Now, THIS is a challenge! I swore to all that was holy that I would never ever get a spirit jersey. They are big, boxy, but tapered enough at the bottom that they don’t hang right on you. They are just plain, well, not a good look. My opinion, of course.
But then, Disney did this to me…
Needless to say, I bought a spirit jersey. Get your own here. Once I received it, I had to take scissors to it first to remove the high neck. T-shirt surgery tutorial here. Make sure you don’t cut the back too low to keep the awesome lettering on the back. Then I cropped it off so I could wear it with high-waisted leggings or skirts.
Because the top is so voluminous, you need to balance out the bottom of the outfit with something close to the body. Balance is key.
For our latest look of the day, I went into some looks I created during the pandemic for future trips to Disneyland and cons- Doctor Strange Dapper.
I created this look entirely from Amazon finds. Shopping links will be below.
I started with a 50’s swing dress in navy blue. I bought this dress in every color available in my size. The fabric is so soft and stretchy, but it keeps its shape and looks like taffeta, in my humble opinion. Petticoat is from Amazon.
Next, we needed the good Doctor’s Cloak of Levitation. For a 50’s look, I went with a capelet.
The belt I mixed a 50’s stretch belt with one that looks more like Doctor Strange’s belt.
I put the comfy Chuck Taylors with this look for walking all over parks and cons.
With COVID cases finally declining, our Governor lifted stay-at-home orders and the ban on outside dining recently.
Boyfriend Bill and I took advantage of that and took a day off to go to Downtown Disney.
In addition, Disney has opened the main street and Hollywood section of Disney’s California Adventure for shopping.
I did make note of the fact that work has resumed on Avenger’s Campus, which makes me more happy than I could ever express. To celebrate that, I wore my Black Widow Disney Dress Shop dress by Her Universe.
I picked up one of the new Nuimos. Nuimos were a huge hit in Japan, and now they have made their way to the USA. They are fully posable with a variety of fashionable looks to choose from. I chose Daisy, cause, duck. I bought her a cute ensemble that makes her super stylish I think! Shop for Nuimos online here. It is also important to note that Her Universe will be designing everyday cosplay looks for Nuimos. So, your toys can bound too! Feel free to use a Team Build Checklist for them as well (wink)! Maybe I should make some tiny Team Build Checklists…
As always, the Disney Dress Shop dresses look amazing and are super comfortable. I love the design on this dress as well. And yes, there are pockets! Get your own dress here.
OK, obligatory, “2020, what a crappy year!” Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to the actual effects of 2020 on nerds, specifically, cosplaying nerds.
Let me start off by stating that I have a job. I’ve had a job this whole year. I have a home and a healthy family, so I am getting through this year blessed to be perfectly honest. So, when I begin my complaining below, please know that while I feel disappointment over things lost in this craptastic year, I do have some perspective.
We lost cons, movies, tv shows, Dapper Day, and countless other nerd celebratory things this year while sheltering and trying to slow the spread of COVID. It was the right thing to do, but it sucked. It has been lonely, and at times, boring. What are cosplayers to do with their time now? Well, I have some ideas I’d like to share. These ideas do apply to other hobbies, so if you aren’t a cosplayer, please read on!
Zoom Meet Ups
I know, you are probably already doing this, but with a lot of us getting Zoom fatigued (me included), we’ve kind of let this one go by the wayside. I think with the holidays coming, we should bring it back. Perhaps a meet up with your holiday best bound, cosplay or dapper look.
Find Masked/Socially Distant Events to Attend with Your Household Members
This one can be tricky, depending on where you live. I’m fortunate enough to live in LA, so we have Downtown Disney, Universal Citywalk and Knotts Berry Farm to go to. In all these instances, they are strictly enforcing social distancing and mask wearing, as well as attendance numbers, so I feel safe going to these events. There are no rides or live shows, but you can put on a nice bound and have a nice day out!
Find a Drive-Thru Event and Cosplay In Your Car
Seems silly, but so is 2020! Again, LA has a ton of drive-thru light displays, so we can get gussied up and go and have a nice evening out.
Work on Some New Builds
Now that there is literally no “con crunch time”, take this time to look at your cosplays and bounds and see if anything needs touching up or updates. I’ve been doing this with my weekends for a while now. I can say that I have more than enough new looks for Avengers Campus when it opens and for cons for the next two years! But, I’ve been able to really take my time and make them look the way I want them to look. I’m super proud of these and can’t wait to show them off, which brings me to…
Photo Shoots
Now is a great time to do some photos of those looks. Get out your ring lights and tripods and go to town on some photos! Photos and then posting them on Instagram or Facebook is a way to stay engaged with your hobby and also stay in touch with your nerdy friends!
Purchase the In Plain Sight Book For Fresh Ideas
Lastly, please allow me to toot my own horn for a sec and suggest getting a copy of my new book, “In Plain Sight: Using Cosplay to Express Your Inner Superhero”. The book is full of information for the new cosplayer as well as ideas and inspirations for the experienced cosplayer/bounder. I have also come up with an organizational system for building looks, which I have dubbed the Team Build Checklist. You basically building your look by using classic superhero team member archetypes to assist you. Please see the example below of my Star Lord bound along with a photo of the actual look:
Right now for the holidays, I have a limited number of books that are $5.00 off the regular price and signed copies to boot! Just email me at inplainsight.style@gmail.com for one of those. If you want to purchase through blurb.com, click here.
Regardless if you buy a copy, I hope that this list has given you a little inspiration to get you through to when the vaccine is readily available, and we can all get out and enjoy our hobbies again!
I recently got to sit down and do a podcast for “Below the Surface” and an interview for my local Fox station (Fox 11 LA for “Good Day LA”). Here are links to both. Please enjoy and hope you all had a great Halloween!
I recently had the opportunity to sit down (via zoom) with the Plus Size Nerd aka Nancy Basile, and have a chat about body confidence, body positivity, and about my new book.
As always, she is a joy to speak with! She knows her stuff, and wants the same things as I want, which is for plus size nerds everywhere to feel confident and positive with themselves. You are great right this very second!
Please enjoy the video and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Recently, I had the rare adventure out with my boyfriend, Bill, to Knotts’ Berry Farm for their Taste of Falloween Event.
Taste of Falloween is a food festival held at Knotts outdoors. All of the rides were closed, as were most of the shows. The main stage, however, had some bands and magicians. The event was set up with countless tables and chairs, so you could sample the food and socially distance. When you were walking around, masks were required. A temperature check was also done on entry to the park. So, long story short, we felt very safe to attend.
Unlike Knotts’ Scary Farm, which was canceled due to COVID, this event is all ages. Like Knotts’ Scary Farm, this event was costumes encouraged, with some of the usual restrictions.
The food was amazing, and we had a great time! It was so nice to get out and enjoy a Halloween event!
The Ghost Town Alive characters of Calico were about, but on balconies or appeared in upstairs windows to maintain social distancing. Camp Snoopy is open for trick or treating only, no rides were operating, but their were some Peanuts characters in their Halloween best to entertain us as well.
OK, here we are with our first outfit of the day post-quarantine.
Well, I’m still working from home and will be for a while, but I am starting to go out for quick trips to Target, etc.
So, for when we all have somewhere nice to go again, here is this beautiful dress from Disney Dress Shop:
The artwork on this is just stunning. The fit is the same as most dresses from Disney Dress Shop, fantastic!
Even though it is difficult to shop Disney Dress Shop in person, you can still buy them online. Here is the link to the Ink & Paint dress.
Petticoat and shoes, from Amazon. Bag from Target. Ears are from a 7-11 in Anaheim (seriously!). Faux pearls from Claire’s ages ago. Click on links to buy.
Previously, we spoke about how to style an outfit. Now, here are some examples and some suggestions how you could re-style them for different situations.
Loki dress by Her Universe for Disney Dress Shop. All paired pieces are from Amazon. I styled this look specifically for blog photos. So I have on all the accessories here. The headband, necklace, tesseract-inspired bag, petticoat and shoes. The bag, petticoat and shoes are mid-century styles, which match the dress’s style. I chose a blue lucite bag instead of a clear bag so it would look like the tesseract and fit the Loki theme of the dress. The Loki helmet necklace compliments the dress as well. How to change this look? For cons or theme parks, I would lose the petticoat and change the shoes to a saddle shoe or a pair of Chucks. For work, I’d lose the headband and change the bag.
This Universal monster dress is from Unique Vintage. I paired it with a monster bag and a pair of Chucks. For a more formal or business type of event, change the shoes and go with a smaller bag.
My Alan Grant bound that I wore at Universal Studios was a big hit at the theme park. Skirt by Retrolicious. Shirt and bandana from Amazon. There really isn’t a time period associated with this outfit, but the pieces I chose are for the character. To wear this skirt to work, lose the bandana and maybe a different shirt or sweater.
I hope that these tips helped you out. Let us know in the comments if you have any tips or tricks that you would like to share. We love to hear from you!
Happy shopping!
