Being a Soldier of Justice is Hard

Sometimes, your shoulders get cranky.

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I just realized that I've never shared any of my Otakuthon 2014 pictures in my Deviantart Gallery. Oops!

I've wanted to cosplay as this version of Sailor Moon for a very long time. In this very first illustration of Naoko Takeuchi, Usagi can be seen in her school uniform with silver hair and a crescent moon on her forehead, while also posing with a hand gun. As I see it, it could be an illustration in which Usagi is a more or less normal schoolgirl patrolling the streets at night as her secret identity, Sailor Moon.

I don't know why I like this picture so much, but it has fascinated me ever since I had the hands on the first Sailor Moon artbook when I was little. I've wanted to cosplay as Sailor Moon / Usagi for a very long time, but never saw myself worthy of it, mainly because of al the wig styling it involved.That being said, I am very happy to have finally been able to cosplay as her, even though I still consider that I have a long way to go with the way I wear this costume.

Construction-wise, I drafted all the patterns for this cosplay myself, and I dyed all of the blue fabric to obtain a color that is closer to Naoko's illustration. I am especially proud of the top, which I was able to sew very cleanly! I even completely lined it for better protection and fit. I've also sewn a pocket somewhere near the bow, but my arm completely hides it in this picture.

The bow is completely separable from the top to facilitate washing as well as make it stay in place. It's staying on with a few snaps: one in the middle and two on each sides of the bow, if I remember correctly. This gives it a very straight, manga-like shape. I'll definitely continue to sew cosplay bows using this kind of technique, because although it is more time consuming, it just stays on a lot better than any other bows I had made before this one. 

The skirt is a simple knife-pleated skirt, although I did add pockets on each side seams, which was very helpful for carrying stuff around the convention. 

The wig was hands-down the hardest piece of this cosplay, mainly because I don't tend to do a lot of wig styling. I used a Chibi wig and a ponytail extension from Arda Wigs in silver white to make the whole thing. Styling the chibi itself wasn't that difficult, however I did end up making my stubs too low, which is why I decided to sew my odangos / buns on top of the stubs instead of gluing them on. It stays on like a charm, and if you use clear nylon thread, it doesn't show at all! I was very happy to be able to make up for my mistake in such a clean way. I do have pictures of the whole process, so I'll probably try making a tutorial or something of the sort when I get to it. I had also styled the bangs and side burns, but by the time I had the pictures taken, it had kinda deflated.

Overall, this simple costume is fun and comfy to wear. Almost nobody recognized the character, so I was able to run around the convention as much as I liked! If I have the opportunity, I would like to wear it again and perfect my wig styling and posing. A big thanks to my twin sister who was willing to deal with me and take some pictures!

Cosplayer and model
Photographer