Written under the "nom de plume" Ramona Recluse
Costume play. Or, cosplay for short. Wikipedia defines “cosplaying” as a performance art in which participants wear clothing and accessories in order to portray a character, or idea. And, yeah, that's basically what it is. You ask your average run of the mill geek/nerd, and likely they will tell you it's a chance to catch hold of some eye-candy. Ask a hardcore geek/nerd and they will probably tell you it's the opportunity to meet their heroes in the flesh – when they aren't ripping apart potential flaws in specific details. Ask a cosplayer . . . well, they're an entirely different species to begin with. As one such participant has stated . . . cosplaying is a hobby built on passion. Enough said.
But there are lots of different aspects within the description of cosplaying. What has come to be a popular form of such fun is couples and group cosplaying.
Of course there's nothing wrong with being a lone cosplayer – I myself have cosplayed by myself for two years. But as a spectator, what makes your geek-alarm go off harder? Seeing Shaggy stroll down the hallway? Or the entirety of Mystery Incorporated ready for action? Group cosplaying is a dazzling and crowd pleasing form of the hobby – or sport, if you will. I asked some fellow cosplayers, and they defined group cosplaying as a team of three or more people cosplaying together under the same theme. One cosplayer pointed out that group cosplayers are usually crime fighting teams. But you will of course, run into a random group of Wizard of Oz players or something of that nature. As a kid you wanted to whole set when buying your favorite toys, why wouldn't you want the same for meeting your dream team?
So how do you make a successful group cosplay work? First, find your theme. If you think you're the only one on the planet in your fandom then you can think again. Better yet, they may be closer to you can think. I have personally received a few communications myself that pretty much started of with – for example, “So if I put together a female Avengers team, would you be in?”
The answer was HELL YES. But the point is, that it can be pretty simple to find willing players.
Though you need to keep in mind that people have budgets and personal obligations. So willingness, and ability to follow through is also important. While in the recruiting phase, the group will want to fill in positions and discuss theme.You'll likely want to find one or more consistent elements that truly tie your group together. Using the above Avengers example, the person pulling such group together asked for what positions I was interested in taking, and told the basic style we would be trying to go under. The consistent element being corsets, in this case.
After that, it's about setting deadlines, putting together your outfits, and showing your talented selves off to the world.
If you want me to tell you putting a group cosplay together is stress-free and without diva personalities then maybe you might want to re-think your notions of starting a costume play group. But in the end, I will tell you, it's worth it. And when I say worth it, I mean you will be so glad you did did it because finally, FINALLY, you and your fellow Avengers have “assembled” and your dreams have come true. But also, lots of costume commissions offer discounts if you do group orders for pieces and accessories.
With that we come to the topic of couples cosplays. This type of cosplaying is most interesting to me. This time if, you ask a cosplayer what a couples cosplay is, they might tell you it's a type of cosplay that involves two people portraying a set of character or idea together. Specifically friendly duos or romantic couples.
What is not ever expressly stated, is that typically a couples cosplay usually involves actually cosplayers who are couples in real life.My most recent experience with that aspect of a couples cosplay was rather interesting. I was preparing for GenCon in Indiana and of course, just like any other cosplayer, I was interested in seeing who my significant other and I would meet when we were there. While speaking to one such person I said, “Just look for a Poison Ivy and a Deadpool and you will find us!” To that they replied, “Hm, that's a bit of a stretch but it works.” It took me a minute to realize that it was assumed that because we were going together, my boyfriend and I were cosplaying as a unit. At the time, I was a little confused why someone would assume that but upon reflection I would have to say, it probably makes the idea more successful.
In the cosplay world, there are noted “celebrities” hailed for their attention to detail, characters, and craftsmanship. Monika Lee, Yaya Han, and Jessica Nigiri come to mind. But there are some noted pairs who cosplay together who have generated just as much attention. As well as favorite characters couples like to cosplay – Mayhem and Flo, Han Solo and Princess Leia, any incarnation of the Doctor and his companion, and Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus are popular ones.
On the West Coast, one couple comes to mind – on Facebook they are known as Harley's Joker and Joker's Harley (Anthony Misiano and Alyssa King), who cosplay the Joker and Harley Quinn from the Batman series. A perfect example of couples cosplay! Originally from New York, they are now located in California and attend conventions there. Anthony started cosplaying first, and soon after Alyssa – his girlfriend – joined him as Harley. They posted in-progress work on social media for all to see and debuted both costumes together. The construction of the costumes – Harley's in particular – was done by both the cosplayers. One could assume that the time spent working on the project probably was something they enjoyed doing together and likely had a strengthening element to their relationship.
Another cosplayer, Bailey Hamm of HammSammich Cosplay & Collections and her fiancee Steven Alexander also cosplay together. They can be seen most often cosplaying Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield from the Resident Evil series. I asked what the draw of a couples cosplay was and what specifically drew the pair to this one is particular. “ - Cosplaying with your partner is magical,” she states, “Especially if you have the same ships. I could have never achieved my dream cosplay without him [Steven]. There's just this spark there when you cosplay a couple with the love of your life”
She went on to describe the process involved in putting together the outfits. Specifically an essential accessory he donated to her costume – a gun holster - even modding it to fit her frame exactly, as it had been his at one time. The dedication to one another AND the cosplay is evident in the finished product. Even inspiring them to have their engagement photos done in cosplay.
This cosplayer/coloumnist readily agrees with her statements. However, on the flip side, a couples cosplay could turn into that spur-of-the-moment tattoo you get on your ass of your lover's name. While being stuck with a costume of something you only kinda like is not quite as permanent, it's likely rather painful to have this constant reminder of a failed relationship laying around. At least until you sell it, of course. So just as this kind of cosplaying could help your relationship, remember it could break it too. Therefore when doing a couples cosplay, Miss Hamm's quote is one to consider. It should definitely be something you and your partner are BOTH interested in. In the end, if only one of your are into it, then it's just not as much fun. As with the group cosplays, you'll want to make sure that there are consistencies in details and ideas. Working on things together with your partner is also a fun way to pass the time, and can help motivate the both of you to finish the project.
With both couples and group type cosplays, be prepared to garner a good deal of attention. Something I have noticed while trolling around conventions is that there is a certain amount of popularity to having a matched pair or group, and it's likely you could be stopped a lot for photo opportunities. These times are good for really playing up your chosen characters and having a blast.
No matter how you chose to dress up, cosplaying is all about having fun and being creative. Whether or not you are a master craftman making things from scratch. Your cosplay is what you make it, and having friends and loved ones to play it out with can make the experience very enjoyable.
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