presea combatir

Character Name: Presea Combatir
Series: Tales of Symphonia
Outfit: Default Outfit

Started: October 2008
Finished: July 2009
Hours to make: 90+
Cost of materials: approx. $205 CAD
Status: Retired
Worn at: Otakon 2009, Otakuthon 2009

Presea is a costume that I've been planning to make since late 2007, so I'm really happy that it's finally gone through. The funny thing is, about three quarters of the money invested into this project went towards the wig and the axe. Everything else ended up being pretty darn cheap. XD

The dress is made out of three layers of material. The first two layers are of this thicker stuff that I was originally going to make the dress out of before finding a more accurate color which I added on top. I'm not sure of the fibres of the two materials used as they were bought in the bargain bin, but I think the top layer may be some sort of polyester. The trim was done with bias tape, and then the dress zips up in the middle.

The gloves and boots were made out of upholstry vinyl. This was my first attempt at making gloves of any sort, so they didn't turn out fabulous. The material I chose was quite annoying to work with when making the gloves and they didn't turn out to be all that comfortable. The belt and the back pouch were also made out of upholstry vinyl.

All of the armor was made out of craft foam that was then painted silver. The boot armor was sealed with a coat of varnish. I should have sealed the glove armor as well, but I had already glued all of that down before I thought of doing so. The tip of the belt was also craft foam. The knife was made using the same material, but the brown part was actually left over pleather from another costume. The cruxis crystal was made out of Model Magic and then I attached it to myself by threading invisible string through it, and making a sort of necklace out of it.

The wig was a whole adventure and experience in itself. It was the first time trying a lot of new things, so I was extremely nervous about it. The entire wig consisted of a base wig (Cosworx's Clover) and five packs of extensions. I stubbed the wig and then used foam core to make the pigtails. Everything was then glued together and red strips of fabric were added around each pigtail. A lot of it was done last minute, so I didn't have a chance to try on the wig before actually wearing it to the convention! Thankfully, I think it turned out good.

Finally, the axe was made by my wonderful dad. It ended up getting done super last minute, but I'm really happy with the results. It's actually three pieces so it can fit in my suitcase, and it isn't terribly heavy. Thank you so much dad!

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with the costume as a whole. There are a few things I can be kind of nitpicky about, and a few things need to be redone/better secured. Considering it was a first for me in a lot of aspects, I'm proud of what I managed to accomplish.

Pictures