Kaylee Costume: Planning

Here's the tie-in I promised! I'm kind of running ragged with year-end work and filling out paperwork for a really awesome volunteer position. It's been a couple month process so I'm really excited to get it all completed. Anywho, here's the tie-in to Olive's potential Serenity costume.

Ms. Kaywinnit Lee Frye aka Kaylee

Photo courtesy of Serenify Costumes 

(other reference shots as well)

Fresh out of high school, Friend L and I decided to go to a very large convention (there was actually a good amount of scifi and especially gaming culture but in name at least, it was anime). Not being the largest anime fan (Toonami was the extent of most of my exposure, other than some of the stranger movies baby brother brought home), but wanting to cosplay, I made this Kaylee (From Joss Whedon's Firefly) costume.

Woo- fuzzy hotel costume shots!

I did an inordinate amount of work- finding that shirt, staining the jumpsuit, making sure the symbols were drawn screen accurately, cobbling together a flower patch because oh-my-goodness no one had the proper kind of flower patch (ended up using two crocheted butterflies), and so on and so forth. It was incredibly comfortable and those who recognized it (remember, anime convention and even then, the series was a couple years old) loved it. I even wore it to the Halloween Dance that DH and I officially started hanging out at (sort of, we didn't start "dating" for a couple more weeks, there was a bet involved... I still say I won it though).

Sadly, it disappeared when I moved out of my freshman dorm. I had stored it my room's hall closet and I think a roommate threw it out. And with a trip to a ComicCon coming up next summer (one of the reasons I'll be gone for much of May), I am going to remake. I'm already pretty prepared, in theory.

The Costumer's Guide to Movie Costumes has a great reference page on putting together the costume for the pilot (I am doing promo/post pilot costumes): http://www.costumersguide.com/firefly6.shtml

Patches:

While I found a place to buy the bear patch (if I buy several at once), and still have one of the heart patches that came in a set of two, I thought it would be easiest to just buy the set from etsy. So that's done. May buy the necklace from her too at a later date.

Scribblings:

A couple years ago some people have kindly posted a diagram of all the scribblings on her jumpsuit. And they're still there. Sic 'em.
http://fireflychinese.kevinsullivansite.net/resources.html
and
http://scotia-sammyjo.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/1098/9578

Jumpsuit:

The ArmyNavy Outfitter/Surplus I used last time is still selling the same coveralls so I'm planning on doing the same thing I did before. Cut off the arms, pick off the chest pocket. Put the scribbles on, put the patches on and then go to town staining it. Last time I used pretty much everything in my grooming bag: leather conditioner, show sheen (is that a registered name?), detangler, possibly even hoof polish. I didn't want to smell like motor oil the whole time and I like the aforementioned smells.

Shirt:

Um... here's where I'm stuck. The shirts Jewel Staite wore throughout the series and supposedly the movie were usually a brand called "Just In Time". For my first go round I found a mesh shirt from them. It's been over a decade and the company seems to have gone out of business. I'm betting anything that popped up on ebay was eagerly snatched up by other Browncoats. So that leaves me a couple options, I could just find a shirt "close enough", or I could make it. I tried this last route the first time before I found the mesh shirt and it didn't go so well. I could try screen printing or using freezer transfer paper but I'm not sure how that would go... so I'm stuck.

Boots:

For the convention last time I borrowed a pair of my moms (1/2-1 size too large) and clumped around. For the dance I wore my paddock boots (perfect fit, of course). I've been wanting a pair of River Boots for a while and while I could wear them for the costume, I could also wear them when it's raining... snowing... cold. I've known a couple people with some version of them and they just look so comfortable. Too bad there are so many mixed reviews even the really expensive pairs seem to fall apart with use.