Pinkie Pie

To kick off my first post, I'll start with my first design: Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony. I'm not afraid to admit that I love this show, or that Pinkie stole my heart as the pink, sugary, 4th wall breaking representation of myself in hooves and a fluffy tail. I've loved MLP since my first Apple Jack doll all the way back from generation 1, and cosplaying Pinkie not only allowed me to show my love for one of my most nostalgic childhood moments, it gave me an opportunity that's rare in cosplay- complete and utter freedom.

Designing a human version of Pinkie Pie meant I didn't have to worry about my height, my facial structure, or my sewing abilities-I could make a costume that fit my body, my comfort zone, and challenged me as an artist without sacrificing the character in any way. Pinkie was the first huge sewing project I had undertaken, so got crafty with the construction to make sure I had something fluffy and shiny but still easy peasy to make.

Construction Notes:

Pinkie's costume comes in three pieces: a long line bra with jeweled cups, an underbust bodice with a shelf neckline, and a tutu. At the time I made this costume, I had no idea how to make a corset, but I needed the support of one to hold up the heavy rhinestones and shape my body properly. So instead I bought a long line bra (only $20 on Amazon), covered it in pink broadcloth and then proceeded to cram rhinestones onto it with a hot glue gun and a pair of tweezers. I colored each rhinestone individually using sharpies. Unfortunately, permanent marker isn't so permanent on plastic crystals. I ended up spraying the bra cups with some protective spray meant for graphite drawings. Slight problem: my spray had gone bad. I ended up with an opaque layer of white on my pretty shiny things.

When in doubt, call it frosting.

The underbodice is pretty self explanatory. Shelf neckline to highlight the bra cups, sectioned bodice lightly boned to to provide a more structured body, straps for support. The tutu is similarly easy: I used the good old fashioned tie method for two layers of tulle in four colors: dark pink, medium pink, light pink with sparkles, and polka dotted pink with flowers.

My favorite piece is the cupcake fascinator. A layer of light pink tulle and pink lace are gathered into circles as a base. The cupcake tin is made from tins I bought at the store: I was having issues with them holding their shape, so stuck twelve of them together and modpodged them into a single piece and painted them blue. The inside is stuffed with felt scraps, and then pink felt is stretched over them to make the frosting. Top it off with rhinestone sprinkles and a cherry made from a Christmas bell.

Accessories that I didn't make: blue and white striped stockings ($12), cutie mark necklace (free-it was a gift)  and pink suede ballet flats ($20). The wig is the Nikki in raspberry from Arda Wigs ($35), bringing the total cost of the costume to roughly $100. That may seem high at first for a simple My Little Pony cosplay, but I still use the shoes and stockings. And because the bra was covered, I was able to carefully remove the pink fabric and can wear it as a normal bra (and because I was careful, I can reattach the rhinestone cups if I ever want to again).

Photoshoot: For Pinkie, I chose to to a photoshoot on a playground. It's free, it's easily accessible, and there's a lot you can do. Plus the added bonus of small children falling you around everywhere in wonder.