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| To Buy or Not to Buy; That is the question | |
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| Topic Started: Feb 3 2009, 10:49 PM (384 Views) | |
| kuni_izumi | Feb 3 2009, 10:49 PM Post #1 |
Breaker of Destined Fate
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So this seems to come up a lot in cosplay circles and I want to know...what do you think of people who don't make their own costumes? Would you buy a cosplay costume? Personally I will always think higher of people who make their own costume, but as long as the person who buys the costume appreciates the amount of work that went into it and is just trying to have fun, I don't really mind too much. Of course, it should be obvious that entering a contest with a paid for costume (for craftsmanship, acting is another bucket of fish) or claiming you made it when you didn't is just WRONG. So what do you think? Would you still respect cosplayers who don't make their own costumes? |
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| Jsun | Feb 3 2009, 11:11 PM Post #2 |
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I don't really mind if people buy their costumes to cosplay. Not all of us are talented like most of the cosplayers here. They put a lot of effort and time and money into their work. I bet a few of them would maybe argue against buying instead of making. There are certain things you need to look at when you are comparing buying and making. First off, when you make something and finish it you get this sense of achievement like you have accomplished your goals or something important. Now if you don't have time or patience to make a costume then you probably might want to buy instead. You won't get the same feeling as if you made it, but you can still cosplay as your favorite character for a little more $$$. In most cases, you probably won't be able to find the costume for the character you want to cosplay as. *These are just some assumptions I have made myself. Don't be offended if I say something different or stupid* Buying A Costume: -Easy to do -No time wasted -May Cost More Money -Might be hard to find a certain character -No feeling of accomplishment or achievement Making A Costume: -Requires lots of time and effort -You have to buy all the fabric and tools to create the costume -May cost less to make -Can be very frustrating -Feelings of Accomplishment or achievement A very good poll kuni. I always wondered about what the views were on this as well. Also do cosplayers get offended if people call their cosplay; costumes, outfits or wardrobe? My friend got mad at me before when I called his cosplay an outfit. |
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| kuni_izumi | Feb 3 2009, 11:32 PM Post #3 |
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Breaker of Destined Fate
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I don't really care what people call it, and outfit, a costume, cosplay outfit, whatever. I used to get pissy over the difference between 'cosplay' and 'halloween costume' but with the amount of effort some people put into their halloween costumes and the LACK of effort some cosplayers are displaying these days...they're all costumes or outfits or clothes to me. |
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| Qing Long | Feb 3 2009, 11:41 PM Post #4 |
青龙
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Well, I don't mind too. Everyone isn't good at making a cosplay, & some didn't have time to do it, there may be many reasons. Great points of comparaison you wrote, Jsun  Making your own cosplay, it looks so awesome, glad for those who succeed to made it ^^ but if you can't make your own & buy it, tell the true instead of saying you made it. There's no shame to tell the true. (not participing at a contest if you didn't make at all your cosplay for example) And good luck in Cosplay everyone ^^ |
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| Greenzaku | Feb 4 2009, 12:50 AM Post #5 |
Grilled fish and tequila
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I'd like to say...whatever. Buying/making/tailoring is all relative as long as the end result is satisfying, though I do agree that in competitions, you've got to have made at least a good percentage of it yourself as its a show of skill as much as anything else. |
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| Manji | Feb 4 2009, 02:26 AM Post #6 |
delicious...
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Well, I'd certainly prefer to create my own costume, but of course I want it to look decent too. I think maybe in a pinch I'd buy a costume if I was desperate... but as mentioned, you never REALLY know what you're going to get from some seller on Ebay who probably runs a sweat shop in Indonesia. So I'd only commission one from someone I'd know who could do a quality job. As for others who always purchase... well, I can't help but feel a bit more "superior" if I'm wearing a self-created costume and it's blatantly obvious someone else hasn't because three other cosplayers are wearing the same exact costume at a con.  Like those Naruto cosplayers... 
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| kuni_izumi | Feb 4 2009, 04:11 AM Post #7 |
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Breaker of Destined Fate
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XD A little smug superiority there Manji? Me too. I would make the most awful judge for a cosplay competition because I am SUCH a nit picker for perfection. If someone has something off about their costume I NOTICE (granted only for things I know about duh). I get it from my mom, who is a historical costuming perfectionist. We have a HAY DAY laughing at the people who go to things like the Renaissance Faire in things from the wrong century...and then have to resist the urge to rip wings off of fairies. XD She's SCA though, she's entitled. I have to admit I would never count down someone for buying a costume...but they're just NOT in the 'seamstress' (or seamster/tailor for boys) club. They may be part of the cosplay community, but they're just out of the inner circle. You CAN'T buy a perfect costume. It has to be made. It's like the costume needs spirit or life...or chi or something that only happens when you make something with your own hands. For example: My mother manages to prick herself on EVERY sewing project she's ever made for me and gets a drop of blood on a seam (I know this seems horribly unclean but they're for me not for sale to the public or anything) and it's kind of like putting her literal MARK on it, or literally blood, sweat and tears. |
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| acktosh | Feb 4 2009, 09:03 AM Post #8 |
Elite Soldier
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kuni_izumi: i totally agree on the perfect costume bit you mentioned. of course, everyone has to start somewhere; i went to a tailor for my first few cosplays. sad to say for those tailors i nitpick a lot too, and i end up altering my costumes myself(mostly using glue hahah). which eventually led me into characters which more armour than cloth bits. i think its ok for beginners to get costumes off the shelves to start, but end of the day, personally, the spirit of cosplaying IS to DIY. 
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| kuni_izumi | Feb 4 2009, 01:06 PM Post #9 |
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Breaker of Destined Fate
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@_@ Where do you FIND a tailor to do these things? Because I can guarantee everyone in Southern California who COULD was building movie or stage costumes and there isn't anyone in Pennsylvania who does it (Not that I know of anyways, they're all busy making Revolutionary War and Civil War costumes). |
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| Nutella | Feb 4 2009, 07:20 PM Post #10 |
May contain nuts
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I for one, disapprove buying of costumes. Because for me, the sewing part is half of the cosplay process. The other half is the acting that comes along with wearing the costume itself. So it brings the essence of the cosplayer into the character. But I myself have bought costumes, ready made and tailored. All of which I wasn't fully satisfied and altered a little after. For now, if I wanted something tailored, I'll just have them make the basic shape and i'll add the trimmings later. @Manji: There's also the Vampire Knight cosers... 
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| wildcard | Feb 6 2009, 11:20 AM Post #11 |
The one... the amazing... the powerful... ME!
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I used to really dislike people who buy their outfits - mainly because most of them picked on those that made them themselves and didn't do as well. By now I mainly do not care, but I wish in Germany and Austria people who buy their outfits wouldn't be allowed to competend in a REAL competition. I'm glad about some controlling systems thought. We do have a German Cosplayer Contest (some sort of 'Best Cosplayer in Germany') and I just recently found out that they really put a lot of efford in making sure if a cosplay is bought or not. There was a winner one or two years ago who was disqualified after all, because he bought a costume, alterted it slightly (mainly the shoe) and claimed that he'd had done it all himself. Apparently only due to an anonymous hint did the judges find out that he might have bought it from an asian ebay shop. As the person in question still didn't back down from his claim of having it sewed himself, they bought the outfit again, with one of the judges size and also had the contestant send in his outfit. It was compared and all that and the possibility that he had made it himself couldn't be completly ruled out, so the next step was - with permission of the "sewer" to undo the costume, to compare fabric... It was what finally made the lie burst... Personally, if someone accussed me of having a costume bought and on e-bay a similar costume existed and it would get to the last point, I do not know if for the sake of proofing myself innocent I'd allow them to unsew the cosplay... I suppose it would depend on where and which and if I could be present... But it would still make my heart bleed to see my precious work getting undone (and me having to re-make it later, if I wanted to continue wearing it). |
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| Bai Xue | Feb 6 2009, 12:28 PM Post #12 |
Didn't make it into history
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I don't know, being an observer I'd rather see a good quality bought one rather than a badly made one, but doesn't buying the costume defeat the purpose of cosplaying? If I actually bothered cosplaying I'd rather make it because that's you're supposed to do really. If I couldn't pull it off it'd rather throw away my work and leave it at that rather than buying one that someone else could make because it'd just make me feel like even more of a failure than just leaving it, and besides, that's just more money down the drain. |
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| Sera | Feb 6 2009, 01:14 PM Post #13 |
Commander
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serene_ai: It's unpleasant what happened there :/. I'm not against people who buy costumes, until they don't claim them as their own, especially in competitions. Some people just want to "pay homage" to their favourite manga/anime/videogame/movie/etc. characters or show that they like them, their gratification is "becoming" their favourite characters for a day. I think there's nothing wrong with that. However I was thinking also of another thing: speaking of bought costumes, I think there's a real difference from purchasing them from a tailor or, for example, from one of those online shops. Costumes from online shops are often one-size-fits-all and the materials are low quality, not to mention that everyone who buys those wears equal costumes. While tailor's costumes can be very good quality, fit you perfectly and usually are a unique piece. Moreover, do you guys and gals think the costume a tailor makes just for you is so different from the costume made by your mother/a relative/a neighbour/a friend, speaking of competitions/satisfaction wearing it? What I mean is that, in fact, in both cases it isn't the cosplayer who made it. That's what I was wondering and thinking about, reading this thread. Oh, I forgot to point out that if I cosplayed I'd like to make my own costume by myself (I should learn how to tailor before, though XD). |
 
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