Bow-wow-sette

One of the things that’s a little harder about doing cosplay photography vs. fashion photography is that what I’m wearing is only sort of clothes, and while it’s a free country and I’m a grown up, it still feels a bit weird to get all done up as Bowsette (for the unfamiliar, a pretty female version of Bowser from Super Mario) and head out in public to take pictures like I used to. But I was feeling down, and a friend reminded me that I’m at my best when I’m creating, so I thought I’d do just that. The process of getting the photos proved to be a great distraction, and there’s definitely something about seeing pictures of yourself looking fabulous that helps to boost the mood.

Cosplay Notes

The accessories are all from the same Bowsette cosplay-in-a-bag, which I got on sale from Miccostumes for $75. Is that a little pricy? Maybe, but it’s very cute and the accessories would probably cost me at least as much in time and materials to make, so I’d say it’s worth it.

The shell came with clear plastic straps; they broke pretty much immediately, so for the moment I have some extra string safety pinned to it, which I really need to replace for something a bit more comfortable. The horns were originally attached to a clear plastic headband, which also broke almost immediately. I didn’t get around to replacing the headband before leaving for DragonCon (update on that at a later date), so I sewed them onto the wig, which I’ve found to be a good solution for wearing keeping hair accessories/horns/stuff on your head in place. Not a recommended solution if you’re not wearing a wig. The crown is pretty cute and the clips are sturdy enough to keep it in place, which is about all you can ask of it, I guess.

The rest of the costume basically got redesigned around the tail, which is probably my favorite part. It’s a little heavy, but there’s a sturdy wire running down the length of it. It came with two safety pins to secure it (lol), but my (I think) ingengious solution was to sew it to a $3 pair of booty shorts a friend found at Forever21 for me. It took a lot of stitches, but I think it elevates the cosplay. The bodysuit underneath is a basic bunny girl suit off of Amazon that I sewed actual elastic straps to, because (do I even have to say it?) the clear plastic ones it came with immediately broke; I’ll link to the specific one I bought below, because it’s the only bunny girl suit I’ve ever found that’s long enough for me.

LInks (I don’t get paid if you buy something)

Bowsette Cosplay from Miccostumes (lol I forgot that this came with these latex stockings, which I couldn’t even get over of my foot)

CR RoleCos Bunny Costume from Amazon

Garterbelt/Leg Harness from Dollskill It’s sold out now, but there are similar things all over if you search for leg harnesses

Happy cosplaying! I’m hoping to make shoots like this a more regular occurance; there are some beautiful spots around my new neighborhood that have my hands itching for the camera.