Supanova Brisbane 2014: Vintage geek costumes

I don’t normally talk about cosplay here (though I do share my Facebook page between pinup and cosplay), but a couple of weeks at Brisbane Supanova, both of my cosplays were vintage-themed, so I figured it would fit with things here!

If you do follow me on Facebook, you’ll know that on the Saturday I re-wore the pinup Little Mermaid costume that I made for Oz Comic Con earlier in the year. At the time, I wasn’t exactly happy with the singlet I bought for it, so I replaced it with a purple (the wrong purple, but whatever!) Pinup Girl Clothing Sean top from my favourite shop in the world, That Shop in Woolloongabba. I really wish this shirt came in the right lavender, because boy, is it ever flattering. It’s fitted, but comfortable, sexy but not too revealing. Basically, it’s the perfect shirt. Over the cosplay off season, I’d like to do some work on this costume and make it more obviously Ariel, but I’m pretty happy with it overall.

 

Eric is Matt Perry as Loki

And for Sunday I debuted the costume I've been the most excited about this year, DC Bombshells Mera, based on the artwork of Ant Lucia.

I have loved these Bombshell covers since the day I saw them because they do combine both of my great loves together! But I didn’t even know I wanted to be Mera until I was making my Loki sceptre earlier in the year and found an off-cut of wood in my dad’s shed that I knew would be a perfect base for Mera’s trident. From there, I was off and racing.

In many ways, this was kind of a simple costume. I modified a vintage swimsuit I already had and then just made the small details. My dad helped with putting the trident together, but I did all the foam sculpting to make it work, and still be acceptable under the con’s weapons policy (because I decided she didn’t work as a costume without the trident, so I didn’t want it to be checked all day). The sarong was just a simple piece of poplin with some finishing to neaten it off and so it sat nicely all day. Eventually though, I’d like to learn a bit of embroidery and add some pretty details to it. It was a spray paint and glue-heavy costume, so it took a lot of time for pieces to be ready to go together, with the trident and the shoes taking the longest.

But I worked at it steadily for about four months and was completely finished two weeks before Nova. It meant for the least stress, plus it was actually weather appropriate (last year, I was in my Ygritte coat at Nova in 40 degree heat)!

Photo by What a Big Camera

I did have moments of body panic… (am I too fat for this? Are people going to be grossed out?). But I think I did okay.

Photo by What a Big Camera

What was really great about this costume was that I got to spend most of the day with this rad group of ladies who’d put together their own Bombshell costumes.

Photo by What Big Camera

Early next year, I’ll be shooting Mera in a proper ocean setting, but I’ll also be adding Poison Ivy (*gulp* —my first ever lingerie shoot) and Wonder Woman to my Bombshell list (though I don’t know whether these will end up as con costumes yet).

My wardrobe loves: Geeky vintage skirts from Seams Nostalgic

You may have gathered, especially from my Miss Cooly Rocks On posts, that I enjoy dressing to a theme. Sometimes that theme is subtle and only noticeable if you’re really looking, other days, it’s super obvious.

This outfit is one of those super obvious ones:

I first discovered Seams Nostalgic at Gold Coast Supanova at the start of the year. Abigael makes gorgeous skirts, but even better than that, she’s a nerdy/pinup loving girl who weaves both of those things into her creations. This, of course appeals greatly to me as a fellow pinup nerd! Her staple seller at the time wrap skirts with geek-themed pockets, plus some more vintage-style ones and some gorgeous, soft fluffy petticoats.

I’d been lusting after her Little Mermaid skirt from around the time I was searching for outfits for Cooly, and happily, a few months ago, I picked this beauty up.

I was really lucky to be asked to model the same skirt for her at the fashion showcase as a part of Raw Art Brisbane a couple of months ago. I had an absolute blast being done up as a mermaid for the night, but I was also lucky to get a special preview of her much-anticipated DC and Marvel “Alter Ego” skirt collections, the day before they released.

Photo by Elliot Tonks of Live Exposure

What’s most impressive about Abi’s work though, is how passionate she is about her creations. She’s put an unbelievable amount of effort into designing each and every one of her skirts, matching them to specific outfits in comics and movies, weaving the fandom element in so her skirts can be worn in the office in a sort of undercover cosplay just as easily as they can be worn to a convention as an actual cosplay. She’s made patterns, bought materials and sewn them all too. Everything is finished off beautifully, which just adds to the value of her pieces.

Photo by Elliot Tonks of Live Exposure

I’ve just started sewing properly in the last year and as I’ve taken almost a month to finish a dress that’s a bit rough inside, I’ve got a newfound appreciation for people who actually work as seamstresses for a living — and Abigael isn’t just a seamstress, she’s a designer, a patternmaker, a marketer, and administrator, a packer and all of those other things that come along with having a small business. She’s an impressive, talented lady, and I am super glad that I came across her at Supanova. I can’t wait to pick up my piece of her DC collection at this weekend’s Supanova, a Wonder Woman circle skirt (modelled in our group shot by the fabulous Cleo DeFleur).

Abigael is the one with the gorgeous pink & green hair!
Photo by Elliot Tonks of Live Exposure

The Marvel and DC collections are limited, but you can jump on her Etsy store and see what’s there, and have a chance to own your own gorgeous piece of Seams Nostaglic. If you’re going to be at Supanova this weekend, Abigael has a table so you’ll be able to meet the designer herself and pick up one of her skirts (or five or six!). Check out the Seams Nostalgic Facebook page for updates!!