THE COSPLAY: Horror is my absolute favorite film genre. I loved what a refreshing take it was in the It series that characters and their personal traumas took center stage, all while being terrorized by a supernaturally evil clown in a small town. After It Chapter 2 was released in 2019, it became such a comfort movie for me and I needed to express my love for it in some way. When Kotobukiya released preview illustrations of their Bishoujo Horror Pennywise, a lightbulb in my head sparked on full blast that it nearly exploded. I knew I had to become that awful clown with all her costume components because they were targeted directly at me. It’s the ruffles, poof, and bow for me. A fun fact: Pennywise is my least favorite character from It, but I see Bishoujo Pennywise as a completely separate entity. He stinks like the sewer, while she smells like sweet cotton candy. Change my mind. 

I began working on this cosplay in May of 2020 shortly after the pandemic hit as a way to keep busy during lockdown. It wasn’t until the day of Halloween that year that I’d finished it just in time to wear for a few photos in my neighborhood. I started by looking at images of the original Pennywise costume from the films and hunting for the right shade of gray for the fabric, red trims, pom poms, and ruffles. 

Partway into my sewing process, I ran out of fabric, then found out that it had been discontinued. I was lucky enough to find a very similar fabric for the shorts several towns over later in the year and breathed the deepest sigh of relief when I was able to begin sewing again. Dip-dyeing the bow tails and peplum top in Rit Dye was also an incredibly anxious moment in this process that I left until the night before Halloween out of pure hesitation. 

To my surprise, the wig was actually a lot of fun to style! I ordered a Misty wig from The Five Wits Wigs (now discontinued) with 2 clip attachments, trimmed the base wig into a bob, then teased the clip attachments and styled them with Got2b Glued hairspray and a hair dryer. 

The body paint takes the longest time to apply every time and I’ve had a bit of difficulty with my gauze thigh-highs, but this cosplay has taught me so much: trust the process (but not the clown hiding in the sewer)!

BIO: My first exposure to cosplay came from AnimePlay magazine’s September 2003 dvd that featured a segment where various cosplayers were interviewed at a convention. My seven year old self was starry-eyed watching these interviews as cosplayers explained their creative processes of choosing their characters, stenciling intricate patterns onto fabric, and working strategically on collaborations with friends that lived across the country to come together for large cosplay groups. Although it would take many years later for me to officially begin cosplaying, I was now aware that the media I loved so much could be expressed in such a communal way at conventions by showing off my love and craftsmanship for a series. 

After attending my first FanimeCon in the sixth grade and every con onwards, I’ve gotten to experience all that I’d seen in those dvd interviews! My grandmother taught me how to alter patterns and sew, which opened up to so many possibilities of the types of costumes I could take on. I especially love to sew poof, ruffles, and bows, but lately have been having a wonderful time putting my own unique and creative spin on canon designs by adding accessories and props to bought cosplay pieces as well. The cosplay community, particularly the friendly crowd at Fanime, has been such an enjoyable part of this journey. I’ve made so many lifelong friends through cosplaying who are just as excited as I am to share what they love. I’m so glad to be returning to Fanime 2022!

COSPLAY AND WORDS BY @SUGARCOATEDDAME
PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN BY BRIAN NISHIMOTO