Sunday 30th October 2011: Mario riding Yoshi

Sunday 30th October 2011

This has been one of my most ambitious costumes so far! I had the plan for this costume for months for I planned to wear it at EXPO. I'd gotten the fabric, the clothes, the shoes and the stuffing ... but I never actually got around to making the costume. It was about a week before EXPO before I realised how soon I'd needed the costume made. After more procrastinating, I found myself at the night before EXPO looking at a pile of supplies and no costume. So I got to work! 

I started cutting and sewing at about 9.00pm Saturday night. I did the trouser bit first and then moved onto making the Yoshi bit of the outfit. The I sewed the tiny shoes onto the Mario costume and stuffed it and sewed it to the Yoshi. I was nearly finished, but ended up giving up at 2.00am that morning. My fingers were numb from sewing and I needed sleep for the early start for EXPO. 

I made sure I woke up at 5.00am to carry on the costume. By about 6.30am I was finished apart from the odd bit of sewing that I planned to do on the train journey. I hadn't had a chance to sew up the bits I'd stuffed so after putting the outfit on, I then had to stuff around myself!

Jason and another Kyuubi

Mike and I caught the train at Egham and met up with Roxana who had caught the train from Bracknell. Jason would be meeting us at EXPO because his Kyuubi costume was too big for the train so his dad was taking him.

I got lots of kids coming up to me and a lot of happy faces after seeing my costume, unlike other times when I've just had stares! Someone asked me if I was dressed up for charity so I had to explain EXPO. I had a few kids asked for hugs so I made Yoshi's arms hug them! Before I'd gotten to EXPO I had already had about 10 photos taken. It doesn't seem a lot, but for me it was!

I got a caricature done of
myself as Mario

When we got to EXPO, Jason and I had a little competition about who could get the most photos. I had gotten a bit jealous at the last EXPO because Jason kept getting stopped for photos and I didn't get any!

So I got 63 photos and a hug! We were about to leave the venue when some guy came up to me and said 'I just love your costume, it's brilliant ... can I get a hug?' I may have got more photos but they are the ones that I was stopped for.

Jason got at least 50 photos. He was stopped about 53 times and then we lost count. Even though I'd like to say I won, I think Jason did! 

A photo of me that someone else took

A photo of me that someone else took

Saturday 28th May 2011: Lady Gaga

Saturday: 28th May 2011 

So I was really into Lady Gaga (and still am) and loved 'Born This Way', so those things combined, it was no wonder I decided to go as skeleton Lady Gaga's in the video.

I went with Roxana, Mike and Jason. Jason's mum and dad drove us this time because Jason's costume was too big to get on the train. He went as Kyuubi Nine Tails from Naruto and as usual Mike and Roxana didn't dress up. I missed not being able to go on the train due to all the attention and strange looks we get. All of us feel that going on the train is one of the best parts of the day and definitely adds to the experience EXPO.

I was really excited about going this year as some of the cast of Futurama were going to be there. Look a bit further down this post to see some photos.

Jason with the business man. 

I got a few photos and a few comments about my costume, and got a teeny tiny bit jealous about the amount of attention Jason got from his costume. Roxana and Mike found it hilarious that I was jealous.

When we first got the EXPO, a business man couldn't get enough of Jason's costume. He kept talking photos and following us around the venue. It was fun at first, but then it got a bit creepy when he wouldn't leave! lol

Halfway through the day, my wig was driving me crazy, so I decided to take off everything. Luckily, Mike had a spare shirt in his bag that fit me so I went and changed and took off all my make-up. It was a relief to take everything off, but it did make the rest of the day a bit less fun! 

Overall, we had a great day and I got some great photos of my costume this year!

Here's the link to all my photos on my Facebook: Kayleigh's Lady Gaga Cosplay

Me with Phil LaMarr who does the voice of Hermes on Futurama
(among other things!). Photograph copyright of Creative Eye

Billy West who does the voice of Fry from Futurama.
Photograph copyright of Creative Eye

Lauren Tom who does the voice of Amy and others
in Futurama. Photography copyright of Creative Eye

Thursday 13th November 2008 - Princess Jupiter

 Thursday 13th November 2008

I had just started working at Waterstones in Bracknell in October and in November they were having a Tokyopop Event. So I used my old prom dress (which had been re-designed after my prom) and went as Princess Jupiter from Sailor Moon. It was a good night and I got to have fun with some old school friends.  

Sunday 27th May 2007 - Tuxedo Kamen from Sailor Moon

Sunday 27th May 2007

My very brief time on the EXPO stage!

My dad looking very bored

So for my second trip to EXPO, my parents agreed to come with us, although after the day they vowed never to go again! It's definitely not their thing! :P

This time Tasha didn't come with us, but Sophie caught the EXPO fever after the first time. We also had a new addition to our EXPO crew called Lauren who was Sophie's friend. 

I dressed up as Tuxedo Kamen from Sailor Moon. I had short hair at the time, so I thought I could get away with being a male character. I already had a cape and the gloves from other dress ups I'd done and I just wore my school uniform and bought a hat and mask. 

Me and Chibi Moon

While I was there I found a gothic lolita dress for £60. I couldn't try it on, and it was a lot of money but I just went for it! When I got home, I tried it on and it was the perfect fit! I was sooo happy :)

I went on the EXPO stage in my costume. I wasn't expecting to win or anything, but it was my first time on stage and it was a lot of fun. I got into some really great conversations behind the stage and saw some amazing costumes. It felt like I was on the stage for ages, and I was trying to take my time. It turns out all that was in my head and I was on and off stage within 12 seconds. I know this because we filmed it and I shot on and off stage so quick! At least I learnt from that mistake!

I don't remember much from the day. I do remember finding someone who was dressed up as Sailor Chibi Moon. She ran up to me and called me 'daddy', which has become a good EXPO story to tell.

Me, Lauren and Sophie

My mum on the Simpson's couch

Sophie getting 'intimate' with a Fantastic Four poster on
the train journey home!

Saturday 27th October 2006: Freya from Chobits

Saturday 27th October 2006

I was 14 when I first found out about the London EXPO. I was talking to a girl on YouTube whose anime AMVS I used to watch. I really wanted to go, but my mum said there was no way I was going to London on my own at that age. She couldn't go with me and I can't remember why, but she said if I went with friends and their parent(s) came along too then I would be allowed to go.

So I asked around all my friends, but there was no one really who was into anime, conventions or dressing up. Eventually my friends Sophie and Tasha decided to come with me and Tasha's dad took us in his car.

The day was great and for years after it was still always considered the best EXPO we'd been to. The atmosphere of that first EXPO has always stuck with me, and that's why I continue to go!

So from this first EXPO my love of cosplay was born. I'd always liked dressing up but now I had a real reason to design, make, buy and create costumes to wear for an event with like-minded people.

The character I decided to dress up as for my first EXPO was called Freya from the anime Chobits. I had just got back into anime a few months before EXPO. I used to watch the English dubs on Sailor Moon and Digimon when I was a kid. When I was in my art class at school in 2006, the teacher wanted us to practice cartoon style and manga artwork. She showed us a selection of pictures, one of which was Princess Jupiter from Sailor Moon. It brought back memories from when I watched it as a child, so when I got home that night, I went straight to YouTube and started watching Sailor Moon again, but this time in Japanese. So after that day, anime was added to the things I loved.

After watching Sailor Moon I started watching Chobits, and then after discovering EXPO, I decided to dress up like Freya.

I bought a dress from Ebay. I bought a headband and gloves from Claire's Accessories and baby socks from Mothercare which I sewed onto the headband and then I coloured in with felt tips. To finish off the outfit I bought knee high boots from Tescos. Looking back, the outfit was maybe a bit risque for a 14 year old to wear, but I looked good and it was fun. I did end up getting a lot of looks from men while I was at EXPO, which was fun, but at the same time kind of creepy! 

Unfortunately, I didn't get any photographs of myself from the day. I didn't have a camera at the time, and Tasha had her dad's so she took a few, but I believe she lost the card or the camera broke or something like that a few weeks after we'd gone. I wish I had at least one photo from that day as I'm not sure if I'm remembering the details of the outfit much anymore.

So if anyone by any chance reads this post and took a photo of a Freya at the London MCM EXPO on Saturday 28th October 2006, I would be so happy if you could send it my way!