Details

A good cosplay will fail to be truly impressive if you do not execute the details well. Details can range from choosing the right trims for costumes to perfecting props and makeup.

Where to Find Miscellaneous Pieces
Most cosplay costumes will have a lot of elements that can't be simply bought at any store. To find just the right pieces you may have to keep your eyes open for a while and be open to making adjustments for pieces that are close, but not exact. Good places to look for odds and ends include

• Thrift stores
• Flea markets
• Garage sales
• Craft stores
• Dollar stores
• Online

The online option may seem fairly straightforward, but often a lot of digging may be required to find the right piece. For example, when working on one of my costumes the closest piece available was to match some latches on the costume were from people who sold pieces for horse bits. Get creative and be as descriptive as possible with your online searches.

Figure 1 - This is a combination of a gun and holster from the Dollar Store, ammo cases from online, and a belt made of D-rings and cord from a local Joann craft store.

Buying Details
For popular shows, it may be possible to find costume pieces already made online. These types of details often include

• Badges
• Pins (as seen in Figure 2)
• Wigs

These are items that are often very difficult to reproduce properly without professional machinery. They may also be much cheaper than handcrafting and come out much better. Also, in the event that you aren't comfortable styling a wig, trying to find a preexisting wig can be very helpful.

Figure 2 - An example of a pin from FullMetal Alchemist that could have been made of clay, but looks higher quality from a factory.

Other Options
Details can be hard to nail since they will vary a lot from character to character and are something that doesn't have a true formula. To help with constructing details from scratch my next post will be about using Pepakura to make your own props.