HEARTSEEKER ASHE
League of Legends
Photographer
Why I chose to make this costume:
This skin won me over the minute it came out! I've always wanted to make a Valentine's themed costume! I based this costume off the splash art of this skin—it is a beautiful illustration and I loved the colors and theme of it. The in-game skin looks a bit different, so I chose to stick closer to the splash art!
How I made this costume:
I approach each costume as a translation of the design into a wearable garment, and often choose artistic interpretation over 100% accuracy. My goal for each costume is to get the feel and essence of the character across, and I aim to pay homage to the character, while injecting my own style and aesthetics into each costume.
So for Heartseeker Ashe, I used a variety of fabrics and mixed them together. I also tapered the jacket to be wider at the bottom and made a double circle skirt instead of the mini skirt in the game rendering. I thought the wider bottom would balance out the puffy sleeves and big hair and give me a more feminine silhouette.
I started collecting materials for this costume as soon as possible and chose luxurious fabrics such as a red silk, a lavender swirl patterned satin, a maroon brocade, and a matte metallic plum colored pvc. I made a red silk bodice and then tailored the jacket over it. The jacket is fully lined and custom patterned. The cape drapes almost like a flag in the game, so I made it to be stiff and heavy. The thigh high boot covers, garters, gloves, choker and shoe hearts rounded out the outfit.
All of the gold trimming on the costume is hand patterned and cut gold neoprene, sewn on. I discovered this technique by accident and was so thrilled with how easy it was to work with, and how sleek it looks. Definitely recommend others to try making trim with metallic neoprene!
I also made the heart-shaped hair piece out of Worbla! The wig started off as a Matilda from Arda—I gradient dyed it from white to light blue as a bridge between the splash art and the game render and styled big barrel curls into it.
BOW - I want to thank Kamui Cosplay for making the bow for me. This costume really came to be because we were chatting about potential future cosplays, and I asked her for advice on how to make the bow. Kamui replied that she needs to make a variety of props for documentation for her new Prop Making book, including a bow, so she suggested for us to collaborate together on this project.
Thoughts on this costume:
I love the look of this costume and am super happy with how it turned out! The colors and fabrics worked better together than I had hoped! Definitely will wear Ashe again soon!