Terra Triumphant.

Character: ~sakizo's Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI
Seamstress/Model: ~cupcake-rufflebutt
Photography: *EnchantedCupcake
Location: Otakon 2012

Construction Notes:
I have admittedly been dreading posting more images of this costume because I knew I'd eventually need to type up notes on how it was made, and just thinking back on the whole process makes my head hurt, LOL. I've loved ~sakizo's FFVI fanart and wanted to cosplay from it for a very long time, but every Terra illustration I had seen from her featured a bare midriff -- and let's face it, no one needs to see my one-too-many-cupcakes tummy. XD Finally my friend Krys (~Windaria) happened upon this AMAZING Sakizou illustration of Terra in a form-fitting bodice with poof sleeves and the most exquisitely detailed boots I'd ever set eyes on. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make it!

The bodice was the biggest headache because it had to be patterned (sleeves and all) to fit together coherently. I'm a nervous wreck whenever I have to pattern anything form-fitting or with lots of bits and pieces to it, and I can't tell you how relieved I was that the whole thing fit as it was supposed to! The bodice is made from wine velveteen and cream dupioni. (On that note, I intentionally chose to avoid stark whites with this costume in order to match the rich, well-worn look of the illustration.) The garment is also fully-lined and boned with spiral steel for support. There's at least $60 of trim, ruffles, and beading on the bodice alone, much of it being a bit too fine to show up in full-body shots. Sakizou adds so many tiny, minuscule details to her work, I felt like I'd never see the end of it! Because the bottom of the dress has different seam lines than the bodice portion, I chose to make the skirt separately, which was honestly a nice change from the one-piece dresses I've made for my other Terra costumes. C: I used a simple miniskirt pattern, adding a gold crushed silk lining and a row of beaded tassels. The sashes and scarves all began as plain cream broadcloth and were dyed, weathered, painted, beaded, fringed, bedazzled, and basically slaved over (a bit too much) to reach their current incarnation. The tights were tea-dyed, then painted with watercolors. The boots (mmmmmm, those boots) were my "proud mommy" moment of making this costume -- they weren't overly difficult to assemble, but definitely time-consuming and detailed. I began with a pair of slouch boots, added boot covers, then added the top rim of ruffles and reinforced craft foam (which sadly lost its shape in the Baltimore heat -- they were much more flared at the top originally). The broaches were all hand-crafted and sewn to the boot covers individually. The capes (of which there are three) all began as a very light-weight cotton fabric which I tea-dyed, then gradient-dyed the various purples and pinks. The bottom-most cape was hand-painted with purple triangles which I lined with dull gold sequins and edged with fringe. The middle cape is edged with pearl droplets and includes a massive hand-inked henna motif which I improvised a bit because not all the details were visible in the original artwork. The top-most cape (barely visible in this image) is a simple pink gradient with delicate fringe edging. The choker and all accessories were hand-beaded. Attached to the sashes/scarves is a "hip fluff" (LOL, the names we come up with for various costume bits) consisting of various flowers, ribbons, feathers, beads, etc. attached to a barrette that clips over (and thusly hides) the transition point between the sashes/scarves and filigree belt. I also prettied up an ornate letter opener to function as a dagger, which slips comfortably inside the "hip fluff." The wig was styled identically to my very first Terra wig, which I preferred over my second Terra wig, only with chalky pastel green highlights as opposed to teal highlights. Tiny roses, filigrees, and beads were strung throughout it and the back of the wig features something similar to the "hip fluff," except with more sashes and random bits thrown in for "poof." I'd like to add more wig fiber to the ponytail when I re-wear this at Katsucon, since I didn't quite get the fullness that I desired with just the wig itself.

Whew, I think I covered everything, at least minimally! I'm really proud of myself for sticking with this design all summer long, even when it felt like it'd never be finished. I have a tendency to shy away from elaborate designs, particularly as the years go by and I find myself more and more wrapped up in my classroom. If this is the last "big" costume I make (which it might be -- I don't know if I want to dedicate another summer entirely to just one costume) I'll be happy. C:

Other Sakizou Terra Uploads:
[link] | DEAR FRIENDS

Special Request:
Please no critiques/criticism; I'd like to keep this gallery happy! :3