I know it'll never happen but I hope we get christmas fallen dimitri in heros imagine his whole shitck is that he still hates edelgard except she's like the grinch
I broke down how I would go about making Dimitri's new winter alt because I'm completely normal about it and not obsessed with him at all. (Also my spouse already emotionally committed to winter Felix and the designs match well).
I thought I would share because designs with a lot going on can be intimidating to break down, but going layer by layer and thinking about what makes sense for the garment helps me and is helpful to do if you get stuck or overwhelmed.
This one is on my list for AWA 2024, since it will be in December (and as much as I'd love to go to Holmat, there is no way my queer ass is going to Florida any time soon). I can't start this until I finish dancer Dimi and I'm still in goldwork hell for that.
(I forgot his pants so further detail about that and also a breakdown of the layers more concretely below the cut).
Here's the most informative referece images we're working with (first one is just the clean version of the one above):
Starting with the inner most layer to outermost (because I think that's the most straightforward):
1) The Pants
There are a lot of options here, depending on what you're going for. It's cold in Faerghus so if you're going for most appropriate options, you'd want to make these out of a heavier fabric. They're not skin tight (you can see this in the second image more clearly), so I personally will stay away from stretchy leggings, but I don't think that would matter much aesthetically if that is your preference. You could also match these to the jacket material, but I personally don't want to make velvet pants. A nice, heavier cotton or linen would probably do the job nicely here. A heavier cotton blend knit would be a good choice, with an elastic waistband (basically you'd be making sweatpants). If you do a nonstretch, you don't have to go with an elastic waistband, but consider how easy it is to reach your closure for things like bathroom breaks. There is a seam (maybe a pleat?) on the front of the legs so that is something to pay attention to if you're going for maximum accuracy. I'd make this a seam on the stretch pants. I'd make these pants capri length so that there is enough to fit under the knee armor and top of the boot so it stays, but there isn't excess bulk in the lower boot, and probably finish the end of the legs with an elastic cuff like some sweat pants are finished. Pockets are unnecessary for this layer because you really can't get them under the layers.
2) The Boots
I'd buy a pair of knee high black boots with a very short heel. You could make boot covers, but I'd only do that if you had a hard time matching the finish. These don't look like suede to me, these seem like a smooth black leather/faux leather. The heels you could leave alone (they just won't 100% match), or paint gold. I tend to scuff up heels that I paint, so if you go that route make sure to be prepared to touch them up occasionally. The cuff with the fur I would add as a separate piece, trying to match the leather texture as much as possible. You could glue or sew this on (probably by hand) to the base boot, or make it removable with something like velcro. I'd personally just attach it permanently, since you have to add the stars on anyway, and I'm not likely to make those a temporary attachment, though you could. For the fur, you can get some fur trim, or use the same fabric as the cape and fur mantle. I'll touch on construction of the stars later, since they match the ones on the coat, but I'd just glue these onto the boot with a good glue (E6000 would be my first choice). Not every glue works for every material so you may want to experiment. Other options that might work would be contact cement or loctite (which makes a pleather glue).
3) The Knee Armor
I'd go with EVA foam for these. You could use worbla for additional sturdiness if you wanted, or even 3D print these if you'd rather model them yourself... but the foam may help with movement, as it will give where plastic will not. These will be sturdy enough though with a thicker EVA foam (5 mm?), with thinner layers for the upper ones. The accents I would make with a thinner foam and as the top layer. It looks like these are 3 layers to me (4 with the details). They remind me of Byleth's knee armor on the Enlightened One, which I have worn and can attest to them being very stable with just craft foam. Honestly I would just attach these to the cuff at the bottom, and add some strapping behind the knee that can open with snaps or velcro for maximum stability. You could also add a snap onto the pants at the front of the knee for extra security as well.
4) The Tunic
This is the blue layer under the red coat. It has a slit in the side seam (you can see it in the second picture) - make sure you keep that for mobility if nothing else. I'd make this out of a fabric that has a sheen, as it looks like it does in the art. If you wanted to be really indulgent, you could use a silk of some kind (I think you could use smooth or textured, depending on the aesthetic you were going for). I'd probably go for a nice cotton (a cotton sateen would be very appropriate), since this cosplay will be hot and that will help with breathability. A dull poly satin would also work in a pinch, or maybe even a crepe back satin. Lots of options here, I'd just go with nonstretch. Since this will be covered, you have options for neckline and sleeves. I think it would be a good idea to have sleeves, since the coat, depending on material, could rub. For the gold motif at the bottom, you have lots of options too. You could use heat n bond with a gold satin to make an applique, or you could use a vinyl fabric for an applique. You could do beading here. Iron on vinyl would also work (I'd go with the shiny metallic one). I'd just make sure this is shiny, ideally shinier than the tunic fabric. This is a festive costume after all, you can bling it up. I'd only worry about the front panel. You can ignore the back since it won't be seen.
5) The Coat
I really think this should be made out of a sturdy, nonstretch velvet (probably one of the home decor velvets). An alternative would be microsuede. Based on the art, I think some kind of nice sherpa would be best for the fuzzy edges, to contrast with the fur on the cape. The brown belts I would just make out of a pleather, with snap or hook and eye closures on one side. The stars, since I said I would talk about those (this applies to the ones on the shoes too), I would do out of foam, worbla, a combo of those two, or 3d print. I'll probably 3d print these since I have it on good authority that I'm getting one for Christmas this year. The gold lines at the sleeves and bottom you could do as a satin applique, beading, vinyl, or some combination. Iron on vinyl may or may not work with the velvet, you'd want to test that. I'd probably use a gold satin bias tape for the edge at the front of the coat, I think that would be the easiest thing and would look the nicest for that part.
6) The belt
This would have a secret closure at the front for ease of getting on and off without having to undo the belt. I'd interface the hell out of a red fabric (probably a satin, cotton/cotton sateen, maybe velvet), and add an applique of the green at the edges (or bias tape). I'd make the tassels out of a fine metallic thread or floss, personally. You probably want to stiffen these so they stay nice and clean. The star I'll talk about with the mantle. Metallic pieces on the belt would be a combination of foam, worbla, and/or 3d printing.
7) The Breastplate
My spouse has already made a breastplate almost exactly like this, thankfully. I'll be making this out of EVA foam, 10 mm for the larger layer and 5 mm for the bottom (which will probably just be attached at the bottom edge of the 10 mm layer so there is less bulk to worry about). The details would be a thin foam. It looks like the top motif is probably a fleur de lis. The chest star, which mimics his timeskip armor in houses, looks like it is convex rather than concave, so I'd make this out of foam and maybe fill in the underside with something just for structure. The plate itself would work like a reverse backpack, with buckles that would attach at the back to keep it sturdy. When I work on this I'll upload a picture of the breastplate my spouse made for reference.
8) The Scarf
I'd match this to the cape liner or the tunic fabric, so go for something with a slight sheen. The gold details I'd iron on or applique, and potentially add some coordinating rhinestones for sparkle's sake.
9) The Cape
The big, fluffy cape. I think the outside should be made from a heftier fabric, probably a microsuede. This would drape nicely and match the overall aesthetic of the costume. The liner I would match to the tunic or the scarf, so some kind of satin or sateen. I would probably go for the iron on vinyl for the stars of the liner, but you could do the satin applique strategy.... but that's a LOT of satin stitching to finish edges. Applique would work better for the stars at the bottom of the outside. You could also incorporate beads and/or rhinestones. This is festive after all... I'd get a nice fake fur for the edge, which you can match to the furry mantle.
10) The Mantle
This matches his houses design, based on the references, so you can refer to the in game art. Making this out of fake fur is the easiest option. My spouse attempted to make this by latch hooking yarn, but the brushing..... it will be less time and energy to go the fur route, but would be more money. For the stars, you could 3d print them, and gold leaf if you wanted a lot of shine. You'd probably want to hook these to the fur with invisible thread instead of gluing them, or you could match the thread to your gold paint. I'm also considering beading these on felt and I would attach them the same way, with invisible or matching thread. The one at the bottom of the belt you can sew or glue on, but I'd match construction to the mantle stars.
11) The Gloves
Technically lower in the layers than the coat, but awkward to put in earlier. These look like a faux suede or leather to me. I'd make them out of a nonstretch with a personalized, gusset-including glove pattern.
12) The Wig
It's a short, pale blonde wig. You might want a lace front with his hairline. But I think you can make it work without it... you'll have to do some styling with those bangs. This matches his pre-timeskip hair closely. The holly I would wire in to the wig after making, and use maybe beading or glitter an existing floral pick.
13) The Axe
I'm not a prop person, so this will be very basic. Pvc or dowel base, with foam, worbla, and/or 3d printed parts. The bow would look nice as a loop bow. You'd put the color blocks on there as previously discussed with bias tape.
That's my wall of words on that! I hope this was helpful to somebody. I'm planning on getting started on this one next year after some other costumes in the queue.
If you want to see a breakdown of anything else please let me know.
