Aerith (Garnet Gown) - Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis

- Why this costume:
Final Fantasy IX is my favorite Final Fantasy in the series. So, when I saw the FFVII Ever Crisis mobile game was doing a collaboration with FFIX I was so excited. Aerith (FFVII) getting an outfit/weapon which was inspired by Garnet (FFIX) was a dream design for me. The moment I saw it I was in love and inspired to make the outfit! - Details:
- I was really focused on making sure the bodice of this piece was structured well and correctly. To do this I attempted to purchase a corset pattern online, but realized it was more a piece that was for the look and not built for structure. So, I decided to redesign the pattern so that it would accommodate for both boning as well as a full lining. The Bodice is my favorite piece of this costume. I lined the the bodice with the same white fabric that I was using for the underskirt and blouse. I also included interfacing as I really wanted this piece to shape appropriately! I added channels for a mixture of metal boning as well as a few places to allow for plastic boning (sides). I added grommets to the front of the Bodice for her lace up design. The final part of the bodice was making the bias and then attaching it. I made the choice to hand sew the bias to the bodice to avoid any visible seams and just allow the inside of the garment to just look so much cleaner!
The Sleeves were just a pattern I drafted using the side of the arm holes for the Bodice. I used elastic in the center of the sleeve to accomplish her gather. I then used a gather stitch for the top of the sleeve to allow for a nice full "poofy" sleeve like hers! A hand gather gave me much more control over where I put the fullness. For added volume, I also made a shoulder pad out of Tulle. I hand sewed the sleeves to the Bodice and then hand sewed the shoulder pad into the top of the sleeve. The bottom of the sleeves I also used used a hand gather stitch and then finished the wrists with bias. For the front panel, I simply made a mock panel that snaps into place after the bodice is laced up.
The Skirt I made through draping and measurements. I wanted a good amount of gather, so I patterned a circle skirt that gave me the volume and length I wanted. On the bottom of the inner most white skirt, I attached and even fuller gather to the bottom, so the contrast gather. Once again I used hand gathering to control where and how much volume was visible. Once I was happy with the three layers as well as their tiered effect, I sewed them together and added a waistband using the same orange. I used snaps for an opening and closure on the dress, as I needed to have belts attach over the hip opening. I made the belts on her hips out of EVA foam as well as a belt buckle. I attached them to the dress with Velcro. This way they could be lifted so the skit could be buttoned on and off.
The shoes covers and gloves were made of red lycra fabric. I drafted a pattern for the shoe covers using paper and added a white top stitch for contrast. The gloves were made using the turkey hand method. :)
The necklace was made with foam clay for the top structure. This was my first time working with foam clay, so it was amazing to try something new. I matched it to the reference as closely as possible. Then it just came down to priming and painting. The crystal I purchased as it was a sun catching glass crystal! I thought it would work beautifully for the piece! I used jewelry wire to attach the crystal to the foam top I made and then attached that to a silver chain. This way both the top and crystal are secure to the necklace.
The Staff
I made the staff from a base of PVC pipes, EVA Foam, and Styrofoam. I was also able to use other items like foil to help shape the pieces for the EVA Foam clay. Big props like this are completely out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to try and challenge myself with something new. I made the staff in three parts so that it could disassemble and fit into a standard suitcase. The rest of the build was a trust the process build. Once I was happy with the over-all shape I primed the entire staff. The remaining details I added with acrylic paint. While it's far from perfect, I'm happy with the result and I feel like undertaking and making this prop allowed me to challenge myself with both new techniques and mediums.
Last the wig:
This was a base lace front wig purchased from WigisFashion. I then cut and styled it to further match Aerith as well as my face with the lace. The final styles were added to her ponytail with the turquoise ribbon!