This otaku, excited!

So, Anime Expo 2012 (AX12) is right around the corner and the ever-mounting excitement and anticipation is making me physically sick.

The excitement is largely due to the fact that I will be cosplaying. And I mean…really cosplaying. But more on that later…

I did not dress up when I attended Anime Expo 2011 (AX11) last year, mostly due to the face that AX11 was my very first convention ever and I was overwhelmed simply by the fact that I’d mustered enough courage to actually attend a convention. However, I was bitten by the desire to cosplay once I arrived and saw nearly everyone in some variation of costume. And by everyone, I mean young and old, short and tall, thin and fat, professional and amateur…and everyone looked like they were having so much fun!

Some costumes were hand-made by aspiring designers or fans who have a fervent desire for costumes to be as canon as possible. Others were store bought, altered and fitted with separate accessories to reflect the character or the otaku portraying the character. I was inspired! My mind raced with a thousand ideas for which characters I might portray and how I would create awesome costumery.

Later that year I attended Comikaze 2011 with a couple friends, and debuted my very first (and very simple) cosplay as Kiki, from Hayao Miyazaki’s classic film Kiki’s Delivery Service. I wore a simple purple dress, tan flats and a big, red bow in my hair. It was not exactly canon and not exactly recognizable, especially by the attendees of Comikaze 2011, which was a con dedicated to all fandoms (e.g. comic, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, etc). But, it was nice have a simple cosplay and move about the convention relatively unnoticed.

But now…

NOW I am ready for a big costume—a costume that is beautiful as it is recognizable.  My cosplay choice for AX12 is Earl Ciel Phantomhive from the series Kuroshitsuji, or Black Butler.

Kuroshitsuji follows the dark misadventures the Phantomhive Family, an English secret executive agency controlled directly by Queen Victoria and its members are often referred to as the "Evil Noblemen" and the "Queen's Watchdogs". The family is tasked with eliminating anything that worries the Queen, as well as monitoring and keeping London’s criminal underground in check by any means necessary. Behind the front of Funtom Company, their toy and confectionary business, they are able to control and manage the underworld of the United Kingdom to effectively hide its existence from the general public. The current head of the family is Ciel Phantomhive, only son of the late Earl Vincent and Lady Rachel Phantomhive.

This dress is from a scene in the manga where Ciel goes undercover during a gala to expose an English Lord who is suspected of being Jack the Ripper.

Ah! I am SO excited! The infamous Ciel ball gown is a fairly popular cosplay option and it has many variations across the internet. I did not want to buy a cosplay that looked like a cheap Halloween costume—true cosplay is very different than what Americans do for Halloween.

I see cosplay as more of a masquerade. You should look comfortable in your costume, and it should be of a quality that presents the illusion that it’s something you would wear daily. It’s a costume that shouldn’t look like a costume. This is the dress I chose from FanPlusFriend:

In addition to this fabulous dress, I will need to purchase the following items:

The Wig: While Ciel’s hair is naturally short and straight, he adopts a long-haired look for his undercover mission.

from MeiLiFang Wig via amazon.com

The Boots: A lot of the Victorian boots I were finding were knee-high; Ciel opted for a wide, low slung ankle boot with a low heel, so these will be perfect and (hopefully) not too hard on my feet!

from Funtasma via amazon.com

The Gloves: It goes without saying that no ball gown is complete without a pair of satin opera gloves. I’m planning on altering these with a corset-like lace up along the sides, depending on how they fit my arms.

from Private Island via Amazon.com

After these items are gathered, I am in the perfect place to augment the remaining finer points of the look with jewelry and other accessories I already own. I’m thinking I may add pearls. J

Ciel is very pale; thankfully I have this going for me (!), so I’m planning on trying to make my make-up as smooth and flawless as possible. Any dramatic makeup will be reserved for the eyes and lips. I want to go for a sultry smoky eye, preferably with grey shadows. I have very short eyelashes, so I’m planning on augmenting them with “tails,” to give my lashes a long, swooping look. I’m sure I’ll need to do a few tests to get the look just right.
I have a beautiful L’Oreal lipstick that I wear day to day which I think will blend marvelously with the colors of the dress and the period.

I fear that I may be a little in love with this whole process, and am trying hard to look at the big picture to anticipate possible issues that might arise. I’ve carefully researched and scheduled the products I’ll be purchasing, so I will still have time to receive them if there’s an unexpected delay.

My biggest worry is how I will actually get to the convention. I live about 45 minutes away from LACC…but I drive a 2-door Toyota Yaris. I may not be able to drive fully dressed, and I’m not really keen to be completing my look in the LACC parking garage! I haven’t received my dress yet, so I’ll just have to try it on and see how it’ll work. It will definitely be a funny experience to drive down the 405 in an anime wig! :D

Another worry is how I’m going to handle my purse. I’m also attending LACC to buy some artwork and goodies! I hate, hate, HATE carrying bags around. I like having one shoulder bag, like a large purse or canvas bag, into which everything goes. However, nothing will mesh with my costume (not that I necessarily want it to), but still... I’m attending with friends, so I’m hoping they’ll hold my bag for pictures.

I have a perfectly sized canvas tote that is light khaki and pink, so I’ll probably use that.

There’s also that lingering thought that I’ll be one of 10,000 people dressed as Ciel. Kuroshitsuji is a very popular series and especially in cosplay. It’s not the smallest lady, but I’m curvy. I’m very short, which is keeping with the character, and I have a round face….so if nothing else, I can claim I’m the chibi version!

My last big worry is the HEAT. July in Los Angeles can be absolutely wretched. Last summer, I had to wait in line outside for 2 hours just to enter LACC. I was absolutely blown away by and unprepared for how popular AX was! By the time I got to the Expo floor, I was hot, red, sweaty and greasy from sunscreen, but that simply won’t for Ciel!

Last year I had a 2-Day Pass for Friday and Saturday, the first two days of the con. As I mentioned, Friday’s lines were CRAZY. I arrived at the same time on Saturday and the lines were practically nonexistent despite the con having grown—I think Saturday is the biggest day of AX. So, I’ve purchased a Saturday and Sunday 2-Day Pass for AX 12. Hopefully, I’ll luck out!

But aside from all these worries, I’m thrilled to be able to attend my own ball of sorts,

to wear this dress and assume Ciel Phantomhive’s person for a day.

I’m excited to walk about regally and demure if/when attendees ask for pictures.

...and depending on how confident I get, I may even interact more with fans and ask in a rather bored and bratty English accent if they’ve seen my errant butler.

<3