Active Costuming & Wardrobe Posts

How To: Make a swimmable mermaid tail

Here is a step by step tutorial for making a swimmable mermaid tail. Check out Video #2 for a demonstration of the tail in use!

How To: Do your makeup, hair, and costume for a Masquerade party or Halloween

Masquerade parties are fun, classy, and sensual. Even if you don't know of any upcoming Masquerade parties, the Masquerade look works perfect for Halloween as well. In this video you'll learn how to do the hair, makeup, and costume for a great Masquerade look

How To: Wear the Same Top and Belt in Different Ways and Samydress Haul +Review

This is my first ever clothing haul video and I was so very excited about creating this video for sammydress - you might have heard of this company , who sent me this stuff for review purposes, hence the title "How to Wear the Same Top and Belt in Different Ways and Samydress Haul +Review "

How To: Sew a hooded cloak or cape without a pattern

This is a very thorough tutorial which shows you how to make a hooded cloak or cape without a pattern. All you need is five yards of your favorite fabric (pick something durable and sixty inches wide), then cut out some basic shapes and follow along the sewing tutorial

How To: Make the under tunic for an Altair from Assassin's Creed costume

Altair is one of the sexiest video games characters your could be this Halloween or at your next cosplay convention. The Dutchman who made this video clearly is devoted to the character, and in this video you'll learn how to make a perfect Altair under tunic for your costume. Watch this video before you start to learn how to make the template.

How To: Sew the hood for an Altair for Assassin's Creed costume

If you've been looking for a sexy contemporary video game character to cosplay or dress as for Halloween, consider Altair from Assassin's Creed. He's sexy, distinctive, and armed with this video you'll be well on your way to having sewed the costume yourself. Specifically, this video will teach you how to sew Altair's hood quickly and easily.

News: 3 Super Budget DIY X-Men Costumes

Superb costumes generally fall into two categories; artfully crafted, time intensive, pricey facsimiles or the low budget option—ingenious, cheap and scrappy. When undertaking the admirable task of creating "one cool (or not) idea every day, for 365 consecutive days, from January 1st until December 31st", option two is most viable. And the most fun.

How To: Demon Hand Armor Tutorial (Video)

Here's my latest armor tutorial...what I call the "Demon Hand". The method used in this tutorial can be used to create pretty much any armor. This one is is 18 gauge brass, but if you use stainless steel I suggest 20 or 22 gauge. This is the easiest of all of my gauntlets to create, and it takes a lot less metal. Less than an 8.5" x 11" piece (per hand). Would make cool motorcycle riding gloves!

How To: Find the Right Fabric for Your Cosplay Costumes

TheTribalButterfly, in this video tutorial talks about cosplay for anime and manga, but not really. She really talks about how to choose the perfect fabric for all your cosplay needs. Those fictional characters are just dying to get out of your body and on your body, so cosplay away with the right tools to perform this new art.

How To: Make a pair of Renaissance pants and lower body costume from a thrift store

Want to make a pair of Renaissance pants? You can make a really cool pair of Renaissance pants or fantasy costume pants out of a pair of sweatpants. This tutorial shows you how to pull off this look using the thrift store.

How To: Build Pyramid Head from Silent Hill for cosplay

Pyramid Head. You've heard the name before. You've saw him in action. Now cosplay as him. This costume could be used for Halloween, cosplay, or just for the hell of it. Pyramid Head is a fictional monster from the Silent Hill video game and movie. So watch this four-part video tutorial to see how to do it. If you can follow these instructions, you could never need another cosplay getup again. Unless you want to try out some anime or manga.

How To: Make a Skull Helmet Armor Tutorial

A very cool tutorial on how to make a "Spartan Wraith" helmet using ordinary tools you likely already have in your garage. Click the video to watch the process.

How To: Make a Hollywood Undead mask

Looking for some help making a Hollywood Undead mask? In this video, get a step by step guide on how one person made hers from a blank mask purchased at Century Novelty.

How To: Make leather bracers and belt for an Altair Assassin's Creed or other costume

Leather bracers and belts are staples of typical medieval garb, and if you want to make a medieval Halloween or cosplay costume it could probably be helped by a set. In this video you'll learn how to make great bracers and belts yourself for an Altair from Assassin's Creed or other period costume.

How To: Make under and upper tunic template for Altair from Assassin's Creed costume

Altair from Assassin's Creed absolutely drips charisma and originality, and thus makes a great costume choice for Halloween or cosplay. In this video you'll learn how to make a template for his upper and under tunic before your cut and sew it.

How To: Make a Mermaid Tail Costume

Make your underwater dreams come true by turning yourself into a bona fide swimming mermaid. If mermaids did exist, you would be the perfect candidate to transform into the mythical creature. So check out this video tutorial form Little Orca to learn how to make your own mermaid tail costume.

How To: Make an Iron Man Inspired Gauntlet (in Metal)

Here's my latest gauntlet, made in 22 gauge stainless steel using ordinary hand tools you probably already have in your garage. I used Iron Man for inspiration, but it's far from an exact replica. Unlike my previous gauntlets, there is minimal riveting, as most of the parts are held to the glove using epoxy, along with some small nuts and bolts. Aside from cutting out all the parts, which is a little tedious, it's actually fairly easy to do. A fun project for anyone into metalworking, prop ma...

HowTo: Make Your Own Tron Suit

We all love Tron. The more Tron the better. We learned how to make a Tron suit with the help of Adafruit, but here's a new rendition that substitutes the electroluminescent wire for LEDs. Instructables member sheetmetalalchemist says the LEDs are brighter, sturdier and lighter.

How To: Build a Metal Gauntlet

Here's an in-depth video on how to make a functional gauntlet with simple hand tools. You can make it with metal like the video shows, or even just cardboard if it's for a costume. You can download the template and written instructions for this gauntlet over at my website for five bucks. Otherwise, you can just watch the video to follow along—or to inspire your own version.

News: Krampus, the Evil Face of Christmas

Meet Krampus, St. Nick's evil companion of traditional Alpine mythology. According to Wikipedia, the freaky tradition was particularly popular with the Austrian Nazi-allied fascists, circa mid-1930s:

How To: Make zombies, knights armor and giant talking heads on the cheap

If you're trying to get in some last minute Halloween costume ideas, or have something that you're looking to do with one of your films involving knights armor, zombies, or giant Jim Henson style talking heads, this video from Indy Mogul might just be what you're looking for! Learn how to make all these costumes and effects on the cheap!

How To: Make paws for your fur suit costume

This costume making tutorial explains how to make a hand paw for your fur suit or Halloween costume with an old pair of gloves. This video was inspired by Chinook McMutton Z and uses pictures taken during the creation of the paws. Start roleplaying by making paws for your fur suit or animal costume.

How To: Fiberglass a Mjolnir armor mask from the Halo series

Interested in using fiberglass? In conjunction with the 405th, an online e-zine dedicated to Mjolnir Armor costuming for the Xbox Halo video game series, this tutorial shows you a step by step process of how to layer fiberglass on the inside of a costume mask. Materials needed include latex gloves, respirator or ventilation mask, fiberglass resin, fiberglass cloth, scissors, and a foam brush. Be sure to give up the cash for a great ventilation mask... some of these materials can be toxic to y...

How To: Make your own cute and trendy vest without a sewing machine or pattern

This cute no sew pattern for a vest takes about an hour and a half to make. Choose a relatively heavy and durable fabric for this project, especially if you want to keep warm during the cold winter and fall season.

How To: Make yourself look like a sexy Volturi vampire

This is perfect for when you want to show your love for the Volturi vampire clan or the Twilight series! Do your makeup in a spooky, gothic style and make yourself look like a sparkly Volturi vampire. Don't forget the accessories!

HowTo: Make a Daft Punk Helmet

Daft Punk has had an infectious effect on much of the world, on the web and off. The French electronic duo have inspired multiple viral videos, and now, with the help of Volpin Props, you can make your own Daft Punk helmet. Check out the in-depth build guide here, and watch the video below to see the HowTo process in action.

How To: Widen the eye, mouth, and nose holes on a plastic mask with a woodburning pen

Plastic masks are usually the cheapest that you can get, but their tiny eye and mouth holes impede your use of your organs and can cut you as well. Watch this video to learn how to use a woodburning pen to widen the holes in such as way that they wont' come out sharp and jagged, and will make you Guy Fawkes or other mask much more wearable.

How To: Make a decent Naruto headband

In this video, we learn how to make a decent Naruto headband. First, get a paper plate and figure out how big you want it, draw on the template so you can see it through the paint. Then, apply metallic paint with a paint brush using the template you drew as a guide. Next, you will wait for it to dry and then cut it out. Round the edges like it's a real headband, then draw on the hair band the village insignia. Once finished, glue this to an old sock and wait for it to dry. Then, you can attac...

How To: Dress in a Visual Kei style

In this tutorial, we learn how to dress in a Visual Kei style. Just be creative with this style, there is no exact way to do it! Use old clothes you have laying around the house and wear those in a funky fashion. Use mostly black and use some military jackets to spice things up. Then, pair these with hats that have belts around them and different types of buttons. Wear short skirts but pair them with striped leggings. Make sure your hair is spiked up and frizzy so it fits the style of this an...

How To: Make a Renaissance or medieval style peasant blouse

This tutorial shows you how to make a Renaissance or medieval costume blouse. You will need a sewing machine and about a yard and a half of fabric. You don't need a pattern, just one of your own shirts to use as a fitting guide.

How To: Make Spartan style armor out of Sintra

This tutorial series shows you how to use Sintra (a type of PVC plastic that bends under heat) to make a piece of Spartan-style leg armor. This focues on making a shin guard, but you can use this method for any piece of armor you want to make.

How To: Lace up a corset on somene else

Corsets can be a fun and sexy addition to any costume or outfit, but how can you make sure it looks its best on you? This tutorial shows you how you can lace someone into a corset comfortably and elegeantly.

How To: Lace your corset up by yourself

Don't have a corset buddy to help get you into your corset? You can do it yourself! This video shows you how to place your corset properly on the body and then pull on the laces in the right way to get your corset on snugly and properly.

How To: Make a Kiki's Delivery Service Witch costume for Halloween or cosplay

Kiki's Delivery Service is one of Japanese anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's most beloved films and Kiki among his strongest protagonists. If you love Kiki and want to be her for Halloween or a cosplay event, watch this video to learn how to put together an easy but good Kiki costume.

How To: Make the red sash for an Altair from Assassin' Creed costume

Altair from Assassin's Creed is an incredibly stylish and well-realized character, which makes him a perfect costume choice for Halloween or a cosplay convention. Watch this video to learn how to sew the red sash for an Altair costume quickly and easily.

How To: Make the upper tunic for an Altair from Assassin' Creed costume

If you love Assassin's Creed and know how to sew, you've come to the right place. This video features a Dutch costumer explaining how to make the upper tunic for an Altair from Assassin's Creed costume. Not for those who cannot sew, this is a hardcore costume. Also, watch this video on making the template for the tunic before you start.

How To: Create a perfectly aligned tri-laser effect for your predator mask

Going for a Predator outfit for Halloween or as a cameo in your film, you want to try to get as close to the real thing as possible. In this video you will learn how to perfectly align LED lights to create the targeting lights that the predator uses for its canon with a quick tutorial!

How To: Closed shirt bind your chest to cosplay or dress up like a male character

If you're looking to mix it up at your next cosplay or going out for Halloween and want to dress as a male character and get the look right, one method you can use is closed shirt binding. In this video, you will learn how to use a sports bra, a compression shirt, and more to get the look!

How To: Make a human form Midna costume from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

If you're a Zelda fan and are looking to do something different for your cosplay, or Halloween outfit, then there's a chance that you haven't tried being Midna in her human form after you complete the game Twilight Princess after reassembling the mirror. In this video you will get a full tutorial on how to create the costume from scratch including making the headpiece and trinkets yourself!

How To: Make your own Sally Jupiter costume from the original Watchmen (The Minutemen)

For all the massive comic book geeks out there (be proud!) some of you may be very familiar with Sally Jupiter from the amazing Alan Moore graphic novel, The Watchmen. For those who watched the movie, that counts too. If you're looking to recreate her old costume from her time with The Minutemen, check out this three part video series! In it you will get a full tutorial on how to create every aspect of the costume on the cheap as well as sowing the dress and more!