Cosplay With Curves

Last week I confessed that my journey to being your Geeky Fashionista has been a long one. Well, this journey hasn’t been long just because I was a very drab goth kid back in the day. It’s a tough road to find your own style when there are but a handful of accessible retailers that carry your size. Then, add on to the fact that the clothing at most of those retailers is anything but fun and has about as much personality as the color khaki. This combination led to the younger me thinking that fashion was only for those whose dress size didn’t venture above a size 10. Thankfully, I’m really stubborn so I reached a point that I refused to be relegated to stretchy pants and tasteless/shapeless dresses for the rest of my life; thus, I decided that I was going to be a stylish babe no matter what (hence why we are chit-chatting now). The lessons that I’ve learned over the years about how to make fashion work for me not only apply to everyday wear but also to the not-so-everyday, and while that could mean a multitude of things, this time I’m talking about cosplaying. So, without any further adieu, read on for some helpful plus size cosplaying tips!

Step one is obviously deciding what character you want to become for a day (or a whole weekend), though that can sometimes be the hardest step. Unless you happen to choose a character that already has a little chub, you have to accept that you are not going to look exactly like your chosen character. But guess what? That’s totally fine! Say you want to be Harley Quinn and rock the classic one piece look but are petrified that there may be a little (or a lot) visible belly outline (VBO) – just ask yourself this: who are you afraid of offending? If you’re going to have fun as that character, what will the opinion of someone who you’ve never met matter?  The answer is that in the long run, it simply won’t. Those that will judge you will judge you whether you’re hidden away in a hoodie and jeans or flaunting what you’ve got in a costume that you’re proud of, so you might as well do what makes you happy regardless of what other people are going to think of it.

Then of course there is the issue of finding a costume that you want, that you can afford, and that fits properly. I will totally admit that this is a pretty tough beast to fight and the best suggestion I can give you is to put on your DIY gloves and get busy. Etsy and other retailers definitely carry plus size costume pieces and some are of amazing quality, but sometimes you just can’t find that one character that you need or they simply don’t have the right size. Instead of giving up you can either make something from the ground up, repurpose/resize something to fit your needs, or find a seller that will custom-make/custom-size something for you. If you build a costume from scratch, you will need to have time and at least an elementary knowledge of sewing to keep you from pulling your hair out and the time to put into it. There are a lot of tutorials out there on sewing and pattern-making if you are this daring; also, ask your friends, because you never know who may have a secret skill. You can also find pieces that can make the base of a costume (like a black unitard for a Harley look) then just add and adjust as needed to make something that is just right for you. There are also sellers on Etsy that will custom make a costume to your measurements (click here for tips on getting the right measurements).

 Now that you’ve got your costume sorted out, you have to accessorize – but sometimes, accessorizing can be just as much of a pain as getting the bulk of the costume together. First off, there’s the issue of shoes. If you need a wider width or a wide calf for boots, my two favorite places to check are Torrid and Zappos because I can find the right fit and I know that the shoes will be sturdy. You can even find sellers on Etsy that will custom-paint shoes to give you something a little extra, which is always great. If finding bracelets that fit properly are an issue, go for open-backed cuffs or look for people who make custom pieces in your size.

The golden rule of cosplay in general is to do what makes you happy and that rule is not, nor will it ever be, size-specific.  So, the next time you find yourself wanting to cosplay but you think that it’s something that is out of your reach simply because there is a little more to love, banish the thought from your mind and get that costume together! Until next week my lovelies!

P.S.

All of the amazing cosplayers featured in this weeks geek fashion were found on 
http://fuckyeahfatcosplay.tumblr.com
 which has even more amazing cosplayers to check out!

Spiderman Dress OOAK Upcycle… avantegarb $39.00	Mustache Collection Ladies P… theboldbanana $15.50	Legend of Zelda Triforce Gol… ohmygeekness $14.00	Alice in Wonderland Dress as… MGDclothing $224.95
Polka dot dress 50s style, n… CheriseDesign $125.00	Custom Designed Shoes by Bee… Beebeeshandmad… $150.00	silver ring – Geek ring in s… CosmosMoonJewe… $30.00	Like Star Trek TOS Dress Cos… PandaSewingBou… $119.99
Circuit Board Black and Whit… redcurrydesign… $54.99	Do not meddle in the affairs… Cuffingtons $75.00	STAR WARS Moto Jacket XL Platipuses $115.00	Bracelet–CUSTOM ORDER–Char… Customcomix $25.00

Tags: accessories, Chubby, cosplay, cosplayers, costume, Curves, custom, etsy, fashion, fatshion, geek, geek chic, geekery, harley quinn, Lumpy Space Princess, nerd, plus size, plus size fashion, sailor neptune, tips, Tricks