Hades (from Hercules) Cosplay

The next local nerd convention is fast approaching and I'd been thinking of what my cosplay was going to be. Looking up the guidelines and noting the prizes this year gave me extra incentive as well!
Merida from Disney's Brave had been on my to-do list, but instead I decided to continue with my Disney villains stint and do Hades from Hercules.

Outfit

The question was, how did I want to make the dress? Hades wears a two-piece, with an under-shirt and toga over the top: not so flattering for a woman, generally.

I have my favourite dress pattern, so rather than stuff up something made from scratch I went with it again:

But there will be some adjustments. I like the sleeve detail from this Hades cosplay version:

And this version, where the neckline is very feminine.

And the front drape from this one:

My sketch ended up something like this:

I had some leftover grey silk for the single shoulder, and found some black cotton in the bottom of a box for the rest of the dress. I'm still trying not to buy new fabric, instead re-using what I have.

 Planning the diagonal look on the front. I pinned it wrong the first time, had to swap directions!

 The final dress would look something like this:

I debated painting the pattern onto the trim. 

But decided I would use the scraps of black that I had leftover instead. This dress was made entirely from leftovers - I didn't buy any new fabric! 

My husband said that the fabric lines gave it more visual presence, which is good. 

It was really starting to look like the real thing at this point!  

A size trial and I discovered that it needed to be taken in under the arm, but still pretty good!  

Accessories

I ducked out to Bec's Costume Box at lunch one day, my all-time favourite cosplay shopping spot, to have a look for my wig. Did I want stand-up hair like the male Hades? Or curls? I definitely didn't want straight hair. I settled on this:

Onto the jewellery - aren't I lucky to have a friend who works with clay! We sat down one afternoon and she produced beautiful earrings, and I produced my rough brooch, earrings and necklace.

Then I managed to paint them myself, and I'm happy enough with the results. The brooch, on the right below, is bigger than I expected! I need to put felt on the back and a big clip so that it will attach. Who says the lady of hell can't have some frills?

I was thinking black gladiator sandles for my feet, but my friend suggested heels for some imposing height. I found the perfect shoes in town, and they were on sale!

Next? Makeup! A bit of a trial for turning myself grey. Black lips, very simple eyes. Disney characters are pretty 2D!

I needed to be grey all over. To prevent overuse of paint, I bought some grey tights for my legs. My arms, neck and shoulders had to be done though.
Final dress, hair and accessories below!

Can't wait to get all dressed up on the day!

#lovelypennypatterns