This became a project on two fronts: How obscure can I possibly be and how cheaply can I make it?

FF2 is the first game that really brought me into the Final Fantasy world and I adored Leila. She is a spunky, brazen, confidant sky pirate...who wears a bikini top and a skirt, but that's okay! She's not the typical female game character that so many companies were pushing for at the time, and that's what caught my attention. She doesn't have a love interest. She's not looking for a lost love. She's not a damsel in distress. She's, well, a badass.

And it's FF2. Who really cosplays from that there days? :D

The costume is designed from remnant fabrics. I spent about a year collecting the myriad of purples, pinks, and blues by bin diving at fabric stores. In all, I spent more money on the wig (and even that I got on sale through Arda) then I did on the fabrics. A yard of this here, a yard of that there. The gems and jewels were all from kits and large sets that I had previously purchased for other costumes.

So some of the fabrics: well there is spandex (remants from a NiGHTS costume), some satin, there's silk, and knit, and lining, and cotton, and organza, and...okay yeah this could go on for a while. In all I spent maybe $25 on fabrics. Even the paints that I used for the Amano-esque patterns on the hat and arm were from my current stock. :D