GAH I wrote this big fat post and tumblr stopped working for a second. I. CAN’T. EVEN. Djsdlgsg inconvenient. Ok here I go again.
BACKSTORY: I am finally writing about this cosplay. I’ve worn it so much and I have a ton of photos. (Like Sora…I’ll tackle that one later.) I LOVE PRINCESS TUTU. :I After AX 2007, Karen showed me that popular AMV which a lot of PT fans attribute to getting them to watch the show. (I mean, with a name like Princess Tutu….) I thought it was cool but I was more interested in the song used. xD
At the end of 2008 all of a sudden five different friends (not even really connected) were watching it and saying how good it was and how crazy the ending was. I was curious again so I started watching it and was totally hooked by episode 6. It has become one of my most favorite anime in the history of ever. Augh, my heart. <3 Pretty much new I had to cosplay from it and since I fell in love with Ahiru (Duck) instantly, she was the obvious choice for me to cosplay. I’ve also made two other outfits of hers but I’ll post those later. Also working on a 4th…hopefully that’ll be done next year.
CONSTRUCTION: This cosplay has gone through 2.5 versions. .__. I sort of rushed the first version because I wanted it done for the cherry blossom photoshoot. I frankenstein’d about three patterns together to make that thing and in order to get the bell-shape of the skirt, I tried to get creative. In theory, my plan would have worked but I didn’t really execute it well enough. What I did was take a crinoline/hoop skirt and use the third hoop to line the bottom of the skirt with. The problem with all this was the circumference of the skirt was too small so it bended in weird ways. It looked okay in SOME pictures, like this one
but ultimately I was dissatisfied with it.
Before Fanime 2008, I scrapped the whole thing and started again with better fabric and a better pattern for the skirt. I used two petticoats to make it look more full. The problem with version 2 was that I attached the skirt too high so I looked really bulky and stout. The top of the dress also didn’t sit too well. Before AX 2008, I moved the skirt down and re-did the top of the dress so that it was more form-fitting. FINALLY I was okay with how it looked. xD; (Not perfect but I was sick of looking at it after a while.) I wish I could just list all the patterns I used but I’m having a hard time finding them. If I did this costume today, I would be a little more wiser when choosing patterns so I wouldn’t have to alter AS MUCH.
WIG: I’ve already posted about these wigs elsewhere and wrote about them so I’ll just link to them.
Wig 1 (Dyed with Sharpies)
WIG 2 (Dyed with FW ink)
Both wig dye methods have their perks and pitfalls. I think the FW Ink method is easier to use for longer wigs and generally a little faster. The nice thing about FW Ink is that you can mix the colors to get just about any color you want, whereas with sharpies you’re limited to whatever ink color they sell. (But at least they have a range of colors.)
PERSONAL THOUGHTS - What I like best about wearing this cosplay (other than the fact that I love this anime and I’m always happy when I meet fans from the series at conventions) is that over the past two years more and more friends started cosplaying from Tutu too. Our little group kept growing…! <3
So far it’s Karen as Fakir, Caitlin as Mytho, Caroline as Rue, Leslie also as Rue, Whitney as Edel, Kristen as Pique, Erin as Lilie, Kiyoko as Uzura, Mark as Femio, Erik as Drosselmeyer and Kelly as evil!Mytho. I can’t wait till we get together to do a photoshoot at some point.
DATE COMPLETED: Version 1 - March 2008, Version 2 - May 2008, Version 2.5 - June 2008
For more of my Ahiru cosplay photos go here on ACP or here on Cosplay.com ~
