In 2019 I finally got over my fear of closet cosplays. I always felt like every cosplay had to be handmade, expensive, and over the top. Turns out, some of my favourite cosplays were thrown together with what I had in my closet. I had over 20 closet cosplays in 2019 and I'm going to teach you my methods on how to rock your own closet cosplays
The first step of any cosplay is picking the character. As a cosplayer, I always have too many cosplans, but when it comes to closet cosplays, I try to pick someone who is wearing more "casual clothes." I know I can't cosplay some sort of crazy armour or sewing project with what I have in my closet, so I try to pick simpler costumes.
The next step is to raid your own closet! Look through all your clothes and try to see what may work for you. I always try to find the top first, since the torso up is what people will see the most of in my costumes. Tops first, pants next, accessories last.
Don't be afraid of not being 100% accurate, with closet cosplays it's often more about embodying the character than actually being as accurate as possible. Closet cosplays also give you the chance to put your own spin on the character, so don't be afraid to mix it up! My Rich Goranski cosplay is nowhere near Rich's canon costume, but it made my take on Rich unique to only me.
The only "canon" aspects about my Rich cosplay are the bandana and red streak in my hair.
If your own closet is failing you, ask a friend or family member! My JD coat is taken directly from my mom's closet and worked perfectly.
Now that you've found the outfit, it's time to focus on the neck up! Makeup and wigs are a super easy way to level up your cosplay game. I'm going to do a full blog post about how I do transformation makeup soon, but it all boils down to contouring, honestly. Don't be afraid to experiment with your makeup and try something new!
You can also use whatever wigs you have to complete your cosplay, or if you happen to have similar hair to the character, just use your own! I'm lucky enough to have short brown hair, so almost all-male cosplays I do I don't have to use a wig. If you're planning to cosplay a lot of characters with the same hair colour, try to invest in one base wig and re-use it for all of them!
Finally, don't be afraid of Photoshop or other editing software. Photoshop has gotten a bad wrap for its ability to change people's shape or features, but it has really great features. If a costume piece is the perfect style, but the wrong colour, you can use Photoshop to change it. This won't work for costumes you plan on wearing out to conventions, but for photoshoots, it will get the job done.
For example, I edited my hair, my eyes, my jacket, and my shirt colour for this closet cosplay of Harley Keener from Iron Man 3.
Now that you've read all this, it's your turn to rock your own closet cosplay. What are you waiting for? Go raid your closet and cosplay the characters you've always dreamed of!
