Cosplay Closet Essentials: Candy-Apple Cosplay
An ambitious young woman with masquerade on her mind, Candy-Apple cosplay doesn’t let things hold her back. Her love of cosplay is evident in the details she goes into for her costumes.
It looks like you are a huge fan of anime. When did you start dressing up as your favorite characters?
“Summer of 2009. The first convention I got to go to was Saboten Con that year.”
Were you aware of cosplay/costume play as a “thing” before then, or did you just think, “Hey I’m going to have fun and dress up”?
“I was actually introduced to it by my (now ex-) boyfriend. Once I went to a meetup as a Naruto background ninja, I was hooked.”
From the photos on your Facebook page, it looks as though you do your own sewing. Do you do other construction, like props?
“I’m learning to do props. I only started basic prop stuff last year. I’ve made Sailor Saturn’s staff—it’s about ten feet tall and still needs to be revamped to look better—a few microphone props, and a large mirror prop. I got help on the design and such for the mirror since it is a huge prop (five feet tall, about two feet wide, custom frame, custom attached dolly so I can transport it—it folds up—and custom swirls around the side). I’m going to be working with Worbla soon to make better-looking props and maybe even armor for the first time.”
Awesome! How are you learning? Are you using a lot of tutorials or do you have mentors to teach you…or both?
“Tutorials and trial-and-error. My Saturn staff was just looking at a reference photo and guessing. Same with a lot of my makeup work.”
And what’s the next convention you’ll be cosplaying at?
“It should be Taiyou Con 2016. I’m even entering the Masquerade with a cosplay partner.”
Nice! I’m not familiar with that particular con. What costumes are you planning?
“Well, for sure my Masquerade cosplay is Hoshimiya Ichigo (in Suite Devil Coord) from Akatsu!, but my other cosplays are kind of up in the air. I am looking at trying to do Kyuubey from Madoka Magica, Cinder Falls (Playboy Bunny version) from RWBY (maybe in a group), and revamping my Hikami Sumire (in Odile Swan Coord) from Aikatsu!. I was told a judge for World Cosplay Summit would love to see it because of the detail work so I decided to see if I could fix it up (add more feathers and glitter mainly) and show it to her. I might add a few more cosplays or change out my lineup though. I tend to not know much until the week before the con itself.”
I take so long to make them that I usually know almost a year in advance!
“I plan things out far in advance, but things can fall through pretty easily. I tend to focus on the important cosplays first, then the other ones just in case things fall through and I have to change my lineup.”
What is the most interesting cosplay-creation-related injury you’ve had? Sewing through your finger, hot glue-gun accident, etc.
“Hmm. Tough one. I’ve gotten a lot, to be honest. I am a clumsy person. I think it’s between accidentally stepping on something really sharp (I honestly don’t know what it was) and getting a rather large hole in my foot or lacing a corset up so tight I accidentally bruised my ribs. I was doing a lot of movement that day since I was in the Masquerade and I was kind of dumb and ignored the pain. I tend to be kind of dumb when it comes to injuries. I entered the Masquerade at Taiyou Con 2015 and I rehearsed so much my feet actually did bleed (which I thought was a myth until I got home that night). I get pretty dedicated to my Masquerade performances.”
And what are the three items you consider to be most essential to any cosplayer’s closet or workbench?
“Hot glue gun (it can help fix anything), a basic makeup kit (a little can go a really long way for all genders), and a basic sewing kit (you never know when something will snap and you have to quickly sew it back together). I think almost every cosplayer has these things with them at a con or the con itself provides them in those new “cosplay fix stations” that are popping up now at cons. It’s a real lifesaver honestly.”