Cosplay on Location

AKA coming to terms with the fact that your cosplay will get dirty

Stephanie and I just returned home from a trip to Colorado where we did what all slightly obsessive cosplayers do and planned a photoshoot while we were on vacation. Halfway through packing all the pieces of my Italian Renaissance Elsa gown I began to question the sanity of this idea. But, come on, how else are a couple of Texas girls going to get photos that look like this?

Totally worth it. The only downside (other than sacrificing half of my suitcase to a gown and wig) is that capturing these types of photos can be rough on cosplay. Within 10 minutes of walking around I could already see that my hemline was picking up every bit of mud left behind by the melting snow. By the time we were finished, I had a nice, dirt crusted ring along the bottom of my dress. Womp. Womp.

 This isn’t a new occurrence for us. Most of the events Stephanie and I do are outside. They are dusty, muddy, rainy, muggy, and humid. Not the ideal setting for full renaissance court attire, or any cosplay really. Over the years, we’ve found techniques and materials that work better for us. We work with fabrics that are more stain resistant to extend the life of our gowns, try our best to avoid puddles, and opt for less messy food choices. But no matter how careful we are, there’s no way to avoid it, our cosplays are going to get dirty. This mindset isn’t for everyone. If the thought of wearing your cosplay out in the elements gives you hives, that’s perfectly valid. Cosplay is an expensive, time-consuming hobby, and some stains can’t be undone. However, if you do plan on braving the great outdoors in your latest creation, here are tips for preventing some mess and cleaning up the aftermath. 

 Tip 1: Layers
When possible, I’ve started making an easy to wash underlayer for my cosplays. This creates a barrier between your body and the garment and helps protect your cosplay from soaking up a ton of sweat. This is a practice that most of my historical cosplayers will be familiar with as wearing a shift under your clothes was the easiest way to prolong the life of expensive and hard to clean garments before regular bathing was a thing. Luigi is a perfect example of this. We test washed some of the fashion fabric and found that it really didn’t hold up in the water. So, washing the jacket was pretty much a non-starter. On the other hand, my undershirt is a sturdy cotton that can be tossed in the washing machine after each use so I always have a clean layer against my body.

 Tip 2: Construction
If my gown has a massive train (and most of them do because I’m a drama llama), I’ll try to add a bustle. If I’m short on time, another technique I’ll employ is a wrist loop. Both options will keep your hands free (I hate having to hold/carry my train) and keep your gown from dragging on the ground. Bonus, bustles and loops can also be helpful if you only plan on wearing a gown at conventions since it keeps people from constantly stepping on you while you’re out on the floor.

 Tip 3: Spot Clean
I usually bring a small container of dawn dish soap with me when camping at the renaissance fair. This works great to break up any grease stains. As I mentioned, we do our best to pick foods that are less likely to be messy (unless it’s a powdered sugar covered banana empanada from the Empanada Lady at the Texas Renaissance Festival), but sometimes spills happen. Blotting a stain with a dab of dish soap and water will help keep it from setting in and make cleanup slightly easier.

 Tip 4: Deep Clean
This treatment is usually reserved for the hem of my garments. Most often than not, this is the part of my gown that gets the dirtiest. Through trial and error, I have developed a cleaning process that works for me. I start by taking a soft bristle brush and brushing as much of the loose dirt out of the dress as I can. Next, I rinse the soiled parts of the dress under running water to prep it for soaking. The main goal is to remove as much of the dirt as possible before soaking so your cosplay isn’t sitting in a bucket of mud. Once everything has been thoroughly rinsed, I’ll set up a bucket with OxiClean and let the hem soak for a while.  For sections that are particularly stubborn, I’ll treat them with OxiClean stain remover spray and scrub the stain out.

 Before using any of these tips, be sure to test them on some scrap fabric. Some fabrics hold up much better than others. While I have been pretty successful at keeping my cosplays fresh, these methods aren’t perfect. There are some stubborn stains that just don’t come out. But these cosplays were built with that inevitably in mind, so I’m okay with that risk. If these tips have encouraged to take your cosplays out into the world, be sure to tag @HistoricallyLaced. I love seeing pictures of cosplay out in the wild!