@Kayecosplay looks spellbinding as Ursula from The Little Mermaid!
Ursula from The Little Mermaid is a villainous sea witch who deals in contracts and spells. She convinces the mermaid, Ariel, to exchange her voice for human legs.
"A woman doesn't know how powerful her voice is until she has been silenced."
-Ursula
How was it made?
@Kayecosplay had wanted to recreate the Disney Designer Doll Collection Ursula design for a few years before taking on the task. She began by making a tape-cast form of her body and building a pattern from there. The wet look of the black lamé was perfect for this project. To add shape, @Kayecosplay sewed in padded bra cups and boning. The edges were bound with bias and sequin trim. The back laces up with grommets and there are Swarovski crystals hot fixed along the bust line.
She made her own hoop skirt using black fabric and wire with an elastic waistband. Nearly 100 rows of gathered ruffles were sewn onto a bell skirt base. The ruffles are sewn with a fishing line hem. The skirt is a blend of dupioni silk, organza, satin, sequins, and a great blue ruffled trim. Afterward, hundreds of AB rhinestones were added as well.
The crown is made of Kydex thermoplastic and the jewelry has been decorated with rhinestones too.
Photographer: Elysia Griffin
"I have met so many lifelong friends through cosplay, and it is cosplay that binds us together."
-@Kayecosplay
"I remember being in awe over this design the first time I saw the production as a child."
Carlotta
Carlotta is the Prima Donna of the Opera. She has been tormented by the phantom for three years and the phantom has a distaste for her because he believes she is stealing Christine's role.
@Kayecosplay made the entire gown from scratch. She began by sourcing fabric from the L.A. Fashion District and building a hoop skirt. Then, she broke the project down into smaller steps so it was easier to tackle. The bottom tier of the skirt measures to ten yards wide! The ornate back bow was structured using interfacing and horsehair braid.
Photographer: @amiephotos
"I'm always striving to learn more, do more, create more, and see more. I have lots of goals and aspirations for cosplay and I'm constantly dreaming up new ideas."
-@Kayecosplay
Sailor Neptune
Michiru Kaiou, better known as her hero name, Sailor Neptune, is a Sailor Guardian with sea-based powers. She is an extremely elegant high schooler who loves to play the violin. However, her personality is cold and reserved.
This costume is based off Hannah Alexander's redesign of Sailor Neptune and @Kayecosplay captured it gorgeously.
"Ambitious from the start, this may be one of my most treasured costumes to date.
This was my first time attempting something that required exact replication of an elaborate rhinestone design that would extend over seam lines, curves, and on delicate fabric too!...
...All of the rhinestones are genuine Swarovski crystal with a mixture of hotfix and sew-on stones. I also incorporated flat back pearls and a rhinestone trim into the design to break up the texture and sheen of the embellishments.
The base dress is made of a navy medium weight scuba, and the outer layer with the rhinestones is a beautiful teal/green crystal organza.
The skirt’s gradient material is the most buttery silk charmeuse I’ve ever worked with- It felt like a sin to cut it! The skirt is lined in a rich navy satin and edged with mint sequins.
For the shoes, I purchased navy peep-toe heels, and covered the front of the shoe with fabric matching my dress. Then I applied all of the rhinestones to the front and finished it off by creating stretchy straps to go around my legs- this way I was able to sew the straps into place and did not have to worry about crisscrossing them the same way each time they were worn! The costume is finished with a rhinestone belt and center back bow."
Top 3 Favorite Cosplays
1
Ursula from The Little Mermaid
2
Sailor Neptune from Sailor Moon
3
Carlotta from Phantom of the Opera
@Kayecosplay at Anime St. Pete
@Kayecosplay will be at Anime St. Pete 2022 on September 17-18. She will be judging the craftsmanship competition, as well as meeting with guests throughout the weekend.
Learn more about seeing @Kayecosplay's work in person on the Anime St. Pete website.
From Orlando, Florida
The Basic Info
@Kayecosplay has been cosplaying for 18 years! She is 29-years-old and began cosplaying after begging her mom to take her to first anime convention in 2004. Her first cosplay was Sango from Inuyasha. She even made Sango's boomerang, hiraikotsu, out of cardboard. It was as tall as she was!
Favorite Conventions
Holiday Matsuri, Anime Expo, MEGACON, Katsucon, and the Disney D23 Expo.
Occupation
Creative Costuming Digital Artist for Walt Disney Live Entertainment
