Alina Starkov
Shadow & Bone
Photographer
Brian Boling
Why I chose to make this costume:
Earlier in 2021, Netflix asked me to preview the TV show Shadow & Bone and to make a costume from the show! It was even more incredible to do an interview Jessie Mei Li who leads the show as Alina Starkov, and surprise her by showing up as her character!
How I made this costume:
I chose to make the red kefta outfit from episode 2 because that's when I got hooked on the show. Style-wise, this is such a memorable Alina outfit and I love the missmatched look of her soldier gear and the kefta. I only had a short amount of time to complete the costume so I bought a red coat and altered it as the base. I spent the bulk amount of time applying silver appliques in various puzzle configurations to resemble the embroidery on the Kefta, and I also added fake fur around the collar and sleeves. Then the fun part began, when I roughed up the coat with a Dremel rotaty tool and airbrushed around the hems and seams to make it look battlel-worn and beaten up. I also airbrushed around the appliques to make them look more antique and authentic.
The rest of the outfit was easy to put together, I had a peasant shirt and borrowed a pair of pants and suspenders from my partner lol. I bought a lace front black wig and styled it and applied some bloody makeup to recreate the look from the TV show.
Thoughts on this costume:
For someone who usually makes costumes from scratch, it was a fun challenge to alter and embellish clothes with materials / tools I already had.
The photos were taken in our warehouse studio, which at the time was set up for Lady Dimitrescu! I put up the blue wall backdrop and it worked great for these images.
As a geek and cosplayer, this was such a unique chance to delve into a new fandom, be inspired by it to create, and even to connect with the people who made the world! I really appreciated being able to meet Jessie and ask her a few questions about the experience of playing Alina!
