Just realised, I never shared this one here. I do prefer the nude photos to the lingerie ones, but these aren’t bad, it’s just not my usual style, I normally wear men’s underwear.
Lingerie Shoot by Scot King
Author: Courtney Coulson
Artist, costumer, podcaster.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater- The Boss
This was a fun project, I didn’t make this costume from scratch, I altered one I ordered from a Chinese cosplay website. I replaced the vinyl fabric buckles with metal ones, replaced the vinyl straps with webbing, and made the knife holder out of leather. All touches to give this costume authenticity. I wore it for the first time to a convention today, it’s sweaty and there isn’t much flexibility, but overall I think this costume was decent. Not many people recognised the character, most thought I was Black Widow.
Photos by Steam Kittens
Cosplay Couture The Bandit
From the archives, November 2013:
Cosplay Couture interpretation of the Bandit from The Fall
Costume (mask, cape, butterflies) and styling by Courtney Coulson
Photography by Luke Milton
Location Karrakatta Cemetery
Courtney and I recently watched The Fall together and we’ve both fallen crazily in love with this film. The Bandit has a relatively simple costume but I was determined to find a setting that did the character (and film) justice – not an easy task considering the exotic locales that feature prominently in a film where every single shot is a work of art.
We actually had two attempts at this over the course of two days. Our first idea was to use the “blood” soaked sheet as backdrop but the wind proved to make this a near impossible task. Losing light we ended up shelter in the carport where I was surprised to capture some unexpectedly quirky and colourful shots. It was the second day that we went out on location and ended up shunning perfectly manicured gardens to hunt out pieces of exotic architecture. All of these were small details and corners of buildings that were otherwise completely unsuitable but the bleached surfaces carry the illusion well. If these images intrigue you and you haven’t seen Tarsem’s The Fall then I urge you to do so!
And I got to keep the mask.
– Luke Milton
I’ve long been fascinated by Tarsem’s work since I saw the Cell years ago, he has an incredible visual style that defies comparison, he often worked with the late great Eiko Ishioka, whom I consider to be one of the greatest costume designers of all time. She worked on all of Tarsem’s films, including the Fall where her costumes were integral in establishing sympathetic characters who have very little dialogue and creating a fantasy world that was truly fantastic.
I just so happened to have many pieces in my wardrobe that resembled the Bandit, but masks are always such a challenge, because if you’re just a millimetre off in any way it changes the entire look. I made three before I got it right. I used corduroy to imitate the texture and I put boning in the “nose” piece to give it shape.
What I love about all the costumes in this film is that each of the characters have such a distinct and dramatic silhouette. The Bandit is very fitted and narrow on the torso, but from the waistdown he has samurai pants and then on his head he has a mask and a wide brim hat. More than any of my other costumes I felt this one could change so much depending on the combination of accessories and what stance I assumed.
-Courtney Coulson
Metal Gear Triptych II: The Wounds Let the Light In
The Brain Comforts Itself (A trilogy of dreams)
After several traumatic incidents leaving me severely injured and profoundly alone, my subconscious provided me a place in which I could retreat. This place was not devoid of pain or danger. No, each time I visited I was made to overcome a challenge, face some aspect of my real pain, the difference from reality being that I had someone stronger and wiser than I was to walk with me. This phenomenon has been known by shamans all over the world perhaps before the written word itself. The ancients speak of spirit guides and tulpas, beings that visit our minds to provide us with unique guidance.
This is an ability I’ve had my whole life, but I dismissed my fantasy worlds as childish or shameful. After my near-death experience followed by the most intense dreams of my life, I decided I didn’t want to keep these things locked away in my mind anymore, they don’t deserve to die with me.
These characters might belong to a video game, but I don’t think that matters, these are the forms my subconscious assumed because these are figures who represent meaningful qualities to me. Snake, Miller, Ocelot, each in their turn taught me something important on my journey to recovery.
This project took me down all sorts of surprising avenues of research, from the self-insert fantasies of Dante Aligheiri to the dissection of the subconscious by Jung. Our private relationship with our fantasies or even the fiction of others is significant, this triptych demonstrates the providence my own mind offered me as protection from my pain.
The Dream:
The dreams I had featuring Kazuhira as I recovered seemed to mostly focus on pain and our relationship with it. I struggled often with the urge to harm myself, perhaps as a means of feeling control over my other pains. This is the wisdom Miller imparted onto me after a particularly exhausting day of battling those urges.
Part 1:
Cosplay Couture Kazuhira Miller
Photography by Vespa Photography
Despite Miller’s limited wardrobe and static body language, I find him endlessly inspiring. The challenge of portraying him through cosplay, and reenvisioning him through fashion is all about subtlety and the little details. I kept the silhouette functionally the same, but draping the trenchcoat like a cape to entirely obscure his missing arm added a touch of theatre. Essentially I built everything around the velvet double breasted blazer, it read to me as the formal fashion equivalent of his military uniform.
Most of this costume was assembled, the most work I did was cut the wig myself. I’m surprised what I could get out of a $15 eBay wig, it’s a half-wig too, it needed to be thin enough to fit under the beret. The downside is I could only cut it so short, but I think this length works for what I’m going for.
Cosplay Couture Henry V
From the archives, October 2013:
Cosplay Couture interpretation of Prince Hal from the Hollow Crown
Costume and styling by Courtney Coulson (jacket, t-shirt and cape)
Photography by Luke Milton Photography
Sword by Jack Barbour
Shot in King’s Park
I absolutley love Tom Hiddleston’s performance as Prince Hal/Henry V, I thought his costume was cool too, but completely inaccurate for something supposed to be set in the medieval ages. That said, the clothing of that era is not very appealing so I can understand why they didn’t want to go that direction. Then I remembered that these plays were originally performed in “modern” clothing, so I looked at 16th century costume and decided it made more sense for Hal and I wouldn’t have to deviate too much from the costume in the series.
Just as with all Cosplay Couture, this was about representing not just Hal in terms of appearance but also examining his character, personality and history.
It took me a while of researching before I decide on a punk/glam rock approach.
As a prince he was a scapegrace, reckless and rebellious but as a king he was said to be the epitome of a leader, a particularly defining quote is this one: “Depending on his mood, his eyes flashed from the mildness of a dove’s to the brilliance of a lion’s”
I had a lot to work with, the plays cover a great deal of his life plus he was based on a real person. This was definitely an interesting and complex man and I wanted to represent that duality of who he was as a prince and who he became as a king.
The t-shirt, which I made, then painted and burned has the Lancaster house symbol as well as a bit of bloodspatter representing the Battle of Agincourt. The glove in the belt is a nod to the one he swapped with a soldier in the camp whilst he was in disguise. The jacket came together in a really short time, I worked on it for about two days non-stop. It was based on a doublet but I added modern features like the buttons and the zippers and the printed lining to update it.
The scalemail scarf and the bracers I had in my collection for ages but I like how they walk that line between armour and fashion.
I didn’t have to do much with my hair as I did deliberatley cut it to look like his and my hair is red anyway. The make-up was fun, taken right from the 80’s with the bright clashing colours, to get the lipstick to match the jacket I mixed a red with a black.
In terms of physicality, I again had a contrast of playing regal and a rockstar so I had freedom to get serious or playful.
-Courtney Coulson
I have not yet sat through the source material, but was very much sold by the rock slant of Courtney’s re-design and the possibilities of that incredible jacket.
I am rapidly discovering that, location-wise, the most important thing seems to be finding somewhere with a palette that compliments the character. Even in a place as large and lush as (the aptly named) King’s Park we quickly discovered that not all trees and bushes were created equal, and we really had to hunt for those special spots with particular colours and textures, and shelter from the sun. But my favourite place was probably the sculptural metal wall – not something that immediately springs to mind for Hal, but strangely appropriate when paired with the clothes.
And, no! She’s not Joffrey!
– Luke Milton
Lady Loki
Here’s one from the archives, my first photoshoot ever:
Character: Lady Loki (Marvel)
Costume and makeup: by me
Photographer: Jaqueline Auty
Date: 05/05/2012
This one makes me reflect on my costume history. Technically, I have been sewing since I was taught how to in primary school when I was seven years old (we were making felt picture squares for Christmas, mine was a reindeer), after that point I would make my own plush toys by hand, or use those skills to repair holes or attach buttons to my own clothing. I took home economics in high school, where I ambitiously tried to make a silver trenchcoat (look, I was going through my Matrix phase), the results weren’t too bad, wish I still had photos of it.
I then studied fashion design at TAFE in 2009 and that’s when I began cosplaying. I had seen cosplayers at international conventions and thought they were so cool, but Perth didn’t even get a comic convention until 2008, so I never had the opportunity to cosplay myself, nor see other people doing it in person. Our costumes were all rough as hell at that first Supanova, most of us just lazily slapped on some Joker make-up, myself included. It was more akin to what you would expect from a Halloween party, or maybe a Star Trek convention from the 70’s. A part of me actually loves that DIY, improvised look before cosplay became so serious and competitive. I think that spirit is the one I continue on with Cosplay Couture, accuracy doesn’t excite me, assembling an outfit from found items or customising the costume to suit you as an individual, that’s what I love. Thankfully Marvel canonically did that for me.
This shoot was taken around the time the first Avengers movie was released, so the Marvel hype was at an all-time high, and we all loved Loki. I didn’t have to dress up as the male Loki, there was already a female one in the comics and I really liked her design. I assembled this costume while studying costume design at WAAPA, during the long hours sitting around backstage during rehearsals, I would make the chainmail bodice, the first and only time I’ve worked with chainmail, it was difficult, but the results were great. Back then I had dreams of being a professional cosplayer, so I would spend countless hours trying to make elaborate costumes from scratch, I learned a lot of new techniques through trial and error. I made that helmet out of real leather (apparently money was no object?) I created the pattern and everything by myself. The sceptre was the only thing I had help with, I’m still no good with props.
I’m proud of the work I did, that was quite an impressive costume, maybe one of my best. I’m surprised how natural I was in front of the camera considering I had never done any modelling before that. I am accompanied by Ben Gates as Thor and Alex Suriano as Cardboard Iron Man. I don’t see these guys much anymore, but we were part of such a tight friend group back at uni. Life sure changes a lot once you get into your 30’s, huh? Oh no, I can hear the Stand By Me theme somewhere in the distance, I’ll wrap this up.
Here’s a fun discovery, my old tutorial from my now deleted DeviantART account still floats around online:
Cosplay Couture Lone Ranger and Tonto
From the archives, October 2013, the following descriptions were taken from the three individual posts respectively, but are now collected as one. I still love these photos a lot, this was our most controversial shoot, but that was the point, exploring commodification and appropriation within the worlds of Hollywood and fashion, it should make you feel something. I guess these photos only gathered more controversy given the current state of Armie Hammer and Johnny Depps’ lives in the decade since this film was made:
A Cosplay Couture interpretation of the Lone Ranger
Costume (mask) and styling by Courtney Coulson
Photography by Luke Milton in collaboration with Sabatomic Photography
A life-long love of Westerns meant I was excited to see the Lone Ranger return to the big screen, was it a good movie? Not really, at least not in the conventional sense, but I had fun and it got me excited to explore this new John Reid and Tonto in a fashion context.
Westerns also influence the way I dress, so everything, apart from the hat and the holster, came from my own wardrobe. My hair isn’t too disimilar in terms of cut to John’s, so that was easy, make-up is a heavy smokey eye with everything else minimal, lots of bronzes and gold as they seem to work best in this environment.
-Courtney Coulson
I haven’t seen the film, but I couldn’t resist the chance to shoot a cowboy in a desert and I think Courtney sells the masculinity very well with her body language. (Although I love the contrast of her eyes which are still quite feminine through the mask. Love the makeup on those!). These were shot early afternoon and have a far brighter, overexposed feel than the Tonto shots which are more ethereal. This was more about a desert that was hot and bleak, although I do like how some of them have that fake campiness of an old western film.
– Luke Milton
LONE RANGER AND TONTO
I am certainly no model, and definitely do not have the heroic, manly shape of Armie Hammer. But, just as this Adventure Weekend, cemented our team and the commitment to our work together, it felt very important to me to somehow be a part of it and have that indelible image to remind me of this time. It was a real thrill to be photographed alongside someone that I have photographed so much before. There’s nothing couture about what I’m doing, but try to think of me as the stunning Tonto’s awkward accessory.
I love what Sabatomic has done with these, and the use of the flash gives such a surreal, fake feel to the images, like we’re standing on a set, or against a matte painting. Huge thanks to Sab for her generosity with her time, knowledge and talent, and to Courtney for being patient and helping me pose.
– Luke Milton
A Cosplay Couture interpretation of the Tonto from the Lone Ranger
Costume (pants, wrap belt,beaded choker and crow) and styling by Courtney Coulson
Photography by Luke Milton in collaboration with Sabatomic Photography
Shot at the Pinnacles in Cervantes
A life-long love of Westerns meant I was excited to see the Lone Ranger return to the big screen, was it a good movie? Not really, at least not in the conventional sense, but I had fun and it got me excited to explore this new John Reid and Tonto in a fashion context.
Despite the controversy surrounding the film’s costume, I think it is a really impressive design and I had the most fun reinterpreting it into fashion and wearing it.
The crow head dress was inspired by the millinery of Philip Treacy, it was made from a pair of costume angel wings and a real magpie skull. The pants are brown panama with black vinyl fringing. The necklace was the most challenging part, it took four attempts to get it right, it’s made of suade leather, plastic retic tubes, glass and wooden beads. The wrap belt was also made of suade, I had fun creating that pleated shape. Everything else came from my wardrobe.
Make-up is pretty much the same as Tonto’s although I was less literal with the cracks as you can see all the drawn on “cracks” around the neck and temples. I also added lipstick to give a more feminine touch.
Tonto was the usual cookey Johnny Depp character, but at the same time he could have a seriousness or intensity about him, I decided I would personify that side of him the most.
-Courtney Coulson
I think that cosplay, by nature, is appropriation. And the internet is a wonderful hive mind that excels in getting offended for everybody else. I haven’t seen the film and I have no interest in the off-the-rack Halloween costumes that have everybody riled up. I think context and intent are incredibly important, and our intent was to make something beautiful and surreal in an environment that matched that challenge.
I love Courtney’s stunning interpretation of this much maligned character and I’m incredibly proud of what we shot.
– Luke Milton
Travian Designs 