Crossplay - Compression Shirt

Hi guys!

I've been dojng crossplay for a lot of years now and something always got in the way. You know where I'm going right? That's right, breasts are quite a big problem when it comes to crossplay.

When I began crossplay (well at the same time that I began cosplay actually) I only used a swimming suit top with a tie wrap... it somehow worked because I had smaller breast and was wearing a lot of layers of clothes. But as the years went by I noticed that my breasts were still very appearant despite the swimsuit top.

Last year at G-anime I tried binding my breasts with bandages for the first time and it was quite painful, considering that I have asthma. Of course, after a few minutes I could forget the bandages, but they kept falling appart and my friend had to help me put them on in the first place. It wasn't really reliable and not as effective as what I wished it would've been.

I didn't see myself putting on bandages again for Otakuthon this summer, with the heat and all... so I went on the internet to search for more effective ways. I came accross something very interesting. People were talking about compression shirts. I went to see pictures and reviews to get a good idea of what it is.

People were talking mainly about 2 websites.

T-Kingdom
and
Underworks

The first one would be for girls with smaller breasts and the second one is technically supposed to be for men.

I chose to use the latter since I don't really have small breasts and the compression vest from T-Kingdom wouldn't work very well on me it seems.

So I ordered last week from underworks. My package arrived in approximately 4 days, regardless of the weekend via DHL. I hate DHL but since I was home today everything was fine and I was there to get my package.

The model I ordered is the tri-top chest binder in the nude color. It cost about 29$ plus something like 15-17$ shipping (why is shipping to Canada always so expensive???).

Here's what the shirt looks like (it's more of a camisole really).
 

And here's the miracle it can accomplish!

I do have pictures without my shirt on but, well, I'm not too sure about showing this on the internet XD But basically it looks as if I actually had abs. If I decided to paint the camisole to make it appear more muscular it would be great for an open chest crossplay really, especially because of the nude color and the shape it gives to my breasts.

It is hard to put on as it is very tight, but once it's on you forget about it very soon. Mine may be a bit too tight under the arms but I am loosing weight at the moment so it will fit me when the time of my next cosplay event comes.

Overall I'm really happy with my purchase and it will definitely be useful in the near future and for many years.

*Kinerai*

Aoba Seragaki and Jude Mathis figure review

Hi guys!

I received those lovely figures the day after I finished my cosplay for Aoba. I wanted to wait a bit and take more pictures before reviewing them though.

I ordered both of them on Hobbysearch. They weren't supposed to be released together but I was unlucky enough for it to happen. Anyways I'm still happy to have them by my side now, though my wallet is very unhappy XD

I preordered them to be sure I'd get them as soon as they were released. It's the kind of items you need to preorder if you want one, they often sell out on the day of release.

Aoba was around (in USD) 120 and Jude was around 70. Shipping by EMS cost about 50. The total was still pretty affordable, but I got custom fees, of course! So it ended up being a bit pricy :/

EMS shipping was very fast and Hobbysearch only took a day or 2 to send out my parcel. I was one of the first to receive Jude I think since I got the chance to post a picture before everyone else.

On to the review now!

Hobbysearch had packed both figures very tightly and securely. The box was pretty big too because of the size of Aoba's box.

You can compare them pretty well here.

So let's begin with Aoba.
It came unassembled, pretty much the same as every other figure I got so far.

My worst enemy!!!

 The base was a pain to assemble. The figure is really fragile. I say that because I actually scratched the base pretty bad in 2 places even though I was VERY careful... I feel so bad now. But I found a tutorial on how to repaint it fortunately.

Aoba looks funny like that...

What it looks like once assembled! I really like the pose, it's so original compared to the other figures where the character is just standing there... doing pretty much nothing. I also like the fact that there is one object for every character of the game on the stand. The umbrellas for Clear, the green blocks for Noiz, the birds for Koujaku and the pipe for Mink.... and Ren is also there in his allmate form. What else can we ask of a figure???

 

A close up of the side of Aboa's head. There's so many details, you can clearly read what is written on the headphones. And the logo on his sleeve looks great too.

 A close up of Ren. He is so cute! The figure also came with a bonus Ren keychain, I left it hanging of one of the chains of the base, I think you can see it on one of the pictures above.

And one last close-up to finish his review.

So overall I really like the figure. I wish it would be bigger... I know it is already really big (around 30 cm with the base), but I would love if it could be the center of attention of my collection. The figure is really detailed and very accurate too. Every single detail is there. It really was worth the price. While it was more expensive than ultimate Madoka, I still don't regret choosing him over her, especially considering that he is sold out everywhere at the moment while she's not.




Now it's Jude's turn!
I haven't played the game yet since it is not released here. But I've seen enough footage of the game to know what he is supposed to be like.

This figure is pretty small compared to Aoba. Only 15 cm with the base. There were rumors that the painting job was messy. Some reviews indeed showed paint bleed and scuffs. But I got mine at the same time as the reviews came out so I didn't have time to become nervous. In the end the figure came out pretty well. Sure there are some minor imperfections, but nothing like what I saw in the reviews.

So this is the box. It looks really nice.

There was nothing to assemble apart from putting the figure onto base. It wasn't really difficult.
He looks like this from the front (say hi to Jake in the background!).

 

Here's a close-up of his face. Sorry for the dust, the sun was very strong and there was a lot of it in the air.

And here's the back. I like the flow of his coat, it looks dynamic. The stand is pretty too, there are some kind of bubbles in it to make it look like there are magic sparkles on it.

Overall I like this figure too, but compared to Aoba it,s a bit disapointing. This one was pretty expensive for a 15 cm figure. But at least it is well done and the pose is great. I don't regret buying it either.

Finally, here's what they both look like compared to all my other figures (well most of them). It's quite crowded now... I can't wait to move to our new appartment and buy a glass display for them all. I have 2 Yu-gi-oh figures that don't fit on the shelf since they are even bigger than Inuyasha!

*Kinerai*

Work in Progress - Aoba Seragaki Cosplay

Hi guys!

I just finished the jacket for my Aoba cosplay and wanted to share a few pictures I have. I did tkae some photos during the project, but we mostly took pictures at the end because my friend needed them for a school project.

This jacket took around 2 months to make, on and off because I was busy with other things.
It is made from spandex (white fabric) and strong coton (blue). I used kodel to make it very puffy and comfortable. I,m far from being a professinal so the finition is very ugly if you look inside... but from the outside I guess it looks good enough.

I don't have a step by step, but here are some pictures I took during the work in progress.


I first began with a pattern I bought where I work. I used a hoodie pattern from Burda. The sizes were pretty decent compared to some other pattern companies so I didn't have much to adjust.

I made the sleeves first since there was more than one color and they were pretty hard to sew. The color pattern wasn't easy either. It took me 4 sleeves to get 2 that looked ok. Spandex is hard to sew with precision.

When I had the sleeves down, I began to make the logo. I finished the other sleeve first but couldn't complete the other one until the logo was finished. It did take more than a week since I don't really know how to use machine embrodery.

Embrodery progress.

Still embrodery...

Finally it was almost done!

  

This is what the cosplay looked like when I was almost done with the logo. I worked on the rest too to make sure I wouldn't be too late (I was supposed to finish it in 3 weeks).

 Almost there! I only missed the buttons (which I needed to cover with vinyl, paint and polish).

Finally it was... almost done. I had forgotten the pockets and stayed up late at night to put them on before the photoshoot, which was the day after.

There! Now it is done! I couldn't get the collar to stay, even with the advices of my collegues. In the end I think it's still fine. I cover the seams when I get the chance to get the jacket back (it is exposed in the store where I work).

I guess this is the most interesting part! We went to take some pictures in a nearby park. It was a very windy afternoon, but also very sunny. We had a lot of fun! My friend was wearing her Sion Astal cosplay.

Yes I praise trees sometimes...

And I fail at kicking... 90 degrees kicks aren't really menacing.

I can't wait to make the boots. The belt, and the shirt have been bought already. What will be left in the end are the contact lenses and the headphones.

I'll post an update when the cosplay is really finished.

*Kinerai*