[Image ID: Screenshots of a twitter thread by silhouettecosplay. The thread reads:
One thing I'd love to see more cosplayers, especially competitive cosplayers focus on is ✨️fit.✨️ I see so many costumes both online and when I'm judging that are made from beautiful materials with wonderful embellishments, but the base garments do not fit them well. 🥲
Someone can have really intricate embroidery or perfectly finished armor pieces, but then the sewn pieces are stretched or dragging or baggy where they shouldn't be, and it kinda diminishes the whole look. Details are great, but they're better over a solid foundation.
Rigging/proprtion also fall into this area - maybe their materials are spot on, but if their pauldrons are slipping off because of weight or their bodice is too tight because they focused on "accurate" shapes instead of adjusting to their own body, those things are noticeable!
And if these things aren't a concern for you personally, that's fine! Many ways to cosplay. But I encourage folks who want to up their construction game to really take the time to improve their fit. Make mockups, do math, do some reading on alterations and fit adjustments.
I've talked a lot in the past about the importance of neat and tidy finishes, but the best pressed and hand finished seams won't look good if they aren't actually fit to your body.
Pressing seams does help, of course! Other things like properly made darts, clipping and notching curves, stay stitching curved edges, and marking your stitching lines instead of relying on seam allowance can all improve the fit of your costume.
- Doing mockups and fittings with the undergarments you plan to wear
- Building from the inside out so each layer fits the one below it
- Planning your attachment points from the beginning
- Practising techniques on scraps of your real fabric
I cannot stress enough the importance of foundations. Especially in competitions, all the bling and embellishment in the world will not hide the actual construction!
