Adelbert Steiner - Final Fantasy IX
Cosplaying with Seifer-sama, Travis Felver, and Alasse Veneanar Captivations
Hood & Under Maile:
Since there was no wig for me to start with, I actually started this costume from the under-layers up. I found a really cool mesh / knit fabric in black and silver that matched his hood perfect. I made the hood based off of an old McCall's knight pattern I've had forever and used the rest to make the sleeves. I just sewed them onto an old cotton shirt he had lying around. Super comfy!
Shorts:
I found a nice twill fabric online that I used for both the shorts, gloves, and jester boot flaps. I used the same gradient paint technique that I used for Weiss and it left the shorts looking like a watercolor painting, which I loved! I then did the same to the mesh fabric that sits over the main shorts and then sewed them together once they were dry.
Armor:
With the under outfit built, it seemed like the next task should be the armor. I built all the pieces out of butcher paper first to test the fit and shapes. Once I was happy with those, I transferred them to foam, and then covered them in worbla. The torso ended up being super thick thanks to all the plates layered around the whole thing. I was super worried about getting the proportions right and it also looked dorkishly huge until we saw the whole thing together. It was the hat, without the hat it was so hard to really see the silhouette. Once it was painted, I added the filigree stamps I found for him. I made sure to use the same large rose stamp that’s on Beatrix’s gauntlet. We match! <3
Belts:
After working on HA Sokka, I thought I might see if the same hand-sewn vinyl details would work for Steiner’s belts. It was painstakingly difficult cutting out all the Celtic knots and swirls. A lot of the designs were covered and I had to make them up AND the front half of the belt doesn’t match the back half. WTF Final Fantasy?? I spent hours sewing these on by hand, but it was so worth it. I think the designs really pop.
Gloves:
After building the gauntlets I patterned out the gloves using the same butcher paper technique, just to make sure the width was right. I used the same prongs from HA Sokka and covered them in fabric to make those cute buttons on the end. The remaining prongs became the rivets for the rest of the armor and for the tabs on the shoes.
Shoes:
I decided after making HW Ganondorf that I’d like to try and make the shoes a little more comfortable for EVZombie. I decided to make vinyl plates and just paint them the same color as the armor, so it looks the same but is much more flexible. This was a total success and surprisingly, the paint held up well even after a few days of walking around the con!
Sword:
This baby was so last minute but I’m so glad we have it. The blade is made of wood and the hand-guard and pommel will made with foam and worbla. I used the remaining filigree designs just to add some extra something to the design, since it’s pretty plain, especially compared to Beatrix.
