KITANA
Mortal Kombat X
Photographer
Why I chose to make this costume:
Since game footage of MKX was released, this version of Kitana has been on my "maybe, if I have time" cosplay list. Like many of my past costume projects, she hung around for a while, until a champagne-fueled lightbulb moment on NYE sent me into my work room for 4 days straight. I was going to Southeast Asia! Where I could take awesome location photos as Kitana!
Design wise, the outfit in this game is fantastic. Justin Murray designs female characters with a genius blend of functionality and sensuality, and I was amazed at the intricate details in Kitana's new outfit, as well as how believably she could move while wearing it.
How I made this costume:
It was a mad dash to collect materials and create the outfit from scratch, only days before the scheduled trip departure, and make it collapsible (those fans) for my limited luggage space. Luckily, my material hoarding habits paid off and I had almost everything needed laying around for the creation of the costume. Kitana is made almost entirely from remnant fabrics, including a 10-year-old stash of blue brocade that I dug up from my basement—no joke. I made Lei Fang's dress from Dead or Alive with that fabric in 2007, and now it's a part of another fighting game cosplay!! The dark blue jumbo spandex on the mask and bodysuit is leftover from Psylocke, the black pleather is from Batgirl, and the blue designs on my arms were cut and stitched lambskin leather, bought originally for a different Kitana costume, and never used.
We who cannot throw fabric away, unite!
The only material I had to buy was the brown pleather, which I painted to add more depth and texture.
I used Worbla and foam to make the armor jewelry and fan blades, painted them in acrylic paint and sealed them. There are a bazillion snaps, hooks, eyes and buckles that attach the various pieces together.
Thank goodness I had a long black wig from Epic Cosplay Wigs laying around, as well as a random black bun, LOL. I styled the wig while waiting for paint to dry.
The fans had to be fast-tracked and transportable in my vacation luggage, so I Amazon Primed two yellow fans, painted them blue (no time to paint the swirls!) and used industrial-strength Velcro to attach the fan blades. Like I said, unfinished. O___O
Thoughts on this costume:
Of course I will revisit this costume to add more details and fix what needs to be fixed. It was wearable for the photoshoot though, which was my goal! A big Thank You to Brian Boling for taking the photos, and to Judy Stephens for advising and assisting! The shoot (two days long) itself was under grueling circumstances due to the location proximity, humidity, heat, and thousands of gnats.
SHOP the Look
