AYANE
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Photographer
Why I chose to make this costume:
Sometimes there is no choice but to just bust out a costume! This was made in 3 days because of my hectic convention travel schedule this year. As a long-time Dead or Alive fan, I always thought Ayane was one of the most well-designed fighting game characters I've played.
How I made this costume:
I tried to be as detail-oriented and anal about the construction of this costume as all my usual costumes, and the only way this got done in time was because I had most of the materials at home already, and thought ahead to get the shoes, wig, and Fuma Kodachi swords in time. Cosplay often goes beyond just the time needed to craft, but also material scouting, waiting for ordered items to come in, and figuring out how to attach things. I got really lucky with Ayane, in that only the skirt had to be remade (twice lol) and everything else came together and fit on the first run.
As you can see, I made the costume more modest than the design, omitting the cut out in the front of the bodice and adding a sheer layer in the skirt. I think it still reflects the character and represents the detailed game design. Don't ever be afraid to modify a costume if you don't feel comfortable wearing it. We cosplay for many reasons, the main one being love for a character. Replicating costumes 100% is only one facade of cosplay; it often is more challenging, fun and creative to translate a design from a rendered source to a working fitted garment, and it's perfectly ok to take artistic license. I see a lot of cosplays being more sexualized than their designs, and I think it's totally cool to modesty-fy a costume as well.
Thoughts on this costume:
Purple is my favorite color so yay, I get to run around head to toe purple in this costume!!