Carbon Costume

Jim Lake, Jr. (voiced by Anton Yelchin and Emile Hirsch) is the main character of the Netflix film Trollhunters.  Jim is the first human Trollhunter and is the wielder of Excalibur.  It takes some time for Jim to work up the courage to tell his friend Claire about his crush on her, but eventually, it works and the two end up dating.  In his human form, Jim wears slim fit jeans, high top sneakers, and a blue jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows.  While using the Amulet of Daylight, Jim sports a full suit of armor.

Almond is the younger sister of Cucumber in the webcomic series Cucumber Quest. Confident and strong, her skills with a sword make her the best fighter in her party.  Almond has long brown hair she wears in braided pigtails, with pink flowers secured at the top.  She also wears a brown dress with puffy sleeves and dark brown tights.  To recreate her look, seek out historical-looking dresses with cuts that harken back to Renaissance and Victorian silhouettes.  Don’t forget her long bunny ears and trusted sword to complete the look!

Cucumber (or Cuco) is the main protagonist of the webcomic Cucumber Quest and the older brother of Almond.  Cuco and his sister are anthropomorphic rabbits from Dreamside who set out on a quest to save the world from the Nightmare Knight.  Cuco has short ginger hair and rabbit ears, he wears an outfit consisting of a green sweater, pants, shoes, and backpack.  Finding an exact replica of Cuco’s sweater could prove difficult, but layering a darker sweater over a lighter green turtleneck can evoke a similar look.  Rather than wield a sword like his sister, Cuco prefers to use magic with the Disaster Stone Wand.

Sophie Foster returns in Shannon Messenger’s fifth entry into the Keeper of the Lost Cities series.  In Lodestar, Sophie finds herself fighting against dark forces as she questions whether she can trust the people around her.  As always, Sophie is shown on the cover wearing dark tights and with a short Renaissance-inspired dress and cloak.  To recreate her look, you may have to be a little flexible, as finding an exact replica of her costume can be difficult.  Focus on similar silhouettes such as a pinafore dress that will mimic the fitted bodice of the one she’s depicted wearing, or a handkerchief hem if you’re more interested in replicating the movement of her skirt.

Vivian (voiced by Yuko Natusyoshi) is a vampire in the anime Journal of the Mysterious Creatures.  She attacks Lili Ryu while Lili is touring a house, introducing her human roommate Yoshihito to the realm of otherworldly creatures.  Vivian has a very gothic look, so depending on your personal style, you may be able to use pieces from your own wardrobe to emulate her outfit.  Some red fabric paint can add the bat details to her skirt and top, while layering red and black pieces together will help recreate pieces it might be difficult to find exact replicas of.

Elisa Esposito (played by Sally Hawkins) is unqiue among monster movie heroines for many reasons. She works as a cleaner in a secret military installation. And, of course, she can’t speak. Nobody is quite sure why – until the end of the movie that is. But her inability to speak doesn’t stop her from changing the world around her through her compassion.

Elisa has two costumes throughout the film. One is the uniform she wears at work. The other is the standard clothing worn by a working class woman in the 1960s.

For both costumes you will need a brown wig cut in a bob and a headband: a green one for her work uniform or one that matches the dress of her day to day uniform. You can also use makeup modeling wax and this tutorial to replicate Elisa’s mysterious scars.

When Elisa is at work she wears a dark green dress with a collar covered by a green apron. She usually wears an olive cardigan and shoes to match. When at work Elisa usually has hard boiled eggs as her lunch, so you can carry a few fake ones like those listed above. Or, if you can keep them fresh, take a few as a snack at the convention!

Elisa’s personal clothing is a little more colorful. A red dress with matching headband and a cardigan in a slightly darker color with matching shoes is a look she wears toward the middle of the film. These are also great cross-cosplay pieces that small details – like the scars and the eggs – can lock into one character or another!

Jadis, also known as the White Witch (played by Tilda Swinton) is the primary antagonist of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  She is the person responsible for freezing Narnia in its one Hundred Years Winter.  Jadis’ clothing is typically white and grey, and she wears a crown of ice with a long wand.  It can be difficult to find an exact replica of her more specialized accessories, but a similar look can be achieved with smaller and more understated crystals.

In Dark Souls, the Soul of Cinder is a being made up of all previous lords of Cinder. This not only makes it incredibly hard to beat but also terrifying to behold. Getting the exact look takes some painting skill and possibly wearable pyrotechnics (which we really don’t recommend).  But we’ve found pieces that will get you close!

To start you’ll want a black compression shirt and compression pants. They’re tight fitting and breathable so your clothes won’t get twisted up under your armor and you won’t overheat too quickly. On top of that you’ll want a set of knight’s armor, though we recommend plastic over metal for ease of movement. You’ll also need a set of swords to deal with the challengers you’re sure to encounter. If you’ve got a bit of extra money to spend you can get a Cinder replica helmet. They aren’t easily affordable, however, and with some paint a standard knight helmet should do the trick. And finally a can of chalky gray spray paint topped with an oxidizing effects paint kit should help give your armor the eternally burned look Soul of Cinder is known for.