AVA
Member
Hello, all! I never seem to post completed costumes here -- between uploading things on my own website, three cosplay gallery sites and our Facebook page, the RPF always seems to slip through the cracks! But I'm trying to get better about that, so here's my first showcase thread. 
I've been a Methos fangirl since Peter Wingfield's first appearance in Highlander in the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, a character whose wardrobe consists entirely of shapeless sweaters, ill-fitting coats and one notorious pair of red slacks leaves little opportunity for cosplay! The only really distinctive costume Methos has is the Death persona, shown only briefly in flashbacks with the Four Horsemen. So I decided I would attempt that one (in spite of the godawful wig), just for love of the character -- and actor, of course; Wingfield is one of my favorites.
Photos first, then the full description:
The wind cooperated for this shot.
Armor/mask closeup.
Obligatory Hamlet pose.
Methos vs. Duncan: Unlikely time skip?
Just for fun: Reading The Methos Chronicles (and drinking beer because, well, it's Methos).
Costume construction:
I tried to match the material texture as closely as possible, but I had a very hard time finding good wool (which I'm guessing is what was used for the screen costume), so I had to be a bit inventive. The base clothing is a coarse linen blend; the cloak, cowl and hood are upholstery chenille, which has the exact same outer texture as the fabric in the show, but weighs a TON. I modified commercial pants and shirt patterns, and drafted/draped my own cape, cloak, cowl, hood and armor patterns. Out of the whole costume, the boots are the only piece I did not make.
The armor is flooring vinyl, finished and distressed with several kinds of paint to look like aged leather. Bracers are faux leather with multicolored metal studs. The mask is thermoformed EVA foam (stretched over an aluminum-foil skull armature I made), finished with varnish and metallic paint. The costume also incorporates dismantled earrings, the lids of three French onion dip cans, and a belt buckle from which I pried dozens of individual rhinestones and pearl beads. I even turned an old purse into a belt pouch in back so I can carry my phone and money under the cloak.
The whole costume, from conception to wearing, was built in my spare time in a little over three weeks. It's not a terribly complicated outfit, but I liked putting in lots of details. Just like in the show, the costume is in separate layers and can be worn without the cloak or cowl. Here's the armor by itself:
I cut and styled the hideous Bronze Age mullet on my own head. It was almost painful to do that to what had once been a decent quality lace-top wig, but... accuracy, you know! The makeup was a little tricky; I could not find an appropriately blue shade that was not metallic, shimmery or tinged with purple or green. After testing six kinds of theatrical makeup and high-end cosmetics, I mixed my own color using a blend of Mehron creme liner, Ben Nye Aquacolor and cheap E.L.F. eyeshadow.
In the end, this is not a costume that gets recognized at conventions. When I debuted it at GMX this past weekend, only one person at the entire event knew the character. But apart from being mistaken for Rule 63 William Wallace (yes, seriously), I'm pretty happy with how it came out!
I've been a Methos fangirl since Peter Wingfield's first appearance in Highlander in the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, a character whose wardrobe consists entirely of shapeless sweaters, ill-fitting coats and one notorious pair of red slacks leaves little opportunity for cosplay! The only really distinctive costume Methos has is the Death persona, shown only briefly in flashbacks with the Four Horsemen. So I decided I would attempt that one (in spite of the godawful wig), just for love of the character -- and actor, of course; Wingfield is one of my favorites.
Photos first, then the full description:
The wind cooperated for this shot.
Armor/mask closeup.
Obligatory Hamlet pose.
Methos vs. Duncan: Unlikely time skip?
Just for fun: Reading The Methos Chronicles (and drinking beer because, well, it's Methos).
Costume construction:
I tried to match the material texture as closely as possible, but I had a very hard time finding good wool (which I'm guessing is what was used for the screen costume), so I had to be a bit inventive. The base clothing is a coarse linen blend; the cloak, cowl and hood are upholstery chenille, which has the exact same outer texture as the fabric in the show, but weighs a TON. I modified commercial pants and shirt patterns, and drafted/draped my own cape, cloak, cowl, hood and armor patterns. Out of the whole costume, the boots are the only piece I did not make.
The armor is flooring vinyl, finished and distressed with several kinds of paint to look like aged leather. Bracers are faux leather with multicolored metal studs. The mask is thermoformed EVA foam (stretched over an aluminum-foil skull armature I made), finished with varnish and metallic paint. The costume also incorporates dismantled earrings, the lids of three French onion dip cans, and a belt buckle from which I pried dozens of individual rhinestones and pearl beads. I even turned an old purse into a belt pouch in back so I can carry my phone and money under the cloak.
The whole costume, from conception to wearing, was built in my spare time in a little over three weeks. It's not a terribly complicated outfit, but I liked putting in lots of details. Just like in the show, the costume is in separate layers and can be worn without the cloak or cowl. Here's the armor by itself:
I cut and styled the hideous Bronze Age mullet on my own head. It was almost painful to do that to what had once been a decent quality lace-top wig, but... accuracy, you know! The makeup was a little tricky; I could not find an appropriately blue shade that was not metallic, shimmery or tinged with purple or green. After testing six kinds of theatrical makeup and high-end cosmetics, I mixed my own color using a blend of Mehron creme liner, Ben Nye Aquacolor and cheap E.L.F. eyeshadow.
In the end, this is not a costume that gets recognized at conventions. When I debuted it at GMX this past weekend, only one person at the entire event knew the character. But apart from being mistaken for Rule 63 William Wallace (yes, seriously), I'm pretty happy with how it came out!
