Cosplay Idea #5 - Kirito (Level 1 Costume)

Character Name: Kirito
Origin: Anime and Light Novel called Sword Art Online
Height: The character is small, although anyone can pull it off
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Black
Hair Length: Medium
Personality: Selfless, Proud, Determined, quite Quiet though
Accessories: A sword (details on it later)

I went to London MCM Expo in October and I'd started watching SAO not long before that, so the character of Kirito was fresh in my mind.  I'd love to have done his final costume but I just don't have the sewing skills or the funds to make one.  So I decided upon his first level costume featured in Episode 2.

The starting point for this cosplay is the long-sleeved blue t-shirt, I bought one from eBay for £2.50 so they can be bought very easily and cheaply online.  Any shade will do.  On top of this is his white vest, I just used an old gym top, cut around it so the shape was the same, and then outlined it with a Shapie.  It's important to make sure it's a tight fit, that way it won't blow around or get damaged.  The trousers are pretty gereneric, just wear either cargo pants or the darkest jeans you can find.  Buckle up with a belt and they're sorted.  The next step is obtaining some fingerless gloves, but this isn't hard.  If you can't find any, online shopping is once again the best option.  They can be of any material but for authenticity, leather would be best.  Note, if you use leather, make sure it's a thin leather.  He just wears some simple boots.

The Sword

A major part of SAO is as the name suggests, swords!  Kirito has some excellent swords throughout the series, but his Level 1 sword is just simply a generic longsword.  I used the blue Nerf Sword because it also fitted with his later level costume before he obtains the Elucidator.  You just need to strap this onto a belt and buckle that diagonally around your hcest and you're done!

Cosplay Idea #2 - Eiri Yuki!

Character Name:  Eiri Yuki
Origin:  Manga/Anime called Gravitation
Height:  Preferably tall, and lean
Eye Colour:  Dark Brown/Olive
Hair Colour:  Blonde
Hair Length:  Reaching to the bottom of his neck, just quite messy
Personality:  Bit of a douche, not really caring for anyone but yourself
Accessories:  Cigarettes (candy sticks!), and if possible a small ear ring, although not too important. Oh, and possible some reading glasses!


My first ever cosplay...it failed on so many levels!  But it was very last minute on a £1 budget so I didn't have much to work with!


Generic Costume


The costume itself isn't hard to make or find, it's just that he doesn't have one iconic outfit.  I just went for some generic suit.  WARNING: IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO RECOGNISE YOU, DON'T GO AS EIRI!  Not one person recognised me because he isn't too well known, and just isn't recognisible.  It's literally just a suit.  It was not a problem for me because the Sixth Form I go to require you to wear a suit!  Even just some smart trousers and shirt will do!  Just look very smart!  The £1 budget went on candy sticks.  These are pretty much the only thing that's recognisable about him, as he's a smoker.  I bought like, 5 packs because I know I'd just eat them, so always buy plenty.  Just give yourself a side parting and you should be fine!






Summary


A difficult cosplay to explain, because obviously everyone wants to be recognised, and since my parents didn't want me going to London in some big costume because they thought people would beat me up, so going to a huge conevntion with huge amazing costumes and it kinda looks like you're not even in costume is almost heart-breaking.  BUT!!! HOPE IS NOT LOST!!!  If you've ever watched or read Gravitation, you'll realise how amazing it is, and develop connections with the characters.  To me, you cosplay a character who you've bonded with, you're fond, and is your favourite.  Eiri is one of my favourite anime characters ever, so personally, it felt good to be their representing my favourite character!  (how cheesy, I know! -_-)

Cosplay Idea #1 - Peeta Mellark!

Character Name:  Peeta Mellark

Origin:  Book/Film called The Hunger Games

Height:  Any, but stocky might pull it off better

Eye Colour:  Blue

Hair Colour:  Ash Blonde

Hair Length:  Medium, just quite messy

Personality:  Confident and enthusiastic guy
Accessories:  Nothing essential, maybe a backpack

I've just seen the film and loved this character I started to think about how you could cosplay him.  He has a few costumes in the film, but I'll be focusing on two in particular: the training costume, and the arena costume.

Training Costume

It's hard to find a good picture, but this is essentially it.  A District 12 training shirt (with a zip at the front).  These can be found on eBay, although it can be quite pricey.  Since I live in Britain, its about £40, and for those of you who live in the USA, I'm sure there is some converter online to find out how much it is in dollars.  The trousers have the same pattern, black mainly with white stripes outline with red.  What I think is the most important feature about these (and the top) is that its not cotton, if you were to go to Primark (British joke) and buy one from there, it'd look silly.  Its some Polyester/Spandex material, which is why it could be expensive.  But for a major blockbuster hit, it can be easily recognised, and in Britain, £40 is so cheap compared to other cosplay costumes.  The boots are just normal leather you can get at a lot of places, just your stereotypical army boots.

Arena Costume

This is when The Hunger Games begin, and Peeta starts the fight for survival.  This will be much cheaper, and if the expo is over a weekend, it can be a cheaper alternative for a day thing.  Its just a black t-shirt, which can be very cheap, and some green/khaki cargo pants.  The only tricky part is the boots, although its not very hard.  If you want to use different Peeta costumes and already have boots (e.g. the ones mentioned for the Training Costume) then they'll do, but if you've got some money left over and want to spice up the costume to make different, then a wise investment is some men's black or dark brown ankle boots, with a quite a few buckles.  It can be hard to pick the right one, but any would look great.  If you're strapped for cash, some simply army boots will do nicely.

Summary

Peete is a fairly easy costume to make, it can be expensive if you want an authentic Training Costume, but its a good place to start for new cosplayers.  Since this is my first cosplay idea, PLEASE comment about what you liked about it and what you didn't.  Maybe there was too much opinion writting and you only wanted bare facts, or maybe more pictures and less text.  Please let me know!