- Character: Shinomiya Kaguya , titular character
- Series: Kaguyasama: Love Is War
- Worn at: Anime Expo 2019, Crunchyroll Expo 2019
- Estimated build duration: Few weeks
When I saw the first episode of this romantic, I instantly related to Kaguya. She’s a thorough planner and overthinker, constantly for her love interest to confess! But really, she’s just terrified of being vulnerable, due to her upbringing and status. I think we can all think of a time when we daydream of setting up a scenario to spend more time with someone special, in hopes they ask you out!
She’s a brilliant and talented student, but SO DUMB when it comes to romantic endeavors. We all start at 0 when it comes to things like that, which makes her very relatable. Her naivety is just adorable, and with how hard she tries, you want to cheer her on!
Media/Materials used
- PVC pipe and EVA foam for the love gun shown in the opening theme
- toy knife, from manga one-shot
- suiting fabric for dress
- easy-peasy shirt for the sleeves
- short black wig
- Valentine’s day heart!
Patterns
I drafted the dress from existing dress patterns, but if it helps, the black dress is a fully-lined sleeveless dress.
I also patterned her gun from a derringer that looked super similar too, so I didn’t need to reinvent the wheel!
Construction Notes/WIP
The wig was one of the most fun parts, as she has a precise and fun style! The heart gun was a cute little fun addition, a fun and simple build.
Have you ever held fabric and felt it needed to be turned into a specific thing? The fabric for this dress just begged to be made. The drape was luxurious and elegant. From a distance, it looks sharp. It had a little stretch as well to accommodate curves! This fabric just yearned to be a professional jacket, skirt or dress!
The dress itself was rather simple, though challenged myself to sew the lining and fashion fabric together with what is called the theater way to make vests. It maximizes sewing machine stitching, there’s no hand hem to fix, and the lines look smooth! The dress also has pockets too! The collar itself is detacheable, so you can wear the black lined dress as is. I love, love, love wearing this dress.
Results
Kaguyasama is always fun to cosplay; I wish I had more Shirogane cosplayers so we can shoot our virtual hearts at each other! Love is war after all!
This cosplay is super comfortable and enjoyable, one great for a summer day! The dress doubles as a work dress for me too, so I can bring a part of my cosplay to my more regular life!
