From: Rah Xephon
Cost: $25
Time: 5 hours
Worn: CNAnime 2002 (Friday)

My first cosplay. What could go wrong with this costume did. I hadn't sewn anything in about seven years, and was attempting to make something that required me to modify a pattern a bit. The main dress was made of a bed sheet from Value Village, with the lining and bow fabric from Walmart. The shoes were modified (badly) from a pair by at Salvation army. The whole dress was sewn once with a 5/8th inch allowance, and then had to be resewn at 3/8th so that it would actually fit me.

My natural hair colour was perfect for Mishima, but unfortunately at the time my bangs were bleached blond. So I attempted to dye my hair back to something close to my natural hair colour. It went black instead.

The costume was completed the night before I left with the help of my mother as I was in tears. Thankfully, a lot was learned: a) don't start the week before the con and b) don't expect to be recognized if you pick a character from an obscure (at the time) series.