Post 1: Fashion or Cosplay

   

Left: LILISIMPLY (lookbook.nu) Right: Aza Miyuko (Blade and soul)

  Would you consider Cosplay is Fashion or vice versa? Cosplay and Fashion are both related to clothes and style, hair and makeup, accessories and such. But how can someone actually differentiate the two?
     Fashion defines culture, social status, personality, and lifestyle. An expression of oneself through mix and matching of style. One can actually see the social status of a person from the brand she wears. It does even shows your age. You cannot simply wear a Tube blouse when you're in your 80's. It doesn't mean that anything and everything is wearable.
     Being into fashion or cosplay gives you the opportunity to show off your personality and creativity. An Edgy look gives you the fierce attitude. A sweet dress shows off your feminine side. One can be defined from the look she shows, clothes she wears, makeup she uses and much more.

     How can we actually relate Fashion and Cosplay?

     Fashion is a form of Self-expression. It is considered as form of expression of what we feel. We express ourselves in the form of style. One cannot wear the same clothes everyday. We have to step out of our comfort zone to express ourselves. I've read an article entitled "Fashion as Expression" by Devorah from Deborahshemesh.com. It tackles on how it Fashion helps us express ourselves. From there, couple of lines said by the author caught my eye saying, " Being fashionably fit means knowing yourself from the inside out, and it doesn’t cost a cent.  Use fashion as an expression of who you are, or who you aspire to be, and don’t let fashion use you."

     Fashion is a form of art. From colors to texture. It uses the sense of color combination and texture of fabric being used. It shows the creativity of blending and mix and matching. If fashion is executed well, one can instantly see the art behind it. There maybe also rules but the art of it never goes wrong.

     On the other hand, Cosplay is simply "costume + play = cosplay". A hobby among devotees of anime and manga. Unlike Fashion, cosplay has a character to imitate. There is a specific attitude and style for every character. But cosplay is not as simple as copying the character. One should be able to portray them well. It doesn't mean that when you saw a good-looking character, you are going to Cosplay her/him right away. Knowing the essence of cosplay is a hard task to people who are not familiar with it just like fashion. There are specific rules in cosplaying too.

Aza Miyuko as Leah from Diablo III

     Cosplay is also a form of Self-expression. One can express himself/herself through cosplay. Being in perfect character suited for your feelings is a big deal. You might be able to give justice to the character you're portraying by the similarities of your feelings and attitude. A shy person cosplaying a shy character don't need to exert much effort to show the personality of and feeling of the character being cosplayed by him/her. There is one article that inspired me entitled "Breaking All The Rules: Cosplay and the Art of Self-expression" by Ger Tysk from Indiegogo.com focusing on how Cosplay can change someone's life by expression. He also said that "Those characters in those stories - the characters who they cosplay - have helped people discover new, different parts of themselves. Cosplay is the ultimate tribute, to say that yes, my outlook, my friendships, and my life have forever changed because of this story."

     Cosplay is also an Art. A form of art from construction to overall character play. A beginner might not be able to construct his/ her own costume at first, but as time goes by, as he/she enjoyed doing it, he/she eventually learn the art of it. From constructing the armors of a specific character takes a lot of effort to get burned by heat gun, glued by greco but that doesn't matter as long as it'll pay off. It also comes with painting and crafting accessories which fall into the category of arts but that doesn't mean it'll be automatically considered art. It have to have texture and style and the meaning of every work done to be considered art. 

     Fashion and Cosplay is simply an Expression of oneself in the form of Art. Our eyes can see what lies beneath. Our looks can be very deceiving, but it only shows how perfect we are in our own ways. We can stand out by how we deliver the message through clothes, makeup, or accessory. A form of freedom, body as canvass and a medium for communication.