Female Speed Racer Cosplay

[HeatherShepard]

I've never been to a con before so I thought this would be the perfect way to get my feet in the water and get a feel for what it would kinda be like if I go to a larger one such as DragonCon in the future.

However, I don't want to go as just a regular Joe-Schmo; I wanna dress up!

I've been thinking of an "easy" idea for a while now, and I have come to the conclusion that a Speed Racer costume is probably one of the easiest costumes ever. I could find everything I need in almost any department store.

However, I can't decide if I should stick to the original version...
or go in a completely opposite direction: Pin-Up!

A Pin-Up Speed Racer would be so badass, and it could possibly send me over the edge to win the costume contest.

I created a Polyvore to kinda give you kind of an outline of what it would sorta look like. The main thing I'm stumped on are the shoes. I know he wears slip-on looking shoes, but I want to wear something cuter (since I'm a girl) but I don't want them to look out of place. I also know that he wears red socks, so it's been harder trying to find shoes that would look good with sock underneath. I'm willing to paint a pair of shoes if I need to, or find shoes with laces and replace those with red ones.

Here's the Polyvore:
Speed Racer Costume - Polyvore

The same polo is used in both of them because it's almost the perfect color, and because I couldn't find one that was cut for a lady in the same shade. Also, the red scarf is there because I couldn't find an ascot. :unsure

I'm also kinda wondering if I should wear a belt with the costume. I've seen other people cosplay as Speed and wear black belts with their costumes and I've also seen people either wear white belts, or just go without one.

I don't own a pair of gloves, and I might go without them and just paint my nails a pretty red color or something to "girlify" the costume a bit. The yellow colored gloves are definitely the hardest piece to find out of the whole costume. Would black gloves do the trick, or would it be better to just go without?

I already own a pair of white bootcut jeans, and a white pair of bermuda shorts that I could cut and hem for the costume.

What do you guys think? :angel

 

[wulongti]

Good luck, be sure to take some pics ^_^

for the shoes, the ones in the bottom left of your poly look the closest though they aren't very girly...

and for the gloves, you should be able to get a cheap pair of work gloves in a natural tan from walmart, home depot, lowes..

there's these at walmart but they only come in M (presumably mens M) but these at home depot are in women's sizes and would make for some fine racing gloves

 

[MadMike]

Your arrangement looks pretty good so far.
I agree with wulongti, the shoes in the bottom left look the closest. What would look more girly are the Decree Amber Buckle Boots, plus they would look really bad ass. The Oxford Boots seem to be more accurate than the Buckle Boots, though you would need the socks again with them.

For the gloves, I found two pairs on ebay (and yes, I know that posting ebay-links here is usually a no-go, so, if it is a big problem, I can delete them again)

these here look really bright yellow, which would be good for a pin-up version:
Ladies Bright Yellow Vintage Gloves | eBay

while these here have these lovely embroidery, as already the title says, which makes it more girly:
Vintage 1950's Yellow GLOVES lovely embroidery nvr worn | eBay

 

[HeatherShepard]

I love the suggestions you guys have thrown out, especially the Bionic gloves Wulongti found at Home Depot. Those are awesome! Too bad they're online exclusives.

Unfortunately, I only have until Saturday afternoon (pre-judging starts at 3pm) to get everything together. So, I would need things at common department stores that are in the store and ready to buy that day. Either that, or find something on Amazon with Prime shipping.

MadMike, I am very fond of those Decree boots! I am very tempted to get those and use them in the costume since they're so edgy and badass. If I put everything together and it doesn't work, then it's no skin off my back. I could still wear those boots anywhere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~EDIT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I suddenly came up with a very nice idea, so I may not need to buy new brown boots. I have a pair of black faux leather boots very similar to the Decree boots in my Polyvore (except without the chain). I have painted faux leather pumps red and glued red glitter on them for my Dorothy costume this past Halloween, so I'm thinking I could do the same things with the boots but in a brown color. I found a can of enamel paint that is a "Store Exclusive" to Home Depot in the color "Leather Brown" and I think it could be exactly what I need. It comes in gloss as well as flat. I think the Cognac color of the Decree boots would maybe be a little too light for the costume, so this could be a great alternative. Also, it would only cost me maybe $10.

Here's the paint. If you think I should go a little lighter or darker, feel free to let me know!
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100194121/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

[HeatherShepard]

I pretty much spent my entire paycheck on my costume, and was left with about $5 to put in my gas tank. Yeah, I have my priorities straight. :lol

I decided to go with the original Speed Racer, not the pin-up version. After seeing my thighs in shorts (even with hose on), I decided that maybe I should work out more and save that for DragonCon. Haha!

Unfortunately, the pants that I already have are about 4 sizes too big for me. They still fit, but I will definitely need a belt to keep it all up. I couldn't find a white belt, so I think my black belt will have to suffice.

Besides the helmet (which isn't even a motorcycle helmet), the freakin' POLO was the hardest thing to find! I swear, I went to EVERY thrift store in town and even some department stores, and none of them had a polo in the right color. It was either baby blue or navy, and neither of those would have worked. The very last thrift store I went to had a polo in the right color, was only $4, but the only downside is that it's a tad snug. I'm hoping that if I deliberately stretch it out and wear it all day leading up to the con, then maybe it will stretch out. Damn you, junior's clothes!

I promise I will post pictures of everything I found. Even though I didn't spend a lot on the costume, I worked too hard to find everything to NOT show you guys! :$

 

[HeatherShepard]

Alright, guys! Here are some pictures!

Not really a true-blue Speed Racer helmet, but it will have to do for now.
This was right before I taped down the buckles so that paint wouldn't get all over them. I also removed the Styrofoam padding so I wouldn't get paint on that either.

Making an outline of the "G" that will be painted on the polo. I had to make sure it was large enough to cover the Abercrombie logo.

The finished "G" over the logo. Unfortunately, I had an accident and now there's a small smudge. I tried cleaning it with a wet Q-Tip, but you can still see it.


Those are all I have so far. More coming soon! :$

 

[HeatherShepard]

Here are some more pictures of my glorious finds:

Not really feminine, but I found these shoes at a Goodwill for only $2 so I had to get them. They're also surprisingly comfortable! And yeah, I think they're men's shoes... but, oh well.

The shoes I bought and the white pants that I already owned.

I layered the polo over a white button-down that I already owned to make the look a little more authentic. The shirt is actually pretty short... I'm going to have to wear my belt a little snugger than usual to keep it in there. Also, this is pre-hair dye and pre-makeup. Don't judge me too harshly.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Hey, your 'G' is backwards, and on the wrong side !

Kidding. Looks great, very identifiable.

Are you going to add the red neck scarf ?

 

[Mockle]

thats better

 

[HeatherShepard]

Here's the finished product:

I had a lot of people ask to take pictures of me. I also got a lot of "I never would have thought I'd see Speed here!" I felt like a celebrity! :lol

The "M" looks terrible because my red electrical tape decided to run away THE DAY OF the event. I frantically looked all over the house, but never found it... so I had to use red sharpie. :angry

Unfortunately I didn't win anything at the costume contest. One of the judges was actually kinda anal about my entry, saying "You should have said you were Speed from Speed Racer- not Speed Racer!"

They also didn't separate the single contestants from the group entries. I was kinda upset about that, and so were a lot of the other entries. The Naruto characters were in robes, and supposedly the judges said that they "had costumes on underneath and we look for that and all of those other little details that you may not see..." but never asked them to unzip or unbutton anything to show the audience. They could have been bluffing, and were completely naked underneath, and nobody would have challenged it. :confused

I'm not being a sore loser, but I do think the judging was a little biased and kinda unprofessional. The judges should have made 2 categories, not been obsessed with Naruto, and actually proved to the audience that they really did have costumes underneath. Oh well. Not a lot anyone can do about it now. :unsure

 

[Gilmortar]

It looks good, very good work on the interpretation.

 

[MadMike]

Unfortunately I didn't win anything at the costume contest. One of the judges was actually kinda anal about my entry, saying "You should have said you were Speed from Speed Racer- not Speed Racer!"

what a jerk. Didn't he know that Speed's family name is Racer? So Speed Racer was absolutely okay IMO

But anyway, though it's annoying (and surprising) that you didn't win, you really did a great job with your costume!


Side note: my 100th post, woohoo! :lol

 

[Jaedena]

Sorry to hear about your experience with the costume contest. I think your costume is very cute and certainly win worthy!

 

[Bad Wolf]

that judge was an idiot!
it's a great idea and it was done brilliantly!!
you look great!! :thumbsup

 

[HeatherShepard]

Thanks for the support, guys! A lot of people loved my costume, and I couldn't have asked for anything better than that.

There were a lot of great costumes at the event, and everyone was so nice and supportive of one another. Everyone thought the Cydaea cosplayer would win the contest but she didn't (not even "judge's choice" awards) but everyone came up to her after the contest to praise her costume.

Overall, the event was a hit. All of the people were excited to be there, nice to one another, and everyone got involved at all of the events and games/tournaments.
About 2000 people showed up, and they're trying to get the UF Student Government on their side for next year since they weren't very supportive of the event this year.

 

[slimesquare]

no matter what type of contest it is they always seem tainted but don't let it discourage you....the costume looks great!

 

[confusion]

now, that is a fun costume!

 

[Judge Spartan]

I think the costume looks great.. Don't go by the opinions of judges or critics, go by the fans and enjoy what you do. You do it very well.

 

[wulongti]

Great job Heather, I think it all came together well for you. Sorry the judge was a d*ck and didn't realize that Speed's last name is Racer so "Speed Racer" was correct...

On a completely unrelated note: I've found that when taking "bathroom shots" they can sometimes look better if you turn the phone around so the camera is facing you instead of the mirror. Then use the mirror to look at the screen on the phone. Doesn't always work out better, but sometimes ^_^

Again, I think you did a great job. I look forward to seeing what you'll do next

 

[HeatherShepard]

On a completely unrelated note: I've found that when taking "bathroom shots" they can sometimes look better if you turn the phone around so the camera is facing you instead of the mirror. Then use the mirror to look at the screen on the phone. Doesn't always work out better, but sometimes ^_^

I tried that the first few times, but it looked like crap. Haha! So I just flipped it and settled for the typical "MySpace Shot" we all know and love... minus the duckface.

Too bad the electrical tape went missing. The helmet could have looked SO much better! That will bug me forever now...

As for what I'm doing next: I have no clue. :lol