This year at Anime Expo, my main cosplay project was Dragonite! I’ve always wanted to do a Dragonite Gijinka costume, since it is my favorite Pokemon, but I never did for Halloween because I didn’t have the resources, nor would anyone really know what it is (especially at my work). As Anime Expo kept approaching, I started to make my plans for a costume, and slowly but surely it all came together.
What I must make clear is that this blog post is not going to be a how-to, but more so just a documentation of my process of creating this cosplay.
First off, I have to be clear that I am by no means a seamstress. I am good at making very basic stitches, but pulling together a costume to fit me from scratch is something that I am not capable of. So instead, I do some HEAVY thrift shopping. Goodwill is my #1 go-to.
For this Dragonite cosplay, the hardest part was deciding what shade of orange I would be pursuing in my search. Of course, bright orange would be the easiest to come across in a thrift shop, but it wasn’t going to match the original Dragonite design. So in the end, I decided to search for a light orange top. In my searches, I got lucky to find such an orange top, as well as many options for teal, and completely lucked out when I found a cheap yellow bridesmaid dress. The folds on the dress reminded me of his stomach, and I ended up deciding that it would work.
For the rest, I also managed to find another top with the same shade of orange and used the extra fabric to create arm sleeves, a tail, and my little antennas.
My roommate was clever enough to suggest the bendy hair curlers that you wear overnight to help create the antennas! I managed to find a pack of those at the Dollar Tree, and added it to a cheap headband that I found.
For the wings, I used wire from some fairy wings I also found at the Dollar Tree, and reshaped it to match Dragonite’s. I then used the extra orange fabric that I had to cut out enough material to fit over the shape of the wings.
After sewing the wings inside out, I flipped it back and was able to squeeze the wires through the small opening to hold the shape of the wings in the fabric. I just kept the straps from the fairy wings attached, so that I could still put it on.
Lastly, the tail. All I ended up doing for that one was just shaped it with a couple of card stock pieces, and then slightly cut up a foam pool noodle to help hold the shape. It was probably honestly the laziest part of the costume, but it worked out well.
And… Tada! A Dragonite Cosplay! I managed to get some good themed photos while at Anime Expo with other cosplayers. Some small, and some a little violent. I’m very proud of how this one came out, and I’m glad a few people could recognize my favorite Pokémon!
404 Modal
One Reply to “Dragonite Cosplay”