*RayeRaye's Corner* 

Cosplay Tips! Wiggy wigs! Make time to wig brush - sounds simple, but it really is essential to keep wigs lasting longer I make a habit of brushing my wigs after wearing them before they get put away - normally I do loads in one go - like tonight - I've brushed 7 wigs in total. As an example, you get one wig, matted one moment, smooth the next. Smooth brushing is needed here, and getting a good synthetic wig to start with always helps too! Make those wigs last longer and give them some TLC every now and again. Just be aware not all wigs with last the tests of time. It can be hit and miss.

We have all been there, started a cosplay, found the perfect wig, bit by bit, piece by piece the costume comes together. And then, you’re faced with the tricky task of finding the perfect pair of footwear. If like me, you want your costume’s to be pretty spot on in every detail you are going to want the right pair of shoes to both look the part and enable you to be on your feet a while. So with this in mind, let’s go through some tips on where to start and how to look after your feet!

Online stores can be your friend, but walking into a shoe store is also a good idea. Across the country cheap shoe stores are everywhere (I like ShoeZone!), you can also find bargains in large department stores and supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s who are in on the action providing cheap footwear. Stores are great as you can try before you buy! If you prefer to look online my favourite places are eBay, Amazon, Priceless, SportsDirect and ShoeZone. Also don’t forget low cost stores such as Primark! I have bought most of my costume shoes from Primark, ShoeZone and eBay and edited them to suit the character’s (see pictures!)

Editing your shoes to match can seem daunting, but it can be done without too much effort. There are many tutorials online if you just Google, such as dying shoes to the right shade, adding extras such as metallic plates, tassels, beads and other accessories like boot covers. Dylon have leather shoe dye in a range of colours, personally I would avoid painting white shoes black unless you can make many coats! Acrylic paint can be used on shoes but make sure you coat it or it will flake off. I edited my Pascal boots from Tales of Graces f with white acrylic paint and belt straps.

Boot covers are a great way to retain your shoes original form. For my Fina costume from Skies of Arcadia, she has white ankle boots with gold covers. So I searched eBay for white cowboy boots and found a pair! The gold covers needed to go on the white boots, so I shaped some craft foam and painted it with metallic gold, and then did the markings using a Letraset pen so it would not run. This way the covers can be removed without damaging the white boots!

If your making a creature and need to make feet, start off with a cheap pair of plimsolls, these usually come in canvas form so you can sew through them. When I made Freya Crescent from Final Fantasy 9, I used my feet and hands as a guide to make the extended claw shape and to ensure the toes would go over the shoes. I cut four out, sewed two each together (so it looked like a weird glove), stuffed them with ‘teddy bear stuffing’, stitched them to a sock, and then slotted them over the plimsoll. Lastly, I hand sewed them to the shoe! There is always a way around making the right footwear, practice makes perfect! So, thanks for reading and good luck finding your feet (pardon the pun!). If you need any more tips of fancy footwear or anything cosplay related, feel free to contact me.

(This article was written by me and was featured in MyM Magazine)