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DENNIS: Do you spend a lot on your costumes?
LILY: Yes. Cosplay is an expensive hobby, and more often than not, quality is worth the cost. Even if I can find good materials at a low price, the costs add up in the end.
KIE: Yes. We try our hardest to make high quality costumes, so we want only high quality materials for the job. If the right materials happen to cost a lot, so be it. Cosplay is our hobby, and we love it, so we choose to spend money on that instead of other things. We still try to keep costs as low as possible, though, and the bargains in the LA Fashion District certainly help.

Photo: The Neko Twins, Kie & Lily Gruenke. (Photo by Lionel Lum)

DENNIS: Do you feel stressed out when a con nears, that you have to finish a costume or a numerous amount of costumes quickly?  KIE: No, if you allow yourself to feel stressed, you will not do as good a job on your costumes. Just keep at it, I tell myself. Also, do not be afraid to admit that you've taken on too much. We've put several projects on hold in the past, and even had to change a few masquerade plans last minute. LILY: I'm almost always stressed out about finishing costumes. But certainly I'm more stressed out right before a con when our major costumes still aren't finished. Planning a costume can be difficult. We have a lot of old costumes that we can always wear again if some new costumes aren't finished in time. But sometimes we decide to make costumes for certain events or groups that we just don't want to back out of last minute. There's always the option of fixing up the costume afterwards if it doesn't turn out perfect. Of course, we want all our costumes to be perfect, but sometimes it just can't be helped. Usually we manage to finish our more important cosplay projects in time, but for one recent masquerade, we and one other group member had to leave pieces off our costumes and just wear them unfinished but presentable.

We found that in the end it didn't matter at all because we had so much fun cosplaying together that it no longer mattered that our costumes weren't perfect. *lol* We refuse to wear those costumes again until they're finished, though!

DENNIS: Are both of you the type of cosplayers that travel around the country going to different cons? If so, how do you manage (afford) to travel to all these cons?
LILY: No, we don't travel much. It is very expensive to travel around the US to various conventions, and it's not always worth the cost. I'm glad I had the chance to go to Otakon in 2000, but at the same time, I don't think the experience was worth the cost. It was especially expensive because it was a last-minute plan. For those who want to travel to many conventions, planning ahead is important if you want to be economical. It's hard to find deals on hotel rooms or plane tickets last-minute. We also went to Sakura Con in 2000, but that one wasn't as expensive for us because it was still on the West Coast. We wanted to go to Comiket in Japan this past year, but we found that fitting such large trips into our schedule was even more difficult than managing the costs of the trip.
KIE: We wish. We cannot afford to take time off during the school year to go to an out-of-state con, and during the summer there are already so many cons, we couldn't possibly fit in any more. We did go to a few out-of-state cons in 2000, and it was an interesting experience. Hopefully someday we'll find the time to go again.

DENNIS: How does your family feel about you cosplaying? Do your co-workers or (non-cosplaying) friends know about your hobby? Are they supportive?
KIE: Our mom helps us with costumes and sometimes gets just as excited over it as we do. Our dad finds it interesting, but does not get involved. Our school friends think it's cool, and are impressed by some of our costumes. Other than that, we try to keep things low-key. There are too many people out there who do not understand costuming, so it is not wise to be telling everyone about it.
LILY: My parents are pretty supportive, especially my mom who actually works on our costumes with us. My dad has helped me with some props as well. Of course, my dad thinks it's a silly hobby, which I guess it really is, but that doesn't mean he isn't supportive. They go with us to conventions, too, which is really cool because it gives me a sense that it's a vacation and not just me running off to do something crazy. I don't usually talk about my cosplay to non-cosplay friends unless I think they'd be interested in the subject. I don't feel obligated to tell everyone I know what all my hobbies are, and really, I think some of them could care less. Most of my friends are gamers, anime-style artists, and/or anime fans, so naturally they're supportive of my cosplaying, even if some of them do think it's a bit odd.

DENNIS:  When you make your costumes, do you make your own costumes or do you have them created by a professional?
LILY: We make our costumes with our mom. We have also done a few simple costumes by ourselves or with the help of another cosplay friend. Working on costumes with other people can be really inspiring and helpful, as well as fun. Our mom does most of the sewing now, but my sister is starting to sew more. Making a costume involves a lot more than just sewing, though, and my sister and I do most of that work ourselves. I would love to be able to make an elaborate costume all by myself, or with minimal help from my mom or sister, but right now that isn't a practical choice for me. Plus, I like working with my mom and sister on these projects.
KIE: Our mom and we make all of our costumes. Our mom does the majority of the sewing, but she does not like us saying this because she says it makes it sound like my sister and I don't do anything. Any good costume-maker knows that there is a lot more to costuming than just sewing, however (costume design, pattern-making, accents, painting, accessories, props, wigs, makeup, etc.). I am starting to sew more, but our mom would rather we spent our time studying than learning to sew.
LILY: Some people have asked me what I would do now if I had to work on costumes all by myself… well, I would just stop cosplaying for a while since I don't have enough experience yet to continue on my own without having to learn anything more. Art and sewing don't have a lot to do with my studies at school, and I can't really afford to devote a lot of time to learning to sew in addition to working on costumes as a hobby. Perhaps when I am finished with my studies, I can start learning more arts and crafts, but for now I need to focus more on my academic learning. I'm really lucky that I have such a wonderful mom who helps and supports me in this hobby and makes it possible for me to enjoy cosplay right now.

DENNIS: If you do create the costumes on your own, do you use an expensive sewing machine or a basic sewing machine? KIE: Once again, better equipment will make your job easier, and often this means you will be paying a little more. Our mom has top-of-the-line machines, and they have served us well. Her sewing machine is getting a bit too outdated (it's quite old), but it still works well, and handles unusual fabrics with no problem. LILY: Our machines, a sewing machine and serger, were probably expensive because they are top of the line models. For those looking into getting a new machine, I would recommend a high quality machine from a reputable company. It may be expensive, but the quality is worth it. You don't necessarily need one with many fancy functions and extras. For those tight on money, a basic sewing machine may serve your purpose, but you should still invest in the basic models from reputable companies, even if they cost a little more than their competition. I would give the same advice for any other tools or materials needed to make costumes. Higher quality products will make your work much easier. Learning to sew can be much more difficult if your machine doesn't work properly or can't handle unique materials well.

Neko Twins cosplaying as Eriya and Naria from the anime "Escaflowne: The Movie"

DENNIS: When you create a costume, do you try to make it look as authentic as possible? Do you add your own creativity to it?
LILY: Interpreting a character design and constructing the costume as you see it require many elements of creativity in themselves. I try to make my costumes accurate and authentic. If I had wanted a costume that expressed my own character designing creativity, I would have created my own original character rather than adding on to another person's designs. Sometimes character designs are unclear or inconsistent. In such cases I do take creative liberty in coming up with a costume design, but I like to try to keep the costume design in the same style as the character design so that the costume will seem accurate and authentic even if it is not. However, if I am somewhat impartial to the character whose costume I am working on I may not care so much whether my costume is completely accurate. This may happen when I decided to do a simple costume to join a friend's group.
KIE: Sometimes trying to make something look authentic takes creativity in itself. I cosplay characters because I love them, and want to look just like them, so I try to stick as close as possible to the drawings. Sometimes it's hard to translate pictures into real life, but that is part of the fun. It's great to see a costume that really captures the essence of the character, down to the last detail.

DENNIS: How many costumes do you own or have created?
KIE: A little more than twenty. Not too many, we like to take our time.
LILY: I myself have 25-30 costumes. If you count the total costumes for me, Kie's and Kiyoshi's, that's at least 50 costumes.

DENNIS:  Giving one example of your favorite costume, can you tell us a history on the making of the costume. How much? The challenges? Where to buy? Material? And all that cool stuff.
LILY: One of our well-known recent groups was our Zelda: Ocarina of Time group which Kimmie and I did with our good friend and cosplay brother Kiyoshi (also known as Ohmi). The costume construction took a long time and the group's debut was put off several times. Kimmie, Kiyoshi, my mom, and I all worked together to make the costumes for this group. My dad also helped a bit with some props. My own costume of Saria was rather simple and was completed and worn earlier than the other two. Because Saria was so simple, I decided to help with the construction of Link's props. I could talk on and on about this set of costumes, but I'll just focus on the general construction of Saria and of Link's props.

PHOTO: Lily, Kiyoshi and Kie cosplaying as "Zelda: Ocarina of Time" performed at the Anime Expo 2001 Masquerade.

KIE: We're huge fans of the Legend of Zelda series, and we put a lot of work into our Ocarina of Time group. It was actually our friend Kiyoshi's idea. He really wanted to be Link, and then Lily thought it would be so cute to do Saria. But what about me? We joked that I could be Zelda… yeah right, I thought. I look nothing like Zelda, there's no way I could pull that one off. She's blonde! It's so not me! But I started considering it more, and I really do love Zelda. The character design is really pretty, and Zelda is just such a cool character in Ocarina of Time. The best part though: I would get to be a princess! A magical princess with a big poofy dress and gold armor. I just couldn't resist. LILY: I can't really estimate how much this project cost us because it was such a long term project. We got matching green fabric for Link and Saria's Kokiri tunics and matching iridescent fabric for the wings of their faeries. The bodies of the faeries were made of painted plastic balls, and we put a simple battery and light circuit in the balls to light up the faeries. My dad helped us make three sets of elf ears out of latex for Link, Zelda, and Saria. We wanted everything in the group to match well, so we made many things together and out of the same materials and patterns.

KIE: We spent a year working on these costumes. We didn't plan it that way, but we kept having to push our group back to a later date, because we didn't want to rush it. I think the hardest part about the Zelda costume was finding reference pictures. I just could not find any clear pictures of the costume. I ended up having to tape the ending sequence of the game, and pause the tape to get the details. Even so, it was hard to see some parts, and I had to make some stuff up. Now that there are better references of Zelda out there, I plan to redo those parts. As for materials. Gosh, there was a lot involved in this costume. The dress was the simplest; we used a high-grade bridal satin, which is especially nice because it doesn't wrinkle. I used paper clay for the tiara and belt, and thermoplastic for the armor. The ears were made from latex and stuck on a headband. And of course, there is the lovely blonde wig, and light makeup so the light hair doesn't look so strange on me.
LILY: For the ears, we made clay versions of each ear and took a mold of each so that we could produce many latex ears. We put the ears on headbands which we wore under our wigs. Saria's wig required only last-minute fluffing of the bangs, but Link's wig started as a wavy, shoulder-length wig. My sister and I cut and styled the wig on Kiyoshi so that it would look more like Link's hair. To finish up Saria, I got a headband and a belt and painted them green with textile paint. My mom got some green yarn and knitted a sweater and matching boot-covers for the costume. Most of the materials for this costume can be found in fabric stores, craft stores, or hardware stores. Kiyoshi did much of the work on the sword himself, but I helped put the finishing touches on it because he didn't have much free time right before the convention. The sword is made mainly out of foam core and illustration board. The hilt is mainly PVC piping and lathed wood. The scabbard I made mostly out of foamcore; however, since I made the scabbard before Kiyoshi finished the sword, and I didn't have the blueprints of the sword with me, I accidentally made the scabbard the size of the blade. In the future, we plan to redo the scabbard in a larger size and stronger material so that it can actually carry the sword.

KIE: I also had a clay ocarina, and learned to play Zelda's Lullaby on it. I think the costume turned out well, and it was so much fun to finally wear it. There is still a lot I want to fix and redo on it though. LILY: I made Link's shield and bombchu (a mouse-shaped cover on a remote-controlled car) using the same general method. I made a shape out of wire mesh, put cloth mache over it, and then smoothed it out with plaster. My dad also put a layer of fiberglass on the bombchu because I was worried about people running the bombchu into a wall. The mask of the bombchu was made from illustration board, foam, and other such basic craft supplies. The shield also had sheet foam around the edges of the face to give the border some texture. The shield is made mainly of paper, and the hard surface of the face is mainly plaster, so it's not very strong. In fact, a chair fell on the shield one day and broke a hole in the face. I patched that up with model magic because it's light and reworked the face. I put one leather strap on the shield, but that didn't balance the shield well so my dad put a metal handle on it as well.

PHOTO: Baby Neko Twins cosplay as SquareSoft "Final Fantasy VII" characters Tifa and Aeris. Photo by Albert Ng.

When the shield was almost done, Kiyoshi painted the red bird on the face himself. The bombchu took almost two weeks to make, and the shield took three to four weeks. Its construction began simultaneously with the bombchu's. I also made some other prop items out of materials I found around the house, but those are pretty insignificant.

DENNIS: Are you a perfectionist when it comes to your costume? How thorough do you research the character for the costume and the costume itself before creating it?
KIE: Yes. I grab every picture I can from every angle, in every pose, just to make sure my costume looks right from all sides. I keep working at it until I am satisfied and I still plan to fix a lot of the old ones too! (laughing) I spend a lot of time researching, and I'll take anything I can get. If I decide to cosplay a character, this usually means I already know a lot about the character's background, so research is often just studying the details of the outfit, and trying to find similar outfits in real life that may give me a hint on how to make mine.
LILY: I am a perfectionist when it comes to my costumes. I research the character very thoroughly for the costume and for the history, personality, and poses if I don't know or remember the character very well. I try to find clear pictures of every part of the costume and from many angles. When I finally have a good idea of what the costume looks like, I draw pictures of the character in color, front and back and whatever additional pictures I need to show every part of the costume. I also print out pictures or gather whatever official references I have so that I can match materials and color for the fabric. If the character has a costume based off of a historical period or a specific uniform, I like to do more research on the costume type to get a better idea of what the costume might look like in real life.

DENNIS: Do you feel competitive when it comes to cosplaying? Do you compete? Do you want a costume to look the best in the crowd or do you just cosplay for the fun of it and don't care what people think?
LILY: I don't feel competitive, but I do compete. After all the work I put into trying to make a beautiful costume, I figure I might as well just enter. It can never hurt. More importantly, I focus on the fun I have entering a competition and performing in costume, especially when I can do it with friends. I've entered masquerades just to perform skits with my friends and not to show off one of my costumes. Joining in such an event can be a lot of fun in itself, and it doesn't matter if you know you can't win. It's also interesting to be backstage for masquerades and see other cosplayers up close and talk to them. Of course, it's a special treat if I do happen to win something, and it's not something to take for granted, but I certainly don't make it my goal in entering a competition.

PHOTO: Kie cosplaying as Pochi and Lily cosplaying as Nana from "Animal Magnetism".

KIE: I care only to make my costume the best I possibly can. I focus on trying to create an accurate representation of a character, not on how people will view my costume in public. Of course, it is always nice when people like it. I would not want people to think my costume is ugly. I would want to look good but I would also want the people around me to look good! I do compete, because it is fun. It is fun to perform on stage, and it is fun to see how the project you put so much effort into is received in competition. All in good fun though, it's not something I worry about. LILY: I don't care if I don't look the best in the crowd; however, I do want to look very good in the crowd. I cosplay for the fun of it, but I still care what people think. I certainly don't want people to be displeased with or offended by my cosplay. I would indeed be very pleased if my costume did look the best in the crowd, but thinking realistically, there are plenty of cosplayers in the crowd who will look just as good or even better than me.

DENNIS: When you are done cosplaying, what do you do with your costumes? Do you continue to wear them or are they retired and packed away in your closet?
KIE: They are neatly packed away, ready for next time I want to wear them. I try to get as much use out of my costumes as possible - after all, these are our precious creations, which my family and I worked so hard on, and characters I love. If I could, I would continue wearing them forever.
LILY: All of my costumes go into a closet or a set of organized boxes and are pretty much ready to pull out to wear whenever I want. I don't believe in retiring my costumes. There's always a chance I might want to wear them again sometime. When I first wear a costume, I plan to rewear it many times before I set it aside. When I set aside costumes that I don't plan on wearing for a while, I still keep the costumes complete and ready to wear. When an event comes up and I don't have enough time to put together another costume, I can just look at the ones I already have for one that is appropriate for the event. I'm proud of my costumes and I want to always keep them, even if I don't end up wearing them again.

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