First things first, though. ;)
I was seriously soooo disappointed when no new [female/simple] costumes popped up in the Battle of the Five Armies teaser. (Except for that teensy peek of Galadriel's new costume, which a picture was already released of.) Yeah, as much as I like Thrandy's and the dwarves' new armor, uh, yeah, not gonna happen. xD
HOWEVER -- I do adore the idea of armor...
So, I started thinking... what if I just completely made up a costume inspired by Tauriel? And then I remembered all that GORGEOUS concept art for her costumes that they ended up not using. And then the idea just kept growing and growing until I finally decided on the idea of...
Battle Tauriel. :D
Like I said, it'll be based on the concept art designs, and embellished with my own imagination. It'll be, basically, what I think Tauriel would wear into battle. The main things I want to include in the costume are some sort of elvish armor, and a floor length, split skirt (unlike the calf-length of her dresses in Desolation of Smaug).
I started sketching some ideas over the past week... Now, keep in mind, none of the designs are perfect. I'm really just messing around with my ideas. The more I think about it, and the more designs I make, the closer I'll get to what I actually want the finished costume to look like. :)
So, that's what I'm working with currently. My favorite idea so far is the chainmail shoulder pauldrons, which I got from this concept drawing. (And if I did that, I'd most likely make it out of soda pop tabs. Yes. Those tabs you open aluminum cans with, which I've been collecting for the past several months, actually. xD Sound weird? Check this out.) I'm thinking of adding another chainmail aspect to the costume, though I'm not exactly sure what.
Also with the chainmail idea, I'm not sure whether it should even be chainmail, or maybe just leather armor... or perhaps I could try my hand at craft foam armor, and give it a metal look...
Another thing I'm debating is the cape. I don't want it to be a full cloak (which would hide too much of the costume underneath), but rather one that just goes down the back, like the first design, or one where the arms are exposed, like designs 2 and 3.
The final thing I'm debating is the base dress -- basically, how I want the skirt, sleeves, and collar to be. I'm looking at a few sewing patterns for that, however, which would definitely make creating the dress easier. ;)
So, yeah! That's what costume I'll be making for The Hobbi: The Battle of the Five Armies. :D
In conclusion, may I just say... I am so pumped for this cosplay. It's going to be so incredibly fun to make. And wear. And it's already been fun to plan. :D
I'll update with more news concerning this soon! 4 months to go, guys!!! :D :D
Oh! And I've made a Pinterest board just for this costume -- as usual. xD
Also with the chainmail idea, I'm not sure whether it should even be chainmail, or maybe just leather armor... or perhaps I could try my hand at craft foam armor, and give it a metal look...
Another thing I'm debating is the cape. I don't want it to be a full cloak (which would hide too much of the costume underneath), but rather one that just goes down the back, like the first design, or one where the arms are exposed, like designs 2 and 3.
The final thing I'm debating is the base dress -- basically, how I want the skirt, sleeves, and collar to be. I'm looking at a few sewing patterns for that, however, which would definitely make creating the dress easier. ;)
So, yeah! That's what costume I'll be making for The Hobbi: The Battle of the Five Armies. :D
In conclusion, may I just say... I am so pumped for this cosplay. It's going to be so incredibly fun to make. And wear. And it's already been fun to plan. :D
I'll update with more news concerning this soon! 4 months to go, guys!!! :D :D
Oh! And I've made a Pinterest board just for this costume -- as usual. xD
I really love this idea! Its gonna look so cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karis dear!! I'm super excited about it. :D :D When I get back, we need to have a cosplay planning party and work on our costume ideas. Hehe. (Adding yet another thing to the extensive list of things to do when I get back... xD)
DeleteYour a really good artist! I agree when you said that your favorite aspect so far is the chain mail on the shoulders :) As for capes, I always find myself falling into the Edna Mode "No Capes" rule, but if you decide to use one in the end, I'd definitely go with the behind the shoulders kind! Also, you were wondering where else to include chain mail... How about adding them where the darts would be in the dress/pattern if there are any? I'm not even sure if it's possible, but I'm imagining that now, and I think that would be really cool :) Anyways, great job so far; I'm super excited to see what else you come up with!!
ReplyDeleteAwh, thanks, Maggie! Hahah!! Edna. xD But seriously, yes! It makes so much sense. If I do end up going with a cape, I want to keep it very functional. Nothing that would get in your way while trying to slay orcs. ;)
DeleteOkay -- now, wait, help me envision your chainmail idea. 'Cause it sounds awesome, I'm just trying to imagine it correctly. :D
Thanks again for all the kind words! :)
Looking for reference photos right now :) Also, how do you think you'll wear your hair? They have some cool chain mail head coverings on Pinterest that I'll send to you!
DeleteNo luck in the picture search so far, but basically what I'm envisioning is a dress, mostly fabric (dark grey perhaps) with tiny chinks of the chain mail sticking out. Say the dress got ripped. That's where the chain mail would basically show up in bits and pieces. As if a whole nother costume (made entirely of the chain mail) was under neath the fabric dress. Did that help? :P Also I was thinking it would be cool if they appeared in tiny downward triangles -one along each shoulder blade (with or without the pads). Lol, idk if I'm really even getting anywhere; maybe I'll just resort to drawing a pic :P
DeleteOkay, that sounds super epic. I love the idea of doing the armor as, like, a sort of tunic layered under the dress, like you were saying. And the downward triangles too -- I think that design would be really elvish. Thranduil's BOTFA armor has some designs of that sort, and I thought it'd be neat to borrow some elements from his costume, since both Thrandy and Tauriel are Mirkwood elves and such. Oh! And the color, yesss I really want to do grey or silver. Maybe with a very slight hint of green. Almost a sea grey. (Good luck finding that, I know xD) And a drawing would be lovely, actually! I'd love to see some of your ideas on paper. :D
DeleteOr just use the long sleeves as kind of an excuse for the cape :)
ReplyDeleteOh! Yes, that's what I was thinking -- if I do the long sleeves, then I'll definitely skip the cape. As it is now, though, I'm kind of leaning away from the drapey elvish sleeves, as I think they'd be kinda hard to fight in. xD
DeleteOh my goodness!!! I can't believe you toke my idea!! :) That is going to be awesome! I really like the idea of the cape, but just remember that she is going into battle and not to make the dress or the cape to long.
ReplyDeleteOh! Did I??? *looks back at earlier posts* Oh yeah! You did mention this idea, didn't you? Great minds think alike.. ;D And thanks! ;)
DeleteYesss definitely, about the length. That's exactly what I'm trying to keep in mind in the making of this costume -- keeping a good balance between functionality and "prettiness," if you know what I mean. :)
Yes.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have a Pinterest, and I posted my costume on it. I can't send you the link though. But I am one of your followers. :) I'm under the name Leia Mosemann if you want to see it.