Manga Life: Cosplay is a major force at any anime convention—whether you buy a Faye Valentine costume online or are talented enough to sew Ciel’s dress from Kuroshitsuji, only the people dressed in everyday clothes seem weird at conventions! I wasn’t even embarrassed to ride the DART to downtown Dallas for A-Kon in my getup because there were so many other cosplayers stuffed in the train with me. This year, however, I opted to make my own Bleach Soi Fon costume for less than $40.
I bought material at Wal-Mart and a pattern for a scrub and doctor’s jacket to make Soi Fon’s robe. Since I’m not handy with a needle and thread, I used sewing tape to hold the outfit together, a black marker to draw the markings on her robe, and wore my own black gaucho pants to mimic her ninja style. The most expensive item was the wig—$20 from a local costume shop. Overall, my costume wasn’t the most elaborate, but I was recognizable and it beat paying $80 on eBay.
