This costume was a very spontaneous, last-minute decision. Here's how it went down: I randomly had a dream one night where I was cosplaying Fuu, and my boyfriend was cosplaying Ferio. It was really fun, and when I woke up, I was so disappointed it wasn't actually happening! I just couldn't shake the feeling all day. When I told my friend Ryuuraigeki about it, she told me she was bringing her gorgeous Umi to OhayoCon, and would have her friend Ita Istar with her as Hikaru. They needed a Fuu to complete their trio. And she knew I had been contemplating cosplaying Fuu for a while (this particular, coincidentally matching artbook variation). I figured, "When the heck will I get a chance like this again?" and decided to go for it. I'm glad I did! It was a lot of fun. Fuu was always my favorite. :D

I made this costume from start to finish within approximately 3 weeks. I drafted my own patterns for everything, simply because I was too cheap to buy new patterns, haha. It worked out well, despite not having made a dress like this before! I made a mock up of the bodice, overskirt, and underskirts before making the real thing.

Boots: I also made boot covers over a pair of heels, which I'm SUPER proud of! These were my first (and so far, only) boot covers. I made the gold bias tape trim and did some satin stitched applique for the design on the front. I also used really thick interfacing on the top part of the boot covers so that it would be sturdy enough to support the gems. I also lined the boots so it would all look pretty from the outside AND inside. :)

Cape: The cape was very simple. I just measured the width I needed at the shoulders and cut a triangle shape down to the width of the fabric. I added a very simple hood in the back and sewed it to the cape. I then used snap buttons to attach to the back of the chest plate as well as a snap for each shoulder to anchor the cape in place. I didn't want it draping all down my arms. I'm glad I bothered with that!

Chest plate: The chest plate is just 3 layers of craft foam with paperclay smoothed on the edges. For my first wear, I used a nasty yellow-gold acrylic paint. I later re-painted it with a nice, realistic gold, and even added a little weathering to the edges. The green gem is just a large glass floral gem that I painted with green iridescent glass paint.

Arm and leg warmers: Simply two long rectangles sewn together.

Underskirts: The underskirt is two layers of circle skirts attached together, one slightly longer than the other. I just used elastic for it. :B

Dress/overskirt: The overskirt was a pain in the butt. It reminds me that I do not enjoy making girly clothing, haha. The first time around, I had no idea what I was doing and merely gathered the fabric. After seeing my friend Ryuuraigeki's Umi in person and talking to her about the construction of her overskirt, I decided I should also go back and pleat mine. So I did. Years later, anyway, haha. For my most recent wear, I took the skirt off, pleated it, and reattached it. It looks much better! Big thanks to Riicreations for helping me with that part. <3

Wig: My first wig was awful. I cut it and tried to style the curls into it. It ended up being too long, and the curls did not hold very well. I later got a new wig, which is darker and more yellow than I would have liked, but the curls it came with are just too perfect! After adding the big ol' '90s curls into the bangs, the wig is EXACTLY how I've always wanted my Fuu wig to look.

Armband: The first version I made with Fimo, and it was ugly. I remade it using a duct tape roll as the base and covered it with layers of craft foam, which I sealed and painted.

Tiara: The tiara was very simple. I just found a wide necklace piece and added the beads to it. The only work I did was glue the beads in place and paint the green gem with my iridescent green paint I used for my other gems to match.

Thanks to Ryuuraigeki for all her advice and support!