time completed: End of January 2007
hours spent: 20
worn at: TNT GT (Mexico City), Cartoomics 2007 (Milan, Italy), Anime Expo 2007

Why I chose to make this costume:
I have been wanting to cosplay from Saint Seiya since I understood the term COSPLAY. T_T
It was the first anime series I watched on TV, back in China when I was about 8 years old. And it is also the first manga I ever read, and I own the entire series.
Saori is by no means my favorite character in the series, but I was told in the past that I would pull her off, and it was the easiest costume I could think of for the short time frame I had.

How I made this costume:
I used a semi-shiney crinkled/pleated white fabric in order to achieve the classic Greek pleated dress look for Athena.
For practical reasons, I decided to make the dress into a full skirt and top. The top closes with loops and ribbons in the back becauseI thought it would look more natural than a zipper.
The skirt has a second layer of bridal satin, and I wear it with a hoopskirt underneath.
The waist cincher was so fun to make - I created my own cincher pattern following the character design, used a super reflective gold stretch pvc/lycra for the outer layer, lined the whole thing and sewed boning into it. Then I drew a pattern for the top trim as well as a different pattern for the bottom trim. Using gold Lame for a separate texture, I traced and cut out the patterns, then appliquéd them onto the cincher, satin stitching and finishing all the outlines. I then hand-sewed gold and red beads to the trim and glued on large crystals following the design.
I made the necklace with blue and clear glass beads, and created the armband, choker, and hair piece with remnant Wonderflex pieces and hotglue. I plan on remaking those pieces in the future in plastic.
I cut bangs into the wig and styled it accordingly.
For the gold angel wings, I created a new design and shape, made the wings, and sized them to be folded up and fit into a specific travel friendly box. I wish I could have made the pair bigger, but I haven't found a larger box for wing transport so far! Maybe in the future?
I finished the staff in time for Anime Expo 2007 - the gold bird shaped round staff end was first sculpted entirely out of clay, then I made a mold for it and casted it out of plastic. I then painted it and attached it to the black staff itself which is a butchered curtain rod lol.

Thoughts on this costume:
I really loved cosplaying from Saint Seiya! The story was such a part of childhood growing up, and it makes me happy to be able to feel like I'm a part of it in a tiny geeky way. I must admit though, that it was pretty difficult to maneuver in the hoopskirt, wings, and staff all that the same time. I got so exhausted after just a couple of hours. Next time must build stamina up first! lol
Thank you to the photograghers who took photos of this costume. I really appreciate your efforts and enjoy the pictures immensely!

Reference pictures