I'm thinking of entering a cosplay contest, but it's with a costume that I made some pieces and bought others. I know contests usually have a rule about what percentage of the costume you should make, but do you have any advice on how that's determined? Is it pure item count or do judges consider how much time a particular item would take to make or how much of an impact it has on the costume? Or that some items would be especially difficult to make like shoes or a watch? Thank you
This is one of those things that totally depends on the individual contest and how the rules are written, but I can give you some guidelines based on my experience (and how I tend to write/interpret contest rules, when I’m running one):
Made vs. Modified. Some contest rules may include wording like, “Contestants must have made at least 60% of their costume to be eligible…” Another keyword to look for is modified, as in, “Contestants must have made or modified 80% of their costume.” In this case, modified means you may have started with a commercial garment and dyed, sewed, appliqued, or otherwise altered it significantly from its original form, which means you can still compete even if you have some purchased items in your costume. If the rules do not include specific wording like modified or altered, however, you should generally assume that the percentage refers to items you crafted yourself/sewed from scratch.
That percentage is frequently determined by looking at the area covered or size of the pieces, rather than the total number of items. For example, if my costume consists of a floor-length gown and a small hat, the gown would count as about 90% of the costume for purposes of the percentage rule, even though it’s technically 50% of the total number of items I’m wearing. There is a bit of a sliding scale with regard to how complex an item is, though, so size isn’t the only consideration. If the dress is a simple shift, while the hat is extremely elaborate, the hat might count as a higher percentage by virtue of the additional labor involved in making it.
Every contest will have its own rules regarding what percentage of the costume must have been made and/or modified, so always read the rules, even if you’ve competed before! If you have questions, or if the rules don’t give a percentage, try to contact the masquerade coordinator beforehand (most conventions will have a contact form, email address, or message board) and ask for clarification.
Skill Divisions. Generally speaking, judges are a bit more lax with Novice entries than with Journeymen or Masters as far as using found items as secondary elements in their costume. For example, I might not penalize a Novice cosplayer for using something like a commercial dance leotard as a base layer, because sewing and finishing stretch fabric is a more advanced technique, and the average newbie probably hasn’t learned that skill yet. But I would expect a Masters-level contestant who has been making costumes for years to know how to sew stretch fabric correctly, so they wouldn’t get a free pass for using a purchased garment. (However, this may vary dramatically among individual judges.)
Core Garments vs. Accessories. The items you need to have made (per the percentage rules) typically refers to the main body covering – the visible clothing or armor that makes up the costume – as well as any supplementary pieces you want to be judged on, such as props, hats, wig styling, etc. Most judges won’t count anything that isn’t visible (e.g., if you have an undershirt beneath your costume), and don’t expect you to have made common items such as socks/tights/underwear, or pieces requiring industrial manufacturing techniques, such as shoes. (Shoe or boot covers, though, are considered part of the costume.)
Until you’re competing at the Masters/Pro level, most judges won’t expect you to have made all of your smaller accessories from scratch (but you’ll probably score bonus points if you do!). This includes things like jewelry, prostheses (such as elf ears), shoe uppers, or undergarments (except in some cases, like petticoats or bloomers that are visible or a major component of the costume).
Props. If you have made your props, they are considered part of the costume for percentage purposes, and count toward your craftsmanship score. However, if you did not make your prop (or if you think it will detract from your score), it is totally valid to tell the judges that you don’t wish to be judged on the prop, and it won’t be counted against you for percentage purposes. Just set it aside when you go in for judging and explain that it’s not part of your craftsmanship entry.
Once again, I would encourage you to check the rules/ask questions of the specific contest you’re entering, but I hope this overview gives you a general idea of what to look for. Good luck!
