PERSONALJennifer NguyenApril 08, 2016Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle

Rey for a Day

PERSONALJennifer NguyenApril 08, 2016Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle

Hey everyone! My favorite month, April, is here, and that means it's Comic-Con weekend in Seattle! I've been going to Emerald City Comic-Con (and other cons in Seattle) for years, but this year is extra special for me, because it's my first time cosplaying! After disney bounding as Pocahontas, I couldn't wait to dress up for something else. With ECCC quickly rolling up, I chose to be Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I chose Rey because I've always gravitated to strong female characters; the ones that are their owns heroines, not the damsel in distress. It also helped that, despite the difficulty of finding the right shade/texture of fabrics I wanted, it was quite doable in the span of one week.

THE LOOK

The boots were borrowed from my cousin. (Thanks Isabelle!)
Undershirt is an old TOMS t-shirt where I cut the sleeves off. It was already the perfect shade, so why not?
My mom helped me sew the elastic waist pants, since I'm still a novice. (Thanks Mom. I love you.) Fabric was $1.70 total.
The robe & arm wraps are cut from the same fabric, with the rob gathered at the top.
Belt & bracelet are cut from a vinyl leather sheet (2 yards worth) I got on sale for $5
Plus I just went back to dark hair. Surprise! #ThatWasEasy #NotReally
The hardest part was her bag. I've made bags before but this was the most detailed. You can't tell but it's fully lined with pockets! :)

It quickly became a con experience I've never had before. I've always come to simply be an "observer" of artowrk & cosplay, and suddenly people were stopping me to compliment my costume or ask me to pose for a picture. I might have looked like a deer-in-headlights the first few times to be quite honest, but it also felt like I had become part of a new family, and that was exciting!

That's why I love cons though. There are "regular" people out there that make fun of cosplayers, or nerds, and call us "weird." I think they're boring.

If you're going to live life, do what you love & without shame. Love what you love fully & with passion.

Cons are the only place where you can walk in, and the nerdier you are in whatever you love, the cooler & more accepted you are. Plus here, you get to meet a lot of cool people interested in the same thing you are, like this little Rey girl that asked me for a photo above, and these people below.

Family of Miazaki characters! (Mom, aka Tomagi, was inside getting them Starbucks, as they should in Seattle).

A Miazaki family. Dad is No Face. Mom (aka Kamaji) was inside getting them Starbucks.

Here's a guy I'm proud to call my coworker: Aaron! He makes the most beautiful & detailed cosplay outfits, I've ever seen. Plus he has carrots.

I hope you guys enjoyed this picture/text heavy post. It's not my usual fashion oriented stuff, but hey, it's Jen's life right? Next time you guys see me, I'll be in Florida. Remember, live the adventure. Love, JEN.