Yennefer Of Vengenberg
Witcher 3
Photographer
Brian Boling, PHACED
Why I chose to make this costume:
The Witcher games took the world by storm and of course I was intriqued by them as well. Out of all the female characters, Yennefer was the one I felt the most drawn to. So when my friend Hanime Cosplay asked if I would make Yennefer to go along with her Triss cosplay, I said yes immediately! Although all her costumes are iconic, I chose Yenn's DLC outfit from Witcher 3 because I loved the color scheme and style with all the belts and feathers, and it would be less hot to wear at cons.
How I made this costume:
Blouse:
I found a beautiful jewel tone silk for the blouse and made a simple lined blouse with elastic around the top. Then I made the feather trim separately by cutting and gluing various feathers in a row and closing them in with a binding strip. Lastly, I made the black scarf with a subtly patterned jacquard.
Skirt:
I used a heavy upholstery fabric to make the skirt, taking the time to serge all the seams and adding a hongkong binding to the edges.
Cincher:
This one I mocked up first in order to make the pattern with the curves hip seams. Then I used the brown textured pleather from my Cosplay Fabrics line to make the cincher, which has a coutil lining and boning.
Boots and belts:
I love Yenn's boots! I made the boot tops with the little flaps out of leather (because I knew they would endure the most wear and tear) and then hand-sewed them onto a pair of brown boots. As for the belts that wind around her boots, I found several thin pleather belts while fabric shopping, so I just cut the buckles off and hammered in a ton of studs. I had to wrap the belts around my legs and mark exactly where to add snaps and then install several snaps so the belts can be easily put on and taken off. An artist on Etsy offered screen-accurate 3D printed Yennefer knee pads so I got an unpainted set, painted them silver and added straps for attachment.
The two waist belts are modified leather belts with studs hammered in and such.
Thoughts on this costume:
Well, I really enjoy cosplaying Yennefer and ever since making the costume, I've taken her around the world to various conventions. The first time wearing her was so memorable though. Hanime and I were on an European Adventure together, attending Japan Weeekend in Madrid, Spain, and we scheduled a photoshoot with the amazing PHACED Photography in the Gothic District in the city. We both finished the costume in true con crunch mode and got up super early to take photos in front of the Cathedral. It was so cool to be immersed in this Mediveal part of the city and forget that you were in modern times for a bit.
Recently I did a studio photoshoot with Yennefer where I built a lounge set in my warehouse and drank wine as part of the shoot. I love the photos from both shoots and I think they each capture Yenn so well in different ways.
