The first time I cosplayed, which was also my first anime convention, was at Katsucon in 1999. I somehow I thought costumes were a requirement for these sorts of events, so with a week to go before the con I got to work. With little time and almost no sewing skills I had to do something simple, so I took an old Marines dress coat I had and turned it in to an Utena costume. I also tried to dye my hair pink for the costume (my mother was amused at that) but it just came out red, so I had red hair for a month.

I drove up and back to the con in one day (a 4 1/2 hour drive each way) and I ended up driving to the con in costume. When I got there I did the hall costuming thing, looking around for my friends and catching some of the events while I was at it. I got my picture taken a few times, but Utena wasn't very popular back then so not many people knew who I was. One guy even asked me if I was Queen Emeraldas (I guess it was the long hair and military coat that looked similar?). I was at the con barely three hours, but in that short time I was hooked.

What is your purpose for dressing in costume?

Above all else, I make costumes for the sheer enjoyment of making costumes. I also cosplay to promote the character and the series they are from. For me, cosplay is more about making and wearing what I really want and improving my craftsmanship skills. I seem to have this predisposition to the more obscure shows and characters; it allows me to make costumes and wear them around without being mobbed in the hallways at conventions. Sure I've cosplayed some popular characters, but those can get annoying real quick. Having to use back hallways at Otakon while I was dressed as Faye was quite an adventure...anything to avoid all the cameras. ^_~

If you were selected to have a leading role in a live-action anime movie, what series would it be from and what character would you play?

I'd have to be Aisha Codante from Five Star Stories. Aside from the height differences (most everyone in FSS is really tall), I think I kind of look like her. She's a very strong female character and knows how to take charge and kick butt, but she also has a softer and even silly side to her character. There are plenty of comic relief scenes that feature her, which would be great for me because I am always doing silly things at random. Being the Emperor's chief kagemusha and one of his top knights Aisha gets to wear a lot of cool outfits, from neat dresses to full imperial robes. Plus, any good movie adaptation of FSS would feature Aisha in some great fight scenes, which would be a blast to perform.

FSS is popular in Japan but still really obscure in the US and the whole story is incredibly convoluted so a live-action version of it would probably never happen. But if it did happen, I'd have to choose Aisha.

What positive and negative ways has cosplay affected your life?

If it wasn't for cosplay, I wouldn't be in the career field I am in now. When I started cosplaying I had tried two majors (Pre-Med and Computer Science) that I wasn't completely satisfied with. I soon discovered I really enjoyed making costumes so I ended up transferring into Textiles. Now I'm looking at graduate school in Fashion Design, with a career in either apparel or costume design in my future. Cosplay also brings me out of my shell and it's made me a lot of friends all over the world. It's also helped my problem-solving skills, expanded the limits of my imagination, and all sorts of other related things.

Negatively, it has at times consumed my life and destroyed my bank account. I can get rather obsessive at times and don't like to do anything halfway, so sometimes it seems a costume design possesses me and demands to be made. I've lost a lot of sleep over some costumes, and in some cases I've just gone psychotic over costume details, such as the $250 spent on Rikku contacts or the $60+ spent on finding the perfect green corduroy for her shorts. But, I think I'm getting better at controlling the negative aspects, and in my case the positive effects of cosplay far outweigh the negative.

What are some handy costuming tips you can offer?

The most universal thing to think about when beginning a costume is to think of it first as a whole, then as all of its parts. Just like an internal combustion engine or computer system, trying to think of a costume as a whole can be daunting, but when you disassemble it in your mind and think of all its component parts, the task becomes easier. Begin by thinking of the major parts of the costume, then break each of those down into smaller parts, and then smaller and smaller until you're at the very bottom level. By this point a materials list and construction process should present itself, so you can begin from the bottom again and assemble everything into larger and larger components until the costume presents itself in 3-D form in your own cosplay sweatshop.

When you're in a bad mood, what anime series can always brighten your day?

Five Star Stories, always! I am such a geek. But seriously, I don't read or watch much anymore that isn't FSS. Whenever I'm in a foul mood or need a break from what I'm working on, most of the time I pull out an artbook or two and skim some text, or look through any number of FSS-related files I have on my computer. It's a good break from boring work and it keeps me up on all my useless trivia knowledge.

What is the maximum you will ever spend on a costume and what character would it be?

The total price of a costume doesn't normally shock me as much as the rate at which the money was spent. I think it's much more traumatic to spend $200 in one month than it is to take a year to make a costume that costs over $1000. I would probably have to draw the line at $1000 though, because it's a nice round number. But, if I ever had the urge to spend years constructing an absolute masterwork that cost multiple thousands of dollars, I would spend the money if I thought it was worth it in the end. As for what the costume would be, I have no idea. Probably something insanely elaborate, and hopefully something that would look like I actually spent a lot of money (and time) on it.

Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

Alive and making money! I just graduated from college so my life is sort of in limbo right now. I'd like to get a job designing apparel or possibly costumes, so hopefully I will be doing something like that in the near future. Maybe I'll design costumes on Broadway or end up in Hollywood someday. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

Any closing comments or rumors to dispel?

I don't really pay attention to cosplay-world gossip, so I don't know if there are even any rumors going around about me. But, I have sometimes been told that I sometimes come off as snobby/elitist or a bitch to people who don't know me very well. I'm usually pretty shy around people I don't know and a lot of times I'm running around doing work for one con or another, so I don't act as friendly as I maybe should. But anyone who stops me long enough to exchange more than three or four words will find I'm pretty laid-back and just as insane as the next twenty-something otaku.

See Katrina's profile here