July 2019 Costume Writeup: Judith - Sultry Tempest

What they're from Tales of Vesperia (Video Game)
Variation "Sultry Tempest" (sic) title from "seduce the guard" scene
Created February/March 2019
Debuted Aselia Con 2019
Also worn Fanime 2019
Groups Celine Jules as Karol and Tomoyo Ichijouji as Estelle.
Wig Arda Wig Ferrari in Electric Purple (CL-024) with wefts in Electric Purple and one in Ice Purple. They no longer make almost anything this color at Arda but I feel like it really works for my Judith!
Special Makeup Elf ears by Aradani, with blending makeup from Mehron. If you're going to wear elf ears of any kind and want a natural look, I highly, highly recommend blending them with (at least) water-activated makeup (NOT grease or cream!) so they match your skin tone and have depth. Literally nobody's elf ears look natural if they just pop them on right out of the box due to the material they're made of. Take your time and blend, blend, blend if you want to have a set that matches your unique skin.
Patterns For the cape, I used the Circle Skirt Calculator combined with this pattern. For the shorts, I did a loose trace of an existing pair of athletic shorts and modified it until it was... shorter. I, genius, despite knowing corsets are difficult, decided to Wing It for this one, so I started from scratch with scraps.

What went wrong:
For some reason, even though the right side of the corset fits perfectly without bruising, the left side dug into me the second time I wore it. Perhaps it was because of a body change, but regardless, something is going to have to change in order for me to wear it for more than a few hours again. Another thing that went massively, massively wrong: I had intended for there to be a wire armature for the "bunny ear" headdress so it would float away from my body. Long story short: it wouldn't work without sagging, poking me, or getting crushed, especially in transit. I created a separate headband with scarf-like ears that just hang down instead. I don't love the solution, but unless and until I find a better one, that'll have to do.

What went right:
Hear me out: Pink fleece? Was an EXCELLENT choice. Kept me warm in the cold and didn't make me sweat badly in the heat (with tights underneath).

What I'd do differently:
Firstly: I need a new Judith wig. I've had that one since 2014 and it's been through some waterpark hell, plus it was crafted out of a wig with a style that was not meant for updo. The problem is mostly related to finding a shade of purple that looks right with my skin tone. I think I'm going to pick up one in Grape and see how that goes, presuming any Yuri's hair would be more along the Dark Purple lines!

I'd also have taken more time to draft and execute the corset. If you know my sewing, you know I have difficulty lining up patterns even if I'm extremely vigilant in marking and cutting. I wish I'd slowed down and planned that process better.

Would I wear it again?

Duh! Although, something that comes with this costume is the fact that even with the other two in the set, Judith's is the most forgettable? It just looks like any other sexy bunny, to me and probably to photographers. I'd really love to make Judith's default so there's no... unfortunate confusion from GWCs.

Why I chose this character

I would die for Judith Vesperia, end quote.

Any other anecdotes?:

Almost everyone chooses Karol to complete the quest in the game, but I think we all need to be a little more conscious of the "ha, ha, look, it's funny because Karol, who identifies as a boy, is dressed like a girl and has a girl's name!" jokes in ADDITION to the fact that the task is to "seduce the guard," and Karol is extremely underage. Luckily, Karol's path is about the man helping him find his "lost" pet and crying like a child and his outfit isn't sexualized, but they could have been way more explicit about the differences between each character's approach. I don't laugh when people talk about the event. It's not a new joke, and it's not particularly funny to me in 2019. The REAL joke, I believe, is Judith trolling everyone by saying she thinks that this outfit, which IS ridiculous, is, and I quote, "very lovely."

Photos by me.

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