Advanced Mahou Outfit Guide š«
Hi guys! I hope you all are excited for more posts to comeā AP exams are over, and soon school will be out for the year! To those who have upcoming school exams, or are in the final stretch of school, good luck! We believe in you :)Ā
Also, another reminder to join Mahou Planet! We have a couple of Summer events weāre planning, gamenights, challenges, etc! Itād be lovely to have you join our endeavors ^^
Now that thatās over, are you guys ready for todayās guide?
š INTRODUCTION TO MAHOU FASHION
If youāre no stranger to the world of magical heroes, youāll know that they have different outfits whenever they transform. Strikingly different outfits compared to how most of us dress on the norm. Advanced magical heroes will likely know what theyāre searching for in terms of outfits, however, beginner magical heroes may not know where to startā thatās what this guide is for! In this guide, Iāll be discussing a couple of tips and tricks to create your magical hero outfit!
š HOW DO I GET STARTED?
To get started, I recommend following some of the advice that I shared on my concept basics postā especially with making lists. I recommend making bulleted lists of what you want/donāt want, specifically in outfits. For example, writing down āI want to wear a skirtā and āI donāt want heelsā already narrows down a LOT of possibilities you have for an outfit!Ā
Another recommendation is to decide a couple of concept themes before you create an outfit, so you can correlate your concept with your outfit. Knowing the basics can help you more than you thinkā know your desired motifs, colors, etc.
One more important tip, think about what you are comfortable wearing and what youād like to embody as a magical hero. You can experiment with this by playing dress-up in your bedroom, fitting rooms, etc! Experiment with what you feel comfortable wearing in real life, so youāll get an idea of what youād like to wear while doing magic. If you canāt do this, then think about what you would like to wear as a magical hero. Maybe you want to try a new style, or (my personal motivation) defy societal norms/the ādress codeā you were raised with. Basically, go out there and experiment!Ā
Now that you have these new ideas layed out, itās time to brainstorm! Go out in the real world or on the wonderful world wide web and search for some outfit ideas! Here are some helpful sources for finding outfits:
Pinterest is a STAPLE for inspiration. Some keywords I recommend are āmagical girlā, āmagical girl ocā, āmagical girl oc designā, ā(your aesthetic)core outfitā, ārunway outfitā and āstage outfitā!
Research some magical hero animes/games for outfit ideas! Some I recommend looking at are Madoka Magica (more specifically Magia Record since thereās like 1000 magical girls there), Precure, Girls x Heroine, Cocoppa Play, and Pripara!
tumblr (this platform teehee) is also a nice place to search for inspiration! You can use the same keywords above, just with tumblr hashtags!
Play around with dress-up apps like Gacha Life 2, Dolldivine, Everskies, Picrew, and ROBLOX (I know a couple of avatar editor games, if you want me to drop them, just ask!)
Go window shopping (or shopping if you have the money) and look at magical hero-esque outfits! You can go thrifting, to the mall, online shopping, or look at other peopleās everyday outfits!
šØ DESIGNING THE OUTFIT: SECTION 1
Now that you have inspiration and plenty of ideas to go off of, itās time to DESIGN! You can design your outfit with any method, from creating collages off of images, to using dress-up games, drawing your design, commissioning an artist, thereās endless possibilities!
The only method I recommend you donāt use is AI art. AI art not only takes credit away from actual artists, but AI art is environmentally harmful and the algorithm searches every image on the internet, including medical records and illegal and problematic images. Mahou Planet has a rule against using AI art: āThere will be no AI art usage in this server. This rule is non-negotiable. Accidentally sending AI art without knowing is understandable and can be corrected by deleting the message, however, do not promote the usage of/use AI art.ā I will not be willing to argue with anyone about the morality of AI artā know it is not supported by us. There are many better alternatives that can get you a better design, and most importantly- itās a design that you (for the most part) create yourself!
There are lots of different factors to consider for your outfit design, such as whether you have teammates, uniforms, shared outfit motifs, outfit rules, etc. Weāll go over those in this section!
If you have teammates, it may be a good idea to correlate your outfits together to show that youāre a team.Ā
For example, the magical girls in each Precure season have shared outfit motifs to show their team harmony. I think the Precure season that does this well is GoPri. The Cures in Go Princess Precure each have a tiara with a charm representing their outfits motif, princess-like dresses, a back bow, and a golden gem on their outfits. You can easily look at them and tell that they are a team.Ā
Another example of this is of Winx (specifically S1)! The simplicity of their designs, the glittery fabric, the small wings, and the boots are all correlated, even though the girls themselves all stand out with unique takes on these rules.Ā
Something to take from these magical girls is that they each have something to tell that theyāre a team. If you are a team and want you guys to have shared outfit motifs, make sure that someone can look at a picture of your team and can tell that you guys work together.
A simpler solution to this is uniforms! Uniforms are basically a simpler way to coordinate your teammate outfits. One of the most famous examples of this is Sailor Moon: their outfits, besides some accessories, are the same. The only difference is the color scheme. This is easy for those who donāt want to design unique outfits, or want outfits to stand out in terms of color.Ā
Hereās a more simplified list of the pros and cons of having uniforms VS unique outfits:
Takes little to no thought
Can be either simple or complex
Colors may be hard to remember for each member
Limited freedom of expression
Harder to design, but a more satisfied finish
Outfit and colors may be hard to remember for each member
Usually complex but some can be simple
Freedom of expression, or much freedom if there are still rules
As you can see, I have a little bit more pros under uniforms. However, do what you want with your designs! I personally always go for unique outfitsā some of the unique outfits Iāve seen in the magical hero community look STUNNING!
If you want to have unique outfits or uniforms, a good thing to implement is outfit rules. Rules are basically what you can and canāt do in a design. When Iām designing teammates, I have rules listed under DO, DO NOT, and IT DEPENDS categories.
DO is of stuff you can change, add, modify, etc. For example: you can have a unique hairstyle.
DO NOT is stuff you cannot change, no exceptions! Example: you must keep a bow on your chest.
IT DEPENDS is stuff you can modify, but may be limited. Example: You can change the shape of a skirt, but it must keep white ruffles and be in the color of your theme color.
These rules can vary based on your kind of magical hero and what you want for your team. Remember: you are the designer! Design to your heart's content and what you think looks good for you and your team! š«
If youāre going solo, this section may be a bit more helpful than what I said in the teammates section. Solo outfits usually apply to just yourself, so you have so much more freedom in designing your outfit. When making an outfit, donāt just focus on what looks good. Remember to design an outfit that makes you comfortable, and you only!Ā
If you want to have teammates in the future, or if you need more guidance on creating outfits, then itās recommended to create outfit rules, just in case. Or if youād like 100% freedom on outfit designs, do what you want! Itās your outfit!
Choosing a theme color is easier said than done. I see most magical heroes choose their favorite colors as their theme colors, and I have also seen magical heroes put more thought in their theme colors. Do what you want! Even if you donāt want a theme color or want multiple, you are still a valid magical hero!
For color palettes for an outfit, you can go on Pinterest for colors, or go to coolors.co to generate color palettes! A cool thing about coolors is that you can save color palettes for your magical form!
Motifs are also important to decide on your outfit! To decide outfit motifs, repeating elements in your outfit, think about the theme your magical hero wants to display, or a moral lesson youād like for whoever youāre fighting/the general public to learn. If youāre a magical hero of love, you can opt for adding heart shapes and motifs to your outfit. If youāre a magical hero of wishes, add some shooting stars on your outfit! It goes on and on for any motifs, itās all up to you to determine how you use them.
šØ DESIGNING THE OUTFIT: SECTION 2
For this section, Iāll go over the more detailed aspects of your design, from top to bottom! Iāll give advice on designing outfits, as well as some practical tips for your magical design.
Probably the most famousā magical heroes are notorious for their crazy hair. Most magical heroes you see have long hair, either down or in some updo, and in the color of their theme color or an accent color. Some magical girls have their hair be a variation of their natural hair. You can have any kind of hair youād like as a magical hero! Here are some of my tips:
Make sure your hair wonāt hinder your fighting abilities- it wonāt get caught in your outfit, you wonāt trip on it, etc. Also, make sure your villains canāt grab your hair to pull you/catch you off guard! This is a common fighting technique and Iāve seen this absolutely destroy people in school fights. If crazy freshman can do it, your villains likely will as well.
Donāt worry about your hair being āeasily recognizableā if youāre keeping your natural hair. You can always script in that no one recognizes you or use magic to ensure no one associates you with your secret identity.
As for personal recommendations, I recommend having your hair out of your face. I have bangs in real life and in my magical girl form; sometimes theyāre a pain, especially on hot days. Itād kind of hinder your ability to see in your magical form. A good counter to this would be scripting the thickness or thinness of your bangs if you plan on having any, or to script that you see better once you transform (this is good for people with glasses!)
Also recommend to script that you donāt sweat when you transform. Sweat + hair = pain.
Choose a hairstyle you can fight in and feel comfortable withā if youāre not sure where to start, think about hairstyles you would like to try or hairstyles that flatter you. Even hairstyles you wear in real life would be a good start!
Donāt worry about damaging your hair with the color you choose, Iād like to imagine magic changes your hair color, and is completely damage-free! (Really wish this were the case in real life š)
I know a couple of magical heroes who plan on having hats or SOMETHING on their head in their magical hero form. If youāre interested in having headgear in your magical hero form, here are some precautions and tips:
I donāt want to say itās a hindrance to have a hat (because I literally wear an ushanka in my magical hero form š), but try to find some way itāll stay on your head while fighting. Unless you donāt anticipate doing crazy backflips, Iād recommend scripting that your headgear wonāt fall off even in the craziest situationsā or even better, it can only be taken off by your hands only.
Also script that your hat (or better: your entire mh outfit) is the exact size for you, and grows as you grow in civilian form!
Try to find some practicality in it! I see magical heroes go for goggles to replace their civilian form glasses. Some magical heroes wear hats to keep the sun out of their eyes. I had an old concept where my magic came from a top hat (if you know, you know). Hats donāt just have to be fashionable, but I wouldnāt blame you if you wanted something cool just to finish off your outfit.
If youāre looking for hat designs, a good game I recommend for inspiration is Genshin Impact! The creativity the characters have for their headgear is amazing, and I can imagine some magical hero designs based off of just hats alone. Pinterest is also a good place to look!
Tops! This is one of my favorite parts of designing! Designing tops is always really fun. Hereās some advice:
I recommend looking up necklines or just pretty tops in general for inspiration!Ā
Also recommend to have a built-in bra with your top, wearing one separately would be a hassle in my opinion.
One of my biggest pet peeves with strapless tops is it falling down every 5 seconds, so if you have a strapless top, make sure you script that it wonāt fall while youāre fighting.Ā
This is the same for sleeves in general! Script they wonāt fall down.
If you have anything tied in your magical form, like ribbons, script that they wonāt come out or loose.
Make sure you choose something youāre comfortable with! Script that youāre comfortable in your top, no matter what kind of top youāre going to wear in your magical form.
PSA for magical heroes who want gloves: script that you can use your phone while wearing them. I hate wearing gloves and then having to take them off just to use my phone :(Ā
If you arenāt planning on wearing gloves, script that you donāt leave fingerprint traces on surfaces you touch, just for security reasons!
Iād hate to continue the āYOU DONāT NEED PAINTED NAILS IF YOUāRE WEARING GLOVES DUHHH!!!!ā debate, do what you want with your nails! Pinterest has gorgeous nail designs! If you are wearing gloves, Iād recommend making the color of your nails change the natural color of your nails. Long nails would probably be more of a liability than shorter ones, or you could script your nails are immune to breaking, getting damaged, falling off, etc.
A smart idea would be incorporating your outfit into some kind of use with your magic. For example, if your main weapon is guns, then Iād recommend keeping ammunition on your body, on a sling or a belt. This takes a bit more thought to be put into it, but itās so worth it and makes a great design in the end!
Bottoms are also fun to design! In my opinion, these are the most versatile. There are different directions you can take for bottoms, SO many different directions! Hereās my advice and suggestions:
Go for what makes you the most comfortable! You are 100% a valid magical hero if you go for pants or shorts over a skirt and vice versa! Itās your outfit! If someone has a problem with how you present your magical self, they can kiss your- š„š„/JOKE /ok but fr ignore people who have problems with your outfit theyāre just insecure (/srs)
If you are planning on wearing a skirt, please script safety shorts or opt for a skort instead! I donāt think I should explain why flashing people while youāre fighting is not only embarrassing but dangerous since there are terrible and disgusting weirdos out there.Ā
If youāre wearing socks, script that they wonāt slide down (another pet peeve of mine)
If you want to wear heels, or if your shoes are high heeled, PLEASE script that you know how to fight in heels and wonāt fall or trip! Been there done that, itās not fun. Also scripting that your feet wonāt get blisters is a good precaution too!
Also, if youāre wearing a back bow/something on the back/a cape, or anything youāre scared will catch up into something while moving, script that youāre not going to get stuck or nothing will catch your clothes while youāre moving.
I feel like makeup is a less commonly talked about thing when it comes to magical hero design. I think makeup is also important to consider when youāre transformed! Here are some considerations:
Make sure your makeup is sweat-proof, sensory friendly, and wonāt wipe off or get ruined while fighting. Emphasis on sensory friendly, I avoid makeup in civilian form because foundation is absolutely PAINFUL.
Search for makeup styles you like, or go off of makeup you wear or would like to wear in real life! You can go for natural makeup, glamorous makeup, stage makeup, etc.
Royale High on ROBLOX is a good game to look for makeup styles! The makeup in faces (to my knowledge) is free to use! Everskies is also a good game to experiment with makeup!
Tear proof makeup works as well, just in case you end up crying in your magical hero form.Ā
Keep in mind the environment youāll be fighting in may change depending on where you go. You may fight in the rain, in snow, on the beach, etc. Itād be a nice idea to accommodate your outfit for such conditions, or to script that your outfit is weather-proof.Ā
Speaking of accommodations, if youāre disabled, itās always a great idea to script accommodations for your outfit! You can script that your outfit is sensory friendly, isnāt itchy, and (my favorite) there are no tags on your magical outfit.
I also like to script that my magical outfit is able to regulate heat/coolness! This can work for any outfit, even if you canāt find the logic behind it. Itās magic! Thatās all the logic you need!
Make sure youāre able to find some way you can fight in your outfit. Even if you donāt plan on fighting, itās a good precaution!
Kind of TMI, but if you get periods, script that your outfit is bleed-proof. This is also good if you end up getting hurt in your outfit. Also scripting that your outfitās immune to tearing or getting injured is a great idea!
A fun way to experiment with how your magical hero outfit may look is to take a full body picture of yourself and then draw over it with your magical hero clothes. You can also dress in aspects of your magical hero outfit in real life with items you have at home (ex. wearing a top similar to the top in your magical hero form) to get a feel of what youāll be wearing.
If you need design help, I suggest joining Mahou Planet! There are great magical hero designs there and talented designers willing to help you! Searching for inspiration, meshing different pictures of outfits together, and asking friends for help are also valid methods!
In conclusion, there are about a gajillion different ways to create a magical outfit. Thereās not one right or wrong way to design, or a ābadā or āgoodā design: what matters is that youāre comfortable in it and that itās an outfit you love! Outfit changes are 100% valid, and Iād even recommend scripting variations of your outfit for weather/personal reasons!
At the end of the day, designing should be a fun process. I hope you guys learned a thing or two from this post, and have fun designing your magical hero outfit! Remember to join Mahou Planet to have a chance to choose the next article I write!
(idols: yeojin - loossemble, jinsoul, choerry, kim lip - artms, mina - twice, ella - pixy, gowon, hyeju - loossemble, gwsn ot7, stayc ot6)
