Wednesday 4 December 2013

Group Cosplay Ideas: The Women of the Ace Attorney Universe (Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney)


So, I just finished playing Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, and it was amaaaazing! Seriously, if you haven't played it yet, load up the Nintendo 3DS store and buy it right away. Anyway, that was the inspiration for this post, a guide to dressing up as the women of the Ace Attorney universe: Trucy Wright, Ema and Lana Skye, Maya Fey, Franziska von Karma, Iris and Dahlia Hawthorne, and Athena Cykes. Each of these costume ideas is great for fancy dress and conventions generally, but its always fun to get your friends together and go as the whole team.

Maya Fey Costume

Maya Fey Costume
Every Ace Attorney fan is familiar with Maya Fey, Wright's spunky genki girl side kick and spirit-medium extraordinaire. She's a tonne of fun to cosplay as, and I've found a costume above that I particularly like. You can also get a version with more shiny, silky material here. I've also found some similar shoes to Maya's sandals to match it here. I've yet to find anywhere than consistently stocks her Magatama necklace, but I recommend searching on eBay as there is always somebody selling various replicas and Magatama jewellery there.

Maya's hair is quite difficult to pull off, so here's what I recommend doing. Buy a very long haired black wig like this one, and tie a small topknot in it to match the one on the top of Maya's head. Tie a purple ribbon around the base. Next up, create the large bead in her hair by painting some Styrofoam balls or large ping pong balls purple, and make holes large enough to thread a section of hair at the front through. They should stay up on their own, if not, use a small bobble or a bobby pin the same color as your hair to keep them in place.

Emma Skye Costume

Costume Phoenix Wright
Ace Attorney Ema Skye
It's time to do some scientific investigating! Forensics to be precise, with the wonderful Ema Skye. She's Lana's sister and the sidekick of the final case of the first game, as well as a recurring character throughout the series when she later becomes a detective. 

Lets start off with her outfit. On the left is a very cute Ema Skye replica costume that is perfect for conventions and parties which comes with everything you see in the picture.

Next up, you'll need some accessories to finish of the look. An easy way to get her look hair-wise is using this cute Ema Skye wig, and you can pick up glasses that look very similar to hers here.

Franziska von Karma Costume
Franziska von Karma Costume
Franziska von Karma is one of my favorite characters in the whole game, and her's is definitely my favorite outfit. Check out the gorgeous costume above, in all its amazing excessively large ascot glory; perfect for a Franziska cosplay. The same website also makes sweet replicas of Franziska's boots here that you can pick up. Also, here's a fake whip. You already know why. As for her hair, Franziska has a short crop of silver-gray hair, and I think this wig looks quite close and would compliment the costume nicely.

Trucy Wright Costume

Trucy Wright Costume
Woo! Trucy! Trucy is so unbelievably adorable, and is a perfect cosplay idea for younger and older fans of the games alike. Plus, magicians are really cool. I won't hear anything different. Trucy is Phoenix Wright's daughter, and she debuted in Turnabout Trump, the first episode of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Her outfit is as colorful as her character too.

This costume on the right is just perfect for any budding Trucy cosplayer. You get everything you see here in the picture, including the cape, ascot, cute little strapless dress and the bag, which is everything you need! If you don't naturally have short brown hair, fret not, because you can find a cute Trucy Wright wig here to finish of the look.


Athena Cykes Costume

Athena Cykes Costume
Athena Cykes is the latest addition to the Ace Attorney roster, a bright and enthusiastic new lawyer who is both a sidekick and a protagonist in her own right depending on the case. She rounds of the list of primary colors when it comes to our defense attorneys - Phoenix is blue, Apollo is red, and she is a summery shade of yellow. Above is a costume made to look just like hers, so check it out!

Her hair is going to be incredibly hard to replicate, unless you have the good fortune of being a red-headed anime character with crazy hair yourself. Nevertheless, you can always get that look with an equally crazy wig. Check it out here.

Iris Hawthorne Costume

Iris Spirit Medium Costume
Iris Hawthorne is a figure from Phoenix Wright's distant past, a quiet and demure young girl living in the shadow of her psychopathic twin sister Dahlia. As a member of a Fey branch family, she is also a spirit medium (albeit not a strong one), and her most famous costume is a variation on the Fey medium costume. There's a cute costume based on it which you can check out on the left. 

Iris' hair is also simple to style yourself if you have long hair - just tie two french braids on either side of your head. If you don't have long hair or not the right color, pick up an appropriate wig and style it in the same way. 

Dahlia Hawthorne Costume
Dahlia Hawthorne Costume
Dahlia is one of my favorite villains from the series; she's just so unrepentant and evil! Part of her charm is how beautiful and gentle she looks until you set her off, and the outfit above captures that perfectly. To style the hair, do exactly what I advised for Iris' hair, except use a red haired wig rather than a black one.

So there you have it, all my favorite women from the Ace Attorney series, hero and villain. I hope you have a lot of fun cosplaying as these characters with all your friends. If you enjoyed this post and want to see more, be sure to check out the rest of this blog for even more cosplay ideas and costumes for all occasions. Remember to practice your chords of steel!

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Group Costume Ideas: Axis Powers Hetalia

Japanese Anime Axis Powers Hetalia Cosplay Costume
I am a huuuuuge fan of Axis Powers Hetalia; it is one of my favorite anime of all time, and I think both the original Japanese and the dub are great. There's a wide variety of characters from the show to cosplay as, and if you have an international group of friends, you can each dress up as your home nation-tan! If not, each of you can pick your favorites and go to town. Included below are the costumes for most of the characters, plus matching wigs and accessories if they are available. Enjoy!


Axis Powers Hetalia America Independence War Cosplay Costume

That's not all! There's a couple of rarer costumes based on variations of character's outfits, like America' revolutionary outfit and Chibi Italia's maid costume that he wore when working for Austria. They are pretty cute so check them out if your looking for something really unique to cosplay as.
So there you go, all the costumes you could possibly need to crash a convention with a huge group Hetalia cosplay. Hope you found everything you need and have a great time! If you liked this post, be sure to check out the rest of my blog which has many more cosplay guides as well as lots of fun costume ideas for Halloween and other events. Have fun!