The Making of DFO Slayer Cosplay

In July I was tasked with creating a cosplay of a character from the MMO Dungeon Fighter Online! I've compiled some work in progress photos and notes about the process here on my blog. Read on for the deets!

Concept Art:

The Slayer design has a bolero style fur coat with a very fluffy collar. Re-creating the fabric parts was the first task I tackled on this costume, knocking out the pattern and mockup in an evening. The body of the bolero is made of black faux fur and the collar is made of ostrich feathers. The lining is a crimson stretch cotton sateen. The dress is fleece lined spandex.

Some dislike working with faux fur because it is messy and can look bad if not cut right. As long as you know a few tricks beforehand it is one of the easier materials to cross your crafting table. I've put together a few tips on working with fake fur here:

I hit several big road blocks while working on this costume. One of the issues I encountered was several molds I was making for parts of the belt failed. I had to change tactics fast, since I only had a few weeks to construct everything. Thankfully, my cosplaying partner in crime, Kevin had the idea of using a rubber toilet gasket as a shape to mold Worbla over. ​A part of my brain thought, "Are you really going to use parts of a toilet to make this costume?" I did. No regrets. ​🚽