annieb123
Written on Jul 16, 2021
Casual Cosplay is a style and simple tutorial guide for starting mainstream family friendly dress-up by Krystal Everdeen. Released in Summer 2021 by Simon & Schuster on their Tiller imprint, it's 160 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is a beginner's guide to simple cosplay with tutorials which will give a recognizable character result (i.e., people will kinda-sorta know who you're cosplaying, probably), and will build skills and confidence for more advanced cosplays later. The builds are very simple and as an intended feature, the costumes can honestly be worn in public without getting many untoward looks or reactions. The characters are largely drawn from mainstream fandom (Disney (so much Disney!), Pixar, some Star Wars, HP, and a few others).
Each of the tutorials includes one or more color pictures, a color scheme in a highlighted sidebar, and costume tips for pre-made pieces to combine to get an approximation. Tips for finishing details and alternative pieces for comfort or safety (more comfortable shoes, etc) are given in the text descriptions. The book does not include templates or sewing instructions.The photography is clear and in color. It should be noted that there are only a few models pictured in the book (and they're all thin, caucasian, attractive, and physically unimpaired).
Three stars. This would be a good choice as a starting point for exploring fandom inspired fashion. There are some good options for beginning cosplayers and for last-minute Halloween costumes (for when your kid tells you at 9pm the day before).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.