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Debut: Anime-Expo 2002
Why Squall?I've always liked the Final Fantasy VIII game. The characters are rich and deap and it's Square's first FF game that uses life like character designs. I have to say the story is also very engaging and the game is just beautiful by any standards, dispite it being on the Playstation One.
Having said that, I wanted to do Squall for my very first costume. I was very nervous and was basically hunting around all of the thrift stores to find the right bits and pieces.
This costume is also very different then from what I normally wear. Lots of leather and vinyl and it just looks so very cool, though wearing all of it is very hot temperature wise!
How did I make Squall?I found a short women's leather jacket at a thrift store. It was perfect, and only needed the fur collar to complete it. I bought a pair of vinyl pants that looked like leather from Hot Topic in their clearance racks. It fit fine, except for the length. I basically roll up the bottoms and fold them inside to get the right length. I also bought a pair of black boots from Payless.
The belts were very diffcult. I couldn't find the right type when going to the various thrift stores. However, I found a leather repair store at my local mall that had the right belts and just bought them. I think they are the most expensive part of the costume, since they were 3 leather belts at $14 each. Speaking of belts, the leg belts are made from vinyl strips with belt loops and stuff from Joann and Britex.
The fur I originally got from Joann's, but found much fluffier and hairer fur at Britex Fabrics in San Francisco. The facial scar is lip liner that my friend bought for me. As for the white shirt. I actually got polyester "performance" shirt from REI which helps to keep me dry. Since a lot of the costume is leather and vinyl it gets quite warm and any form of cooling helps greatly.
The gunblade was added later. I originally made my first one out of cardboard, two metal rulers and lots of aluminum foil for Comic Con 2002. Unfortunatly it looks it, and I decided to make another one after Comic Con. It just looked too cheezy. The second version my co-worker helped me with. He helped me pick out the right type of wood (pine) and helped me cut out the proper shape.
ReactionsI've gotten a lot of compliments for my Squall. The first time I wore it to AX2002, someone told me that I was the best Squall they've seen. That's very flattering especially since it was my first costume!
Actually, there's a funny story about fangirls on the Anime Expo 2002 page which made everything worth while. :)
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