Movies
Angel from Rent
Angel Dumott Schunard is a character in the musical RENT, written by Jonathan Larson to depict bohemian life in Lower Manhattan’s East Village during the HIV/AIDS crisis. Angel is a street drummer who finds Collins beaten up and left on the street. The two blossom into lovers and move in together. Both of them are HIV positive, and Angel eventually succumbs to the disease. Her funeral is a pivotal point in the musical, and changes the relationships between the characters. She is very caring, giving, and kind. Fans speculate whether she is a drag queen or a transgender woman, or perhaps even genderfluid.
Cinderella
Cinderella is a classic princess from the animated film in 1950. Based on the fairytale of the same name, she works as a maid for her wicked stepfamily. They forbid her to attend Prince Charming’s ball, but the Fairy Godmother arrives to cast a spell to make her wish come true. Now with a carriage, horses, and dress, Cinderella can enjoy the ball, but she must return before midnight. She dances with the prince and falls in love. She loses her glass slipper, which is how he finds her. The shoe fits, and together they live happily ever after.
Richard Williams from King Richard
In King Richard, Richard Williams (Will Smith) is the father of Venus and Serena Williams, who he aspires to turn into professional tennis players from a young age. Richard doesn’t have much money, but he has a 78-page plan and a relentless drive to achieve this goal.
Benvolio Montague from Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Benvolio is a character in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, a 1996 film adapted from Shakespeare’s play. This adaptation reworks the Montagues and Capulets as rival business empires, replacing swords with guns. Benvolio is Romeo’s cousin and closest friend. While affiliated with the Montagues, he tries to make peace between the enemies, but he is unsuccessful. Dash Mihok takes on this reimagined role.
Mei Lee from Turning Red
Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) is the main character in the Disney-Pixar film Turning Red. Prior to her initial transformation into a red panda, Mei is outspoken and outgoing. After her power activates, she has to learn to control her emotions in order to avoid transforming. Mei’s dark hair turns red after she transforms into a red panda. She wears a blue skirt over burgundy leggings with a pink collared shirt and red-orange sweater. Mei is a big fan of all things late-90s/early-2000s including choker necklaces, boy bands, and her Tamagotchi virtual pet.
Lavender Brown in “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”
Lavender Brown is a character in the Harry Potter series. Silly and sentimental, she is a pureblood witch who gets sorted into Gryffindor. Her favorite class is Divination. In her fifth year, she joined Dumbledore’s Army, initiated by fellow student Harry Potter. A year later, she started a relationship with Ron Weasley. However, she was rather clingy and annoying, which resulted in their breakup, and he eventually ended up with Hermione Granger instead. Lavender fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, but she died from the injuries of a werewolf attack. In the movies, she is mainly portrayed by Jessie Cave.
Ziggy Berman from Fear Street
Ziggy Berman (played by Sadie Sink) just wanted to get through summer at camp. Being from Shadyside and targeted by the kids from Sunnyvale, that’s a tall order all on its own. Then someone starts killing campers. Shadyside campers. He goes after Ziggy’s sister, dragging Ziggy right into the line of fire. And the danger doesn’t end when she ends up as the camp’s final girl.
A Ziggy cosplay is a great closet cosplay option. Brown corduroy shorts pair up with a striped tank top or a Camp Nightwing t-shirt, tall socks, and classic sneakers for a ’70s summer camp look. A red wig is the only special piece. That and the fake blood you’ll need if you want her mid-terror look.
Hester Shaw from Mortal Engines
Hester Shaw (played by Hera Hilmar in the movie) is a remarkable heroine. She is strong-willed, smart, and determined. She is also easily identified by her scar, received at the hands of a man she now wants revenge on. The scar is less obvious in the movie but still an important part of Hester’s story. And that’s where any good Hester cosplay is going to start.
Scar wax is key for Hester cosplay, as is a long auburn wig. With those elements in place, Hester’s outfit becomes a snap. A long dark green coat, a long sleeved grey shirt, black fingerless gloves, black pants, black boots, and a long red scarf wrap up the rest of her look.
Tom Natsworthy from Mortal Engines
Tom (played by Robert Sheehan) is a young historian working on the city of London. He idolizes Thaddeus Valentine and wants to serve his city through his work at the museum. His life takes a wild turn, however. And for all that he starts out a London boy, it’s not long before he’s swept up into wild adventures that take him far from home.
A windswept brown wig starts off any good Tom cosplay. Unless, of course, you already have dark hair of a similar cut, in which case all you need is a little styling. From there you’ll need to layer a dark blur shirt under a silver brocade vest and add a black military-style jacket. Black pants, a black belt, and black boots finish off a look fit for anyone hanging onto their roaming city.
Warrior Fiona from Shrek Forever After
Fiona is a character in the Shrek movies. In the first movie, Fiona was introduced as a beautiful princess placed under a curse that transforms her into an ogre at night. Initially, she seeks a prince to kiss and break the curse, but she ends up meeting and falling in love with Shrek instead. However, in Shrek Forever After, she is an empowered warrior in an alternate timeline where she never meets the anti-social ogre. She leads an ogre army to take down Rumpel and the Dragon.