The Thrift-Shop Cosplayer: Cosplay: Rey (2016)

This past month was my second ECCC (Emerald City Comic Con) and my most difficult cosplay to thrift yet. I loved Star Wars: The Force Awakens and I decided to take on the challenge of making a cosplay for the amazing female lead Rey. However, it's one thing to make a thrifted and discount store cosplay when you're playing a character like Jubilee with mostly "everyday" clothes as her uniform. But a character from a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away? That's another story.

As my previous post mentioned, finding the accessories was one of the first challenges. Thankfully, prequel lightsabers and duct tape came to the rescue! I did redo the duct tape cuff after seeing a really helpful post someone made on the ECCC page about their own leather cuff (it tapered in more than mine, and seemed to hook better).

The other struggle is that I was working off of a very particular picture of Rey (left); the film hadn't been released on DVD/Blu-Ray yet, and the photo which most seemed to show her costume without obstruction was the promotional picture of her on Jakku. Looking at the fabric, it drove me a bit crazy: it was tan but dirty enough to look gray and semi-sheer but not completely. It was a unique look and I had no idea where to find anything like it.

But then I found something that looked close:
a discount gray sheer scarf valance for only $5.49! It seemed like it would be similar in color (at least to the Jakku dirt-covered version) and get that flowy look I liked from the picture. Once I bought it and played around with it, it was tough to get it QUITE to lay right; if I ever did this cosplay again I'd probably try and get another fabric, but I was still pretty happy with it.

I found some light brown capri leggings for $6.99 and those amazing $2.99 boots I posted about earlier (Lifelong thrift comes through again!). Lifelong also had a light tan no-sleeve for $2 that I used as my under-shirt. Putting that all together, I think I got right in the ballpark of Rey's Jakku look.

Nothing could have prepared me, though, for how many "twins" I'd see at ECCC! It really was the con of Rey's and Harley Quinn's (who is an amazingly fun cosplay too!). Seeing so many interpretations, as well as so many cosplays of all ages, was a ton of fun.

I went to the Star Wars meetup on Friday at ECCC and it was so great to take a Rey-cosplay group picture and trade costume strategies and tips.

So many Rey versions, ideas, interpretations, and creativity!

At first, I was a little intimidated: I'm a thrift-shop cosplayer! Some of the Rey's were talking about how they spent all month sewing or imported their fabric from out of the country! But then one of the Rey's complimented my arm-bandages and I mentioned that they were just painted and distressed ACE bandages. "That's what I should have done," she said. "That was a good idea." It was a really gratifying moment; for anyone who is trying to cosplay on a budget, just know that it's the little moments like that one that remind you that everyone (yes, even us thrifties) is a "real" cosplayer.

Between that moment, talking lightsabers with a little 7 year-old Rey, posing for pictures with Old Luke, and coming back for the rest of ECCC with my boyfriend who I helped cosplay for the first time, I'd call both this con and this cosplay a sci-fi success and a lot of fun!