Character: Raphtalia
Series: The Rising of the Shield Hero
Version: Season 2
Awards: Best in Show Craftsmanship Colossalcon 2022
Debut: Colossalcon 2022
Build Thread
I made Raphtalia in about 6 weeks to compete at Colossalcon. I chose her second season Miko outfit because I felt it was achievable in the time frame and I have been itching to make something with a Japanese aesthetic for a while. Jokes on me, in researching this costume I learned just how inaccurate it was to the traditional Miko uniforms it was inspired by.
While I originally approached this project with the idea to make the garments traditionally, as I researched Miko uniforms and looked at references from the series I did a total 180 and decided to make this in a way that would minimize fabric bulk and be more fitted. With that in mind I made the top with a zipper closure along the collar, allowing me to remove an entire panel that would usually be wrapped under one side of the garment. I also took the top in slightly at the waist. I added a slit up the back to allow for the garment to be loose around the hips. I also made the outer and inner pieces as one piece with a false collar.
I drafted the Hakama off of an old online tutorial. I first made a mini mock up in paper to make sure my measurements were correct, then I cut and pleated them. They are finished on the inside with french seams since the linen I used really loved to fray. Instead of using traditional ties the waist is just elastic and they pull on and off. The waist is then covered with a separate belt.
The armor is made with thick interfacing. Cotton was fused to the back and folded over to the front. Then the faux leather is top stitched to the front. All of the gold details are vinyl over foam and glued down onto the black armor. The front and back are held together with elastic and fit under the hakama.
The belt and bow were all drafted. The gradient on the bow tails were done using a painting technique and Dye-Na-Flow. I had originally attempted to ombre dye these pieces, but I couldn’t get the black dark enough and was much happier with the paint. Since Dye-Na-Flow is very thin it didn’t effect the hand of the fabric.
The sword was a cheap plastic practice Katana purchased on Amazon and all of the details were added with foam and foam clay.
Lastly, the wig started as a long curly wig. I had to fully straighten it, add in wefts and then style all of the fluffy front pieces and bangs. This was my most intense wig styling job in…years and while it took around 20 hours I was very happy with the results.
Photos from: BossCos, Wolf’s Ink