection, it’s shocking she doesn’t keep them in a vault.

In total, she has spent $3,000 on skirts, dresses, stockings, blouses, petticoats, headpieces, wigs and jewelry.

“I’ve worked every day since I was 14,” Smith said. “And I make some of my own dessert-motif rings and necklaces out of clay and silicone to save money.”

With dresses costing between $150 and $300, it is easy to see how the costs can rack up, but another Lolita has Smith beat.

When Leah Barnes, 22, was asked how much she had spent on Lolita in the year and a half she has worn it, she needed a piece of paper, a pen and a half hour to tabulate the figure.

By her count, she has spent over $5,500 — more than semester’s worth of tuition.

She first discovered Lolita through a Japanese rock band called Malice Mizer; one of the leading members has a line of Lolita clothing.

“It was too expensive then, but now I can afford it,” Barnes, a medical laboratory technician, said.

The cost of Lolita is measured in more than dollars, though. Because of its obscurity and association with fetishism, some people respond to Lolitas with rudeness and sometimes outright sexual aggression.

“The fetishist aspect has caused problems for me,” Smith said, emphasizing the word ‘problem’ but declining to elaborate. “When I wore it every day, I was harassed every day.”

Barnes has suffered similarly.

“My worst experience was when three middle school kids in a Walmart parking lot shouted ‘whore’ at me,” Barnes said. “They don’t realize we’re just normal people in different clothes.”

To fend off some of the unwanted attention and to connect with like-minded people, some Lolitas form communities in their cities and towns.

“There are some girls who are too afraid to wear Lolita in public by themselves,” Smith said. “So we meet up, decked out in our frillies and hang out together.”

Although some time is spent talking about Lolita, the majority of the time is spent enjoying each other’s company.

“I love it so much when we’re sitting together in Lolita,” Barnes said. “We might gossip about the latest dress for a little bit but then we’ll get lunch and go see a movie or watch horror movies at someone’s house.”

But, as in any group, there are arguments. One continuing debate is the question of whether it is better to wear brand-name clothing or to wear replicas.

Smith chooses to wear replicas because there are more options for sizing.

“Even if I was thin, Western women tend to have broader shoulders than Japanese women, so it makes it more difficult to find my size if I only bought brand,” Smith said. “Once you know your measurements and know them by heart, it’s easier.”

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Victoria Law, sophomore Japanese major, has been wearing Lolita for less than a year, but she’s already determined which side of the fence she’s on.

“Some people can’t afford or even find those pieces directly from the brand to begin with, so it’s not so much a loss of a sale as it is the replicator profiting off a design they didn’t create,” Law said. “I prefer to buy off-brand things myself, but I won’t deny some of the things I’ve purchased were probably influenced by a brand. As long as people are having fun and feel beautiful, I don’t see a reason to have a problem.”

SOURCE:http://weshwedding.blogspot.com/2013/03/memphis-lolitas-bring-style-from-japan.html

Meet Maky, Duke's Lemur Mascot

URHAM, NC - Meet Maky (pronounced Mah-key), the newly named mascot for the Duke Lemur Center.

Maky is the word for ring-tailed lemur in Malagasy, the language of Madagascar, the island home of lemurs. It was the most popular of the four choices voted on by 324 people responding to the Lemur Center's social media campaign to name the mascot.

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The Duke Lemur Center recently purchased a new ring-tailed lemur mascot costume for local events, but when the mascot made his debut at the premier of the movie Madagascar 3 at The Streets at Southpoint, nobody knew what to call him. The Lemur Center had the new lemur costume custom made to replace the 20-year-old sifaka lemur outfit that was rapidly deteriorating.

"The new costume is a lot more pleasant," said Joel Bray, a Duke senior and volunteer at the Lemur Center. He often dons the costume to help promote awareness of the Lemur Center.

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Follow the Lemur Center on Facebook to get updates on when and where Maky will make his next appearance.

From: http://www.helenecosplay.com
SOURCE:http://weshwedding.blogspot.com/2012/09/meet-maky-duke-lemur-mascot.html

I CASUALLY WORE A HOT PINK WIG TO DINNER AND I THINK IT WENT PRETTY WELL

I spent the weekend before last at Comic-Con in San Diego, California. My pals had a booth there and my dude was on a panel so I went to help out, swim and attend super-fun parties. 

 

With my dude's alter ego, Dr. Rockso at the Adult Swim Fun House. 

 

While walking around the main floor on Saturday afternoon, I was getting a little stressed out because there was still SO MUCH to do -- and I needed to get back to the hotel to wash my filthy hair before I attended a fancy dinner that night. (I'm obviously more than a little obsessed with washing my hair.)

 

So I was thrilled when I strolled by a booth selling tons of inexpensive, candy colored wigs -- because let me tell you, cutting the hair washing portion out of getting ready cuts the total time expenditure in HALF. I instantly planned to just cram my dirty hair up under a wig and sail off into the night. 

 

The Epic Cosplay wig booth at Comic-Con.

 

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I purposely picked a wig that was a somewhat conservative hairstyle -- shoulder length with bouncy curls. I chose one that also had straight bangs because I have very straight hair in real life, so it most "matched" my normal look. Plus the bangs help hide where the wig meets your forehead -- an important detail I only realized later on. (And a few well-placed bobby pins helped the whole thing blend into itself.)

 

The part of the wig that wasn't at ALL conservative was the color -- flaming hot pink!

 

22" fuschia purple long-bang wig, $34.99 at Epic Cosplay.

I've had hot pink hair in the past, so I already knew I could pull it off pretty well.

 

Yes, this is my real hair.

Obviously a huge hot pink wig is not such a subtle look. But luckily I had some simple clothes in my suitcase to throw on with it to tone it down. That's the main reason I stopped dyeing my hair pink all those years ago -- so much of my wardrobe clashed with it, and I had to dress really simply to balance out the mania on my head. It got way boring, fast.

 

I settled on a low-key, slightly prom-ish black strapless dress and a plain pair of platform sandals and took off for dinner. 

 

Sorry for the phone in all these pics -- my not-so-trusty photog boyfriendwas unavailable.

Those sandals I'm wearing are by Dolce Vita -- they keep releasing them every season under different "J" names: Jade, Jude, and now Jury. I love them so -- the wedge provides support and the silhouette really elongates the leg. It’s flattering on everyone!

 

They are also THE MOST comfortable platforms I have ever worn. I walked miles in them at Comic-Con and my feet never hurt. I've bought them in 3 different colors already, and I'd buy a 4th if they made 'em.

 

I almost didn't wear any jewelry with this whole getup, but then I threw on this silly rhinestone "OMG" necklace at the last minute, as I didn't want anyone to think I was taking my look too seriously. 

 

OMG necklaces are eyerywhere!

 

The whole thing was a pretty big hit. I felt sort of stupid for the first 20 minutes but then I got over it. I got tons of compliments on it, and the wig came off as more of a statement fashion accessory instead of a big obvious scenery chewing deal. The best part was that I didn't feel the need to hit the bathroom every hour or so to make sure my hair wasn't a mess! It was pretty freeing. 

 

I think the slightly formal, party frock vibe of the dress I wore with this crazy wig helped it be a fun, classy look instead of veering into a ridiculous costume.

 

Black party dresses, $9.90-$325.00.

I also played it safe with my makeup. I considered doing a really simple nude lip, but then I found this pinky-colored Revlon Just Bitten balm stain (#020, Lovesick) in my makeup bag, so I decided to go matchy-matchy for simplicity's sake. I also used the lightest wash of a warm,golden toned eyeshadow, added a swipe of mascara (Benefit's "They're Real!") and called it done. I'm telling you, it's a total snap to get dressed when one part of your outfit is doing all the heavy lifting!

 

The whole look was such a success that I'm considering the purchase of a pastel ringlet rainbow wig next. Gabi succeeded in pulling off cotton candy fairy hair, but I'm way too lazy for that sort of commitment. I need a slap 'n go solution.

 

Pastel ringlet "Rockstar" wig, $43.00 at GothicLolitaWigs.com.

The thought of owning a second wig made me wonder how I would store them in between wearings. With a little searching, I found this girl's super clever shoe rack system.

 

From mynameiseyyyyyy.tumblr.com.

Throw a sheet over the whole thing to protect them from dust and you're golden!

source:http://adf.ly/T9pzx

More cosplay wigs visit http://www.rushopn.com/discount-cosplay-wigs_c31

SOURCE:http://weshwedding.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-casually-wore-hot-pink-wig-to-dinner.html

Why girls in lolita clothing are so attractive

Out of the many different styles of clothing found today, one iconic style is the Lolita clothing style. The lolita dresses uk has its beginnings in obscurity. Although the word is Spanish, the first emergence of such a trend is still unknown. In the 1970’s however, many big clothing labels in Japan started making clothes that today might be considered to belong to the Lolita school of styling. As more and more people got enticed into buying these clothes, more and more labels started making them. Their popularity grew again as mainstream bands like Visual Kei and Malice Mizer started using them as stage costumes. The rest as they say is history. Soon the trend started spreading to western countries like the U.K, U.S etc.

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The word Lolita itself gives off a romantic and sweet vibe and Lolita clothing is just that. These clothes are extremely cute and modest while being outrageous in terms of design, color and accessories. What makes these clothes so fascinating is a tireless blend of simplicity and complication, modesty and a certain kind of aloofness. They basically feature a Victorian style of dressing with a covering blouse, skirt, bloomer, coat and jacket. Though many find the colors white and black to be appealing for these types of clothes several cute colors like blue, pink and purple are also used.

Jewel Neck Ruffles Cotton Classic Lolita Dress

Another important characteristic found in the Lolita clothing is that there will be no heavy embellishments on them. These clothes come with embroidery and laces on their edges and feature ruffle designs. The Lolita clothes have a very natural look and feel to them which cannot be found in most branded clothes found today. The young girls in particular will love these clothes as they define individuality.

Although the fashion element cannot be discarded, Lolita clothing also stands for a certain philosophy or a way of life for some. Some enjoy living their lives in a grand and majestic way akin to princesses and these Lolita cosplay uk represent that very inclination for them. These clothes provide a certain purpose to their beliefs. These people believe in being eternally young and live each day with a new found love for youthfulness. From Japan to Europe and beyond, these clothes have spread like an unwavering flame, engulfing and enticing people all over the world. Its popularity increases even today as more and more people get introduced into this strange and beautiful world.
SOURCE:http://www.lolidressshop.com