time completed: Beginning of July 2005
hours spent: 15
worn at: Anime Expo 2005, Dragoncon 2005, Ani-magic 2005

Why I chose this costume:
My friends Adella and Tristine Citrine invited me to join them in a DoA group, so Lei Fang was the obvious choice! I ended up doing this scarily skimpy version because there was only a little time left before the convention to put together a costume, and the outragous design of this gown still provided a good challenge.

How I made this costume:
I first had to find a stretchy material that would still be sturdy enough to endure much tugging, pulling, and hemming. Instead of stretch velvet or spandex which I thought would end up looking rather boring, I found a wonderfully accurate 2-way stretch material with a metallic sheen to it!
I had to draft the pattern on myself as I went along with the dress, which meant a lot of contorting and pinning in front of a mirror. I found the perfect gold O-rings and used leather strings for the lacing to give the costume a more "tough" look. Due to time restraints I just made arm warmers to go over black gloves I already owned, and thankfully I also had the lace top fishnets already.
I cut and styled the wig and braided extensions for it.
I wore evening sandals instead of the ankle boots because I couldn't fit any more things into my luggage for the trip, and I did also forget to wear my gold bracelets at the con.

Thoughts on this costume:
I had a lot of fun cosplaying in a big group, something I haven't gotten to do much lately. Lei Fang is my first fighting game cosplay, and I really enjoyed getting into character for the photos. On to more in the future!
I am pretty pleased with the costume's turn-out, and despite it's skimpiness I think it is well-constructed enough to show the effort I put into it. It was a pain to wear though, and I had to tape myself into it in various places. To make things more comfortable, my next Lei Fang costume will provide much more coverage ^^.

Reference pictures