Make or Buy?

By Sakura no Hana. 06/01/12, 10:39 am

I have found a simple character to cosplay for Auck-ageddon this year c:
And being a newbie to cosplay o u o;; I was wondering "Which is better making or buying a cosplay?"
Make or Buy? 974377

By Squishy blob. 06/01/12, 12:04 pm

Hm, I think that depends on the cosplay. Here are some things you could consider:

+If you can buy it...
-Is the quality and accuracy of the costume to your standards?
-Is the seller/costume maker trustworthy?
-Could you do a better job yourself?

+If you can make it...
-Will you be able to get all the materials for the costume? (e.g. fabric, paint, etc.)
-Do you think you will be satisfied with the costume if you make it?
-Do you want the satisfaction of making the costume yourself?

Basically think about whether any costs - e.g. financial, time, effort, etc. - will be outweighed by the benefits - e.g. accuracy, satisfaction, quality, etc. - and decide which option you would rather have. Personally, I own a mix of bought and self-made costumes, even some costumes that are practically 50/50 bought/made, so remember you don't have to limit yourself to either one for this particular costume or any of your future costumes.

I hope this helps ^^!

By Sakura no Hana. 06/01/12, 01:48 pm

Squishy blob wrote:: Hm, I think that depends on the cosplay. Here are some things you could consider:

+If you can buy it...
-Is the quality and accuracy of the costume to your standards?
-Is the seller/costume maker trustworthy?
-Could you do a better job yourself?

+If you can make it...
-Will you be able to get all the materials for the costume? (e.g. fabric, paint, etc.)
-Do you think you will be satisfied with the costume if you make it?
-Do you want the satisfaction of making the costume yourself?

Basically think about whether any costs - e.g. financial, time, effort, etc. - will be outweighed by the benefits - e.g. accuracy, satisfaction, quality, etc. - and decide which option you would rather have. Personally, I own a mix of bought and self-made costumes, even some costumes that are practically 50/50 bought/made, so remember you don't have to limit yourself to either one for this particular costume or any of your future costumes.

I hope this helps ^^!

My cosplay is in my signature c:

Ohhh, I see. Thank you very much, this definitly helped me. Its made me think to make a few pieces of the cosplay,
and buy the rest.Thanks again~

By 80486. 06/01/12, 01:58 pm

If I might weigh in here...

If you're completely new to cosplay, you are probably better off buying your first costume. Unless you already have significant sewing experience, making will be more expensive (factoring in time and stress) than buying. I'm not saying you shouldn't make the costume yourself; if you're keen, go for it! But if in doubt, buy it.

As Squishy blob says, you can buy some, and make the rest. This is very a good idea. It makes things 10x easier, and you can take pride in the bits you made yourself.

There's more to cosplay than just making the costume. It is COStume-PLAYacting after all, not fancy dress. You'll pose for so many photos you'll lose count. That takes more preparation and stamina than you'd think.

In summary: if you buy, you will get an OK looking costume that'll get plenty of attention. Then, if you decide you like the kind of attention you're getting, you might want to try your hand at making your first cosplay. That's the path I took, and I'm very glad I did it that way.

PS: Just saw your sig. Those seera-fuku uniforms are harder to make than might expect. You have been warned.

By Sakura no Hana. 06/01/12, 02:37 pm

80486 wrote:: If I might weigh in here...

If you're completely new to cosplay, you are probably better off buying your first costume. Unless you already have significant sewing experience, making will be more expensive (factoring in time and stress) than buying. I'm not saying you shouldn't make the costume yourself; if you're keen, go for it! But if in doubt, buy it.

As Squishy blob says, you can buy some, and make the rest. This is very a good idea. It makes things 10x easier, and you can take pride in the bits you made yourself.

There's more to cosplay than just making the costume. It is COStume-PLAYacting after all, not fancy dress. You'll pose for so many photos you'll lose count. That takes more preparation and stamina than you'd think.

In summary: if you buy, you will get an OK looking costume that'll get plenty of attention. Then, if you decide you like the kind of attention you're getting, you might want to try your hand at making your first cosplay. That's the path I took, and I'm very glad I did it that way.

PS: Just saw your sig. Those seera-fuku uniforms are harder to make than might expect. You have been warned.

I knew about cosplay years ago, but I finally wanted to cosplay a few months ago. Thats what I thought i'd do at first, but I practise sewing at school, and Im taking it again this year. I was a bit wary of the costs aswell.

Its a good idea, and thats why I've gone with it~

PS : e u e;; really, that look fairly easy. Warning taken.

By fleyer. 06/01/12, 02:44 pm

I think for your first time you could easily attempt the skirt and it would be good experience :) Skirts are relatively easy.
If you feel confident enough you could attempt the top but it probably would be easier to get it made if it's form fitting like a school shirt.

And I'm going to put it out there that those are nice shoes.

By Sakura no Hana. 07/01/12, 12:28 am

fleyer wrote:: I think for your first time you could easily attempt the skirt and it would be good experience :) Skirts are relatively easy.
If you feel confident enough you could attempt the top but it probably would be easier to get it made if it's form fitting like a school shirt.

And I'm going to put it out there that those are nice shoes.

I think so too c:
The shirt would be too much for me.

Very nice shoes~

By Mischa. 07/01/12, 07:37 am

If you have access to sewing machines and help/advice at school or at home I say go for it! Fleyer made a good point about making the skirt first - you can just make the parts you feel comfortable with tackling and purchase the rest.

80486 wrote:: There's more to cosplay than just making the costume. It is COStume-PLAYacting after all, not fancy dress. You'll pose for so many photos you'll lose count. That takes more preparation and stamina than you'd think.

I'm going to butt in here - this is entirely up to you! If you enjoy acting in character do it, but there is no obligation whatsoever- you don't even have to be in photos if you don't want to.

By Sakura no Hana. 07/01/12, 08:18 am

We do have sewing machine at school, but I have yet to buy one for use at home.
The skirt is the part I feel like I could pull off.
Okay, thank you c:~

By 悪魔. 07/01/12, 10:04 am

I'm new to it too but I really love making things so I've started to make mine from random bits I've managed to find. still need paint tho lol.
If you have time attempt to make cause it is fun Very Happy

By Sakura no Hana. 08/01/12, 04:18 am

Lmao sweet, thats cool.
Making things are fun c:

By MoshiMoshi. 11/01/12, 12:53 am

Be sure that when you make the skirt you make a toile (mock up) first, don't make it straight from your real fabric in case you mess up. I've done that a few times in earlier years. I even make toiles for simple pieces, just in case. Also I would definately buy the jacket cause that would require pattern alteration to get those deep v's on it. If you've never sewn a jacket, don't make that your first. (another mistake I've made). Really cute costume though :)

By Sakura no Hana. 12/01/12, 07:00 am

I'll be sure to do that c:
Yeah, im definitly buy the jacket it looks to difficult to make o u o
Thank you c:

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