Super Mario Games
Rosalina (redesign by Dessi Desu)

I loved Princess Rosalina when she was introduced in Super Mario Galaxy, and she's also my go-to racer in Mario Kart. Naturally when I saw Dessi Desu's fancy Rosalina design I added it to my cosplay wish-list, but it wasn't until I had the opportunity to receive a sponsored wig from Cactus Mafia that I decided to go for it.
Usually I put some design or construction notes here, but I think this costume should get another story. The sponsorship turned out to be a bit of a double-edged sword - while it was awesome to receive a "What The- Holy Underpants" from Cactus Mafia, which is perfect for this version of Rosalina, I freely admit that I hadn't fully considered that I would then be obligated to finish the costume on a short deadline (for me). Nor had I realized that the colours of fabric I needed would be out of season and hard to find. But in the autumn of 2019 I pressed on, worked with what I could get, and managed to get it about 75% complete by the end of the year.
I slowed down at that point, discouraged that I had missed the costume's deadline, and burnt-out after all the details built into the gown. I even packed the unfinished cosplay in my luggage to take to Costume-Con 38 in Montreal, with the wishful thinking that I could whip up the missing bits at the con in time to wear it. My thinking was more wishful than even I knew, because that Costume-Con was held in March of 2020, and was cancelled the day before the con was supposed to start due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic affected everyone differently - some used the time with fewer social distractions to get a lot of progress done on their creative projects. I am not one of those people. Cosplay got ignored in my house. There was no more motivation to finish Rosalina since there was nowhere to wear her, and nobody to take photos of the finished product. It wasn't until the winter of 2022, after some big life changes, that I came back to the project, and I decided to enter the Con-G Virtual masquerade. Over the next few months I added the missing sparkly details and wore what's pretty much the finished product for the first time at Meagan's Hug fundraiser, followed by a photoshoot with Elemental while I was in Toronto. I'm really proud of how the whole thing turned out, though to continue being candid I only wore it 3 times because it no longer fits. That's probably the thing I'm saddest about in this whole story - because it took me nearly 3 years to finish it, I did not predict how my body would change in that time when I originally cut out all my fabric.
Anyways, enjoy the photos. Maybe I'll write-up a blog post someday about the actual construction details.
Current status: needs alterations
Usually I put some design or construction notes here, but I think this costume should get another story. The sponsorship turned out to be a bit of a double-edged sword - while it was awesome to receive a "What The- Holy Underpants" from Cactus Mafia, which is perfect for this version of Rosalina, I freely admit that I hadn't fully considered that I would then be obligated to finish the costume on a short deadline (for me). Nor had I realized that the colours of fabric I needed would be out of season and hard to find. But in the autumn of 2019 I pressed on, worked with what I could get, and managed to get it about 75% complete by the end of the year.
I slowed down at that point, discouraged that I had missed the costume's deadline, and burnt-out after all the details built into the gown. I even packed the unfinished cosplay in my luggage to take to Costume-Con 38 in Montreal, with the wishful thinking that I could whip up the missing bits at the con in time to wear it. My thinking was more wishful than even I knew, because that Costume-Con was held in March of 2020, and was cancelled the day before the con was supposed to start due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic affected everyone differently - some used the time with fewer social distractions to get a lot of progress done on their creative projects. I am not one of those people. Cosplay got ignored in my house. There was no more motivation to finish Rosalina since there was nowhere to wear her, and nobody to take photos of the finished product. It wasn't until the winter of 2022, after some big life changes, that I came back to the project, and I decided to enter the Con-G Virtual masquerade. Over the next few months I added the missing sparkly details and wore what's pretty much the finished product for the first time at Meagan's Hug fundraiser, followed by a photoshoot with Elemental while I was in Toronto. I'm really proud of how the whole thing turned out, though to continue being candid I only wore it 3 times because it no longer fits. That's probably the thing I'm saddest about in this whole story - because it took me nearly 3 years to finish it, I did not predict how my body would change in that time when I originally cut out all my fabric.
Anyways, enjoy the photos. Maybe I'll write-up a blog post someday about the actual construction details.
Current status: needs alterations
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Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Yeah, it's a "walk on", but I went out in the literal snow to record this for Con-G's virtual masquerade in 2022. And was justly rewarded for it (on top of the frozen toes). |
Events:
2022 Con-G Geeks @ Home, Meagan's Hug, Youmacon
Awards:
Best Winter Walk-on - Con-G
2022 Con-G Geeks @ Home, Meagan's Hug, Youmacon
Awards:
Best Winter Walk-on - Con-G
Rosalina (Mario Tennis)

This costume really is a "casual" one - after I finished my fancy Rosalina gown and wig, I wanted to be able to keep using the wig but wear something more summer-friendly, so I went with Rosalina's Tennis outfit. And in a highly unusual move for me, I purchased the cosplay (from Miccostumes) instead of making it, because there's a point where the purchased cosplay is significantly more affordable than making it (both in material costs and time), and this was it.
Of course, I'm still me, and I decided to keep wearing my fancy crown instead of the one that came with the costume, and there were also 2 significant things I needed to add to make the costume complete: a racket and the shoes. So I picked up a racket from Value Village and a cheap pair of trainers and got painting! I love how the racket turned out (even though I suspect I got the wrong thing - I am absolutely not an IRL tennis girlie) and the shoes are adorable. I also added one more handmade item before taking her to a con - a pair of shorts in matching fabric (with pockets!) because I do know that much about tennis/athletic clothes. And they should never be seen in photos LOL.
The most surprising thing about having this cosplay is that I hadn't realized just how popular the Tennis game costumes are - I've found other characters to take photos with at every con!
Current status: active
Of course, I'm still me, and I decided to keep wearing my fancy crown instead of the one that came with the costume, and there were also 2 significant things I needed to add to make the costume complete: a racket and the shoes. So I picked up a racket from Value Village and a cheap pair of trainers and got painting! I love how the racket turned out (even though I suspect I got the wrong thing - I am absolutely not an IRL tennis girlie) and the shoes are adorable. I also added one more handmade item before taking her to a con - a pair of shorts in matching fabric (with pockets!) because I do know that much about tennis/athletic clothes. And they should never be seen in photos LOL.
The most surprising thing about having this cosplay is that I hadn't realized just how popular the Tennis game costumes are - I've found other characters to take photos with at every con!
Current status: active
Events:
2022 Anime North, Youmacon
2023 YetiCon
2024 Anime North
2022 Anime North, Youmacon
2023 YetiCon
2024 Anime North
Each photo in the gallery is labeled with its respective photographer; please visit their websites!
Dan McSharp
Dan The Video Ninja
Elemental Photography
Notsonuts Cosplay
Mindlesseyesphoto
Splintered Images
All photos are property of their respective owners and may not be used without permission.
Dan McSharp
Dan The Video Ninja
Elemental Photography
Notsonuts Cosplay
Mindlesseyesphoto
Splintered Images
All photos are property of their respective owners and may not be used without permission.