What You’ll Need Building the 2024 Emcee From the Top Down Start with the crochet top, because everything else hangs off the silhouette it creates. You need a close-fitting white or off-white piece with an open, mesh-like weave—large enough holes that skin shows through clearly. This is what produces the skeletal, ribcage effect that separates … Read more
What You’ll Need Building Zenigata’s Look From the Coat Inward The trench coat is the entire costume. Everything else exists to support it. A double-breasted brown trench with wide lapels and a belt is what people will recognize from across the convention floor. You do not need a screen-accurate replica. A thrift store coat in … Read more
What You’ll Need Building the White Dress That Carries the Whole Look The dress is the foundation, and it needs to look like a real uniform rather than a costume. A vintage-style nurse dress with a button front, short sleeves, and a modest collar is the most accurate option, but a white button-down shirtdress from … Read more
What You’ll Need Building the 2002 Girl-Next-Door Look The version of Mary Jane that matters for this costume is the one from the early scenes in the 2002 film—before the celebrity life, when she’s just the girl next door in casual layers. The outfit is deliberately unglamorous, which is exactly why it works. Everything hinges … Read more
What You’ll Need Building Clara’s Diner Uniform from “The Impossible Astronaut” The dress does most of the work here. Look for a light blue or teal 1950s-style waitress dress with a white Peter Pan collar and white cuffs, with buttons running down the front. Retro reproduction companies sell these regularly under names like “retro waitress … Read more
What You’ll Need Building the Silhouette First Start with the overall shape before worrying about any individual piece. The witch’s look depends on a narrow waist exploding into a floor-length skirt, with the hat and cape extending the vertical line even further. A slim or straight-cut dress will undermine the entire costume no matter how … Read more
What You’ll Need Building Unella’s Grey Robe and Bell from the Ground Up The grey robe is the entire costume, and getting the fabric right matters more than getting the pattern right. Unella wears something shapeless, heavy, and completely matte—a fabric that hangs straight from the shoulders without clinging or draping against the body. Cotton, … Read more
What You’ll Need Building Katy Perry’s Jungle Look from “Roar” The leopard print bikini top is the anchor of this costume. A push-up style with a bright golden base and bold black spots gives the right contrast—the exact pattern matters less than that color relationship. Halter and bandeau styles both work, but the top needs … Read more
What You’ll Need Building the Sisters’ Ballgowns from the Ground Up The dresses are the entire costume. Everything else supports them. Drizella’s gown is a loud chartreuse-yellow, while Anastasia’s is a deep pinkish-red. Both should be Victorian-inspired ballgowns that went wrong somewhere—puffy sleeves, fitted bodices, and full skirts with enough structure to hold an animated … Read more
What You’ll Need Building the “Midwest Princess” Pageant Look The album cover for The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is essentially a drag-influenced pageant look, so the costume works best when each piece is treated as part of that exaggerated whole. Start with the base and build outward. The blue sequin dress is … Read more