BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Any tips on cosplaying?

**Posted by Lilythiell** March 28, 2015 11:07 pm

I am slowly trying to make my way into the Con world, and have no idea where to begin, cosplay wise. (And I'm not only thinking of the Sherlocked Con in April, but for every future Con I'll attend. Like the Comic Con in Paris in October, for example)
Are there some kind of rules?
How do you choose who you will cosplay? I assume the obvious choice is going for your favourite character, but I'm guessing there is also the possibility to go for any other character you like. I had a mate suggesting me to go as "Mycroft's Umbrella". Another suggesting Irene in her "battle dress" (and no, she was not serious. Obviously.).
Do you think it is mandatory to act as the character you cosplay?
Thank you for your help! Any advice is welcome.

-Lily

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 6, 2015 10:40 pm

I cosplay all the time.

It's a good start to think of all the characters you like the best, and all of the characters you would WANT to cosplay. And then, once you've done that...address your own limits.

It depends how serious you want to get with it at this point...

For example, if you're five foot four and with blonde hair, you might want to think about cosplaying John rather than Sherlock. That's not to say you can't be a short Sherlock. I've seen some done successfully, but taller Sherlocks always work the best. You also want to think about who you're cosplaying WITH. If you're going in a group of friends, you might want to talk with them beforehand and find out what they're cosplaying. Heights come into play here as well. I was going to cosplay John and Mary with someone until I found out that they were actually taller than me! In the end I just did a different charater altogether that wasn't in a pairing - can't remember which.

Also, if you're a particularly womanly woman - ie. if you have large breasts! - you might want to think about doing 'femme' versions of characters if you can't pull of guys very well, or doing female only cosplays.

Next, you need to think about how far you're willing to go. I mentioned blonde hair earlier, but the colour of your hair doesn't have to be a limitation if you don't want it to be. You could dye it a different colour to match the cosplay you want, or purchase a wig. Personally, I don't like wigs, so I always cosplay with my real hair. I dye my hair frequently, grow it out, curl it, cut it all off again, dye it a different colour etc etc, constantly throughout the year for various different cosplays from different fandoms.

Then you have to consider how much you're willing to spend on the actual outfit. Do you already have some clothes that could be adjusted or that would suit a specific cosplay? If so, that would save you time and money and might make you come to a decision about who to cosplay. If not, you're obviously going to have to splash out some cash to get the relevant clothes and props (Props are important too!).

Once you've considered all those issues, you should have a better idea of who you want to cosplay or who it would be feasable for you to cosplay.

I don't think it's mandatory for you to act like the character, certainly not CONSTANTLY throughout the day, as that would be quite a tall order, but you should be able to switch it on and off when needed. Part of the fun of cosplay at cons are the photo shoots, and the random in character moments where you act things out for the hell of it.

If you have any more questions, I'll do my best to help.

**Posted by Lilythiell** April 6, 2015 11:24 pm

Thank you very much for how thouroughly you've answered my questions, you have my eternal gratitude.

I figured that as I'm of an average height (how did you know?) and my natural hair colour is blond (how could you possibly know about that?), I ought to go for John. Problem is I don't have anything in my wardrobe that is much John (apart from a couple pair of jeans). And my Dad's wardrobe is a tad too large for me. I like John's character, but I don't know...cosplaying him does not appeal to me as cosplaying someone else. And what props does he have, apart from a cane (even if he doesn't have it long in the series) and the Gun? (although I wouldn't dare bring a gun -a fake one, obvisouly- to...well, anywhere) Seems a bit not good.
Sherlock would be the most sensible choice, wardrobe and props-wise (dreams on learning how to play the violin). The problem will be the height (can't grow a foot taller in the night, now, can I? *sighs and wishes nonetheless*) and the hair. I'm going to have to go for a wig, as I've fine hair...unless my hairdresser says I can go around that. In which case I'll be safe.
I was thinking on going to Paris Comic Con as a wizard, depending on how much money hair extensions cost I may go as Hermione.

Once again, thank you very much for your thoroughness in answering that

-Lily

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 7, 2015 9:00 am

Don't forget there's also many other characters available - not just Sherlock and John! I just picked those as an example because they're the most commonly cosplayed.

**Posted by Whisky** April 7, 2015 4:56 pm

I haven't done much cosplay, and not at conventions... only the fun at home for photos or with friends. What I find interesting is how friends see me. I have absolutely no Sherlock appearance (blond hair, very different face, ...), but when I asked friends they said I should try Sherlock simply because I *act* like him sometimes. And I agree, if you're similar to a character in the way you speak and move etc, it's makes it also easier to pull the character off even if the optics aren't perfect. Or the other way round: if you look very much like a character already (a friend of mine is the perfect Irene somehow), it's not that important to do the acting very well to be convincing ;-) That's just my opinion, but it made my choices easier. I also think easy characters are the ones that have a very distinctive outer appearance but not so much screen time (like our lady in pink). They're easy to recognize but leave much room for playing them out in your own way :-) I also like that not so many people go for them. I would love to do Anderson one day! Or Billy. Or the guys from the pub in THOB :D

Oh, and I also think, but I'm not so sure on it, it's fun to do a very personal interpretation of a character. But I cannot say how that is seen at conventions. But as I don't wanna spend so much money, I usually go for clothes that match the style of the character, but aren't necessarily featured in the show. I have a Sherlock coat which is an ordinary coat I bought at Oxfam and then it got some attention from me and my sewing machine. It's not *the* coat, but people still recognize it as a Sherlock BBC coat ;) (red button holes work on anything!^^)

Last edited by Whisky (April 7, 2015 5:01 pm)