Why Cosplay?
When I first decided to dress up as different FAH characters, I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to pull off one character, let alone a multitude that could be shared amongst the masses that would put a smile on peoples faces. I have never tried to “cosplay” before, unless you count Halloween, yet I thought after the year so far, why not try something new.
Since the Edinburgh Fringe was so sadly cancelled, alongside other live shows supposed to be on tour, I wanted to do something FAH related that could bring a smile to some fans' faces.
As for choosing characters and costumes, it was based on what I could find in the house. If I didn’t have something that could truly identify the character, I wasn’t going to attempt it. I did take some artistic liberties with each character however, changing them from their male counterparts and making them more feminine, or in some cases, the female equivalent.
Hair:
During lockdown we were graced with some of the most amazing Arms hair that we have ever seen, to the point it started a riot with the FAHns when post lockdown Arms decided to grace us with (still a crime by the way) a fresh trim. From here I believed it was a good choice to have a lockdown sketch as a starting point. When lockdown hit, I had just decided to grow my hair out which had caused it to become a mess, still in the middle stages of weird. This outcome was just a pure coincidence that I could look like Arms characterisation of Hair. I snuck the shirt and tie out of my dads wardrobe whilst he wasn’t home (sorry dad) and paired it with a skirt, not that you would be able to tell! I made it from the Perspective that the hair would be slightly better put together even though a little bit messy for a woman, as well a more “St.Trinians" style to the tie.
Kitchen:
I know I would always spend most of my time at parties in the Kitchen, as it is where most people will naturally go to get drinks and snacks. Trying to recreate Foils Kitchen character was relatively simple, as it involved very little prep and could be done with the most common items found in a home. That being said I was unable to find a blue topic even a blue themed apron around the house, so a black printed tee was the way to go. The apron I used was a little worn in places and quite creased as it has mostly become a Halloween staple for Little Red Riding Hood instead of for baking/cooking. Leggings were the simplest bottoms to add as the bottoms aren’t really seen in this particular sketch. I think the wooden spoon as an added prop brought a little bit of extra flare to Foil as Kitchen, therefore I had to use it.
Sunday:
Who doesn’t feel this way all day on a Sunday, even if there was no party to go to on Saturday? I know that for a lot of people, Sunday is a day off work or a day off from living for the weekend. Thus making myself look like Sunday was done as soon as I woke up from my nice warm duvet. I was tired, with a half asleep look behind the eyes, no makeup to cover the dark circles from a late night and no duvet cover due to making a bed. If you can see the depths of my soul through my eyes thanks to the camera flash waking me up, you know I would have much rather been asleep or with a cup of tea.
Old People (Martin):
I’m not going to lie and say this was an easy choice. I am not a tracksuit person and I hardly think any of us are going to end up in tracksuits (let alone the lads with their handsome fashion sense) so a creative Liberty was taken. I found a very old (around 10 years old of not more) stuff inside itself rain-Mack and zipped it up as far as I could. Add a pair of glasses and a with some harsh makeup frown and crease lines, you have my future. I did obviously make it more feminine with more hair because I had no 2 euro wig lying around and the fact that baldness is more common in old men… sorry lads. Also my photoshop skills are very non existent, so no grey hairs for me (could be all the hair dye my future self uses…)
January:
Every January you could hear me say the same thing after partying throughout the many social and work gatherings in December. Stating all my New Years resolutions due to the excessive chocolate and Mince Pies thrown in my mouth and promising not to do the same next year. We know that was a lie! January has the same style as Hair does, except messy clothes AND hair. Using the same exact outfit would be the best and simplest choice here. I loosened the tie, untucked the top, flipped up the collar and just looked peeved off. I hope I did some well deserved justice for January and kept to those silly resolutions… or not.
Chef Antonio (Hospital Chef):
This Character gave off some serious funny vibes when watching the video, as well as providing a good idea for a recreation. I unfortunately do not own a chef's jacket, but due to my educational choices, owned a lab coat that doubled up as one. Due to holidaying abroad when I was younger, I was luckily enough to own a red bandana, which must be at this point a good 15 years old. The chef’s hat was another story. I didn’t own anything that resembled it so I took my own initiative and drew one on some paper, leaving little side tabs which I could bobby pin into my hair and hide underneath a bottom layer. It worked really well and brought to life Chef Antonio’s vision, even if he wouldn’t like it himself. I added the wooden spoon as a prop, mainly because I didn’t know what to do with my hands in the end.
February:
February, a month of the year I definitely feel like the characterisation, apart from the days after. Valentines when all the chocolate goes half price! The blue turtleneck look suits Arms very well, fortunately enough I actually had a blue (and white striped) one laying around which was just meant to be. The tissue was some sort of face cloth that looked as if it worked and the glass was filled with squash so I didn’t seem like I’d been drinking from 10am when I photographed this. Though I suspect if I really wanted to become February, there would be non-stop drinking to numb the pain.
Bedroom:
Bedroom has always been the place to throw coats at parties, no matter if you have a coat closet or even hooks by your door. Though it depends who is throwing the party, to what bedroom the coats end up in. Bedroom was simple enough to complete with a bunch of coats and a duvet yet it had one challenge. The challenge made it so I looked slightly annoyed because I had done this alone, having chucked coats on within a ten second timer for a photo. It was crazy but it adds to the character.
March:
March has to be the time of year where everything finally changes. The weather warms up a little so you don’t feel you will freeze, but is also cold enough that you can still wear some comfy hoodies. In this very handsome Hog portrayal, it represented St Patrick’s Day. I had a green suit lying around which I decided to finally make use of, alongside a curly orange wig which was part of a clown costume. Wearing that around the house certainly was a sight to behold! I think I gave it a good shot and did Hog’s version some justice.
PC World:
When I say that the Lads had a good idea trying to make a shop human, I truly mean it. Foil definitely done PC World some justice, yet I had a very very long process trying to pull it off. Firstly I was doing this alone and secondly, I was using a wireless mouse. The mouse alone took a good 40 minutes to attach to my head using some string as well as clipping it to the inside of the mouse battery so it would stay. I have never found myself so frustrated with a mouse just for a piece of artistry. It worked so damn well however that I was impressed with myself. The keyboard was easier; it just involved tying some string to the stands so it stays looped around my neck. The headphones were quite lose so didn’t want to stay in place, yet kept themselves together for the photos. This alone has to be the most surprising and annoying cosplay I did.
Good Room:
A Good Room in the house is usually one of two things depending where you live. Firstly it is a separate room that is only used when you have guests and has a no food or drink policy before they arrive. Secondly it is the living room that you have to polish top to bottom so as your parents would say “proves we don’t live in a pig sty.” Good room was easy to do because it used February outfit with an extra jacket. Alongside this there was a set of glasses (thanks to my dad having several of his old pairs lying around) and a set of glasses (the too good to be used ones). Good Room has the poshest vibes with a Downtown Abbey feel.
Pantry:
I don’t think I have ever had a pantry, it sounds way too posh and definitely is in the same bracket as having a Good Room. Surely where you stick all the dinnerware is just in the kitchen cupboards? Pantry was simple and fancy enough to follow, though I am not sure I could have balanced the plate and bowl on one hand for much longer! Hog did a fantastic posh job of it, I just attempted to copy!
Dr Gorman:
I couldn’t have timed the release of this cosplay any better with today’s (27/08/2020) sketch and it totally works! I used the very same lab coat that I used with Chef Antonio, as well as gloves which 99% of the population owns in a worldwide pandemic. The stethoscope was a random one to already own, because I never studied anything that would really require it… I think it was mainly for giggling and listening to your own heart beat. The cosplay was successful and I really enjoyed it. I am sure I made it a lot more “explicit” than an online doctor should be, however I can blame Foil for that one… ;)
July:
We all wish we could go back to the previous summer when everything was perfect and partying well into the day on a beach, or on holiday was still acceptable. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case this year, however the weather was perfect for a good sunburn to take place. Looking into my dad's holiday clothes, I found this wonderful top which I just tied up a little, paired it with a skirt and added as much red and pink makeup to my face to mimic sunburn. It ended well, and a little Vaseline to provide a small amount of light reflection to the burn helped too.
Penis (Vulva):
This particular cosplay was one of the most fun moments I had whilst doing all these different characters because I got to act like an absolute idiot whilst taking them. Okay I chose to make it the female equivalent so instead of Penis, I went with Vulva, but the premise of the character is still there. I saw leather and denim in my wardrobe and went with it. I think I managed to get what the character represents on a whole for both men and women and I honestly would probably dress like this on a night out in the future. Well done to Hog for this fantastic role though!
