Armor, being present throughout history because us humans just can’t stop trying to kill each other, is pretty much universally recognisable even in its more irregular forms.
World history can provide a wealth of inspiration to budding cosplayers looking to portray their favourite characters.
Whatever look you might be trying to recreate, it is probably based on something from our rich and colourful anthropological past. A quick search online can expose much about both ancient and more recent warriors that perhaps you can apply to your chosen costume in the form of materials, methods or raw authentic styles.
As an example of what I’m talking about, here is one of Ezio’s more complex outfits, the Da Vinci mechanical armor from Assassin’s Creed II.
His plain robes still closely resemble those of Altaïr’s which are linked to colours and fabrics of the medieval crusader’s uniform from about the year 1189. But laid over the top of these is the intricate protective covering showcasing the game designers’ pretty rough knowledge of the Italian artist and inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519).
The James Bond-esque gadgets (1953 – present) hidden within the suit are representative of assassins’ covert, sneaky methods throughout the ages and are a nod to the mechanical discoveries of the renaissance period.
It was also a good way of bringing some more modern elements to an otherwise traditional, poofy-sleeved and knee-booted get up which younger fans of the game may not be entirely familiar with.
Taking a step back from the small details of this outfit, the overall shape of the ensemble is reminiscent of protective wear from another continent all together.
The long hanging fabric skirts, capes and sashes, the distinctive and overlapping armored plates can all be compared to Eastern styles worn by warriors of China and Mongolia from the around the 13th century and onwards.
So as you can plainly see, this particular character and his clothing are comprised of numerous different elements spanning both historical time frames and global locations.
It’s always valuable to research further into the origins of your costume for a firm grasp of what it should look and feel like; especially if your aim is authenticity or you simply want to take it in a specific direction or theme.
And of course, it’s always good to educate yourself a little in general, knowledge is power.
When recreating any kind of look from history, you will probably have to sacrifice realism to some degree, for the sake of modern resources and practicality.
European chainmail or metal plates similar to that from ancient Roman and Grecian eras can be pretty tough to make. (Unless you’re a blacksmith, in which case; good for you, you won’t need my advice on how to make stuff!)
For those of you looking for something close to the real deal, you can search for designers’ web stores online. Or you could look up some of my personal favourites Girl Armour (website currently down www.girlarmour.com) or Costume Armour Inc. (https://www.costumearmour.com/)
For chainmail, I like Richard Ayers (https://richardayres.co.uk/) He makes a range of jewellery that can add a touch of warrior to your costume, or even your everyday wardrobe.
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| Girl Armour geekery |
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| Richard Ayers’ chainmail accessories |
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| Terry English’s Armor from Excalibur |
Not only can making your own props and costumes from metals be difficult, but it can be extremely heavy to wear which would be highly impractical for a day-long convention, gig or festival.
For the pragmatists out there, a better approach may be to go for the more cost effective, flexible and lightweight alternative of craft foam. As it’s so readily available and versatile, it is seems to be somewhat of favourite amongst cosplayers. As it’s also fairly easy to use, it’s a good material to try if you have never made your own costume before and are serious about making a go of it.
It’s especially good for making faux metal out of, as it can be cut into panels of your desired shape, and with the right paint job it can be transformed into polished or worn and tarnished finishes. It can also be heat moulded into curves for chest detailing, shoulder joints and just about anything you need it for. It does require quite a lot of heat, but if you don’t have the tools you see people using in online tutorials, fear not – you can just use an open flame like a gas stove. Just be sure not to overheat it so it smokes and burns because this could ruin your hard work, and make sure you have a responsible adult on hand at all times.
Safety first! It can be glued to other pieces of foam, or onto pieces of fabric which means you can make it relatively comfortable to wear. You could even glue it straight onto regular clothes if you want.
Tayla Barter employs an interesting method of drawing up patterns and simply demonstrates how to make a breastplate from craft foam.
Of course, the need for body protection is not entirely a thing of the past; it is a huge part of modern warfare. And as it doesn’t look like we’re going to stop trying to wipe out our own species any time soon, it will probably be a trend that sticks with us long into the future. Who knows what technological advances will be made in the coming centuries of human brutality in the way of cool new devices to protect your own body and maim others’? Plenty of video game designers and sci-fi writers attempt to foretell these hi-tech prophecies all the time, but we are yet to see almost any of them become a reality. Luckily, you guys are all obviously into cosplay, which means you can probably try to make these awesome futuristic gizmos your reality whenever the hell you want.
In a poll I conducted over a few social media sites last week with regards to your favourite armored characters, it became apparent very quickly that there is an extremely popular guy sitting in the number one spot.
Master Chief of the Halo series was easily the most talked about character, and for a multitude of reasons. His battlesuit comprises of many overlapping alloy layers, sealed against toxic atmospheres and hardened for radiation and electro-magnetic pulse protection. That alone makes it bad-ass, but it has a dynamic and extremely wearable look which makes it great for conventions. His suit has become so iconic, it’s one of the most easy to find premade costumes anywhere online and there is a lot of evidence of people recreating it themselves at home.
For this particular style, I would recommend either using poster board, trusty craft foam or a combination of the two depending on your preference and prowess. Otherwise you could try your hand at fibreglass moulds, which is another light weight alternative to the realism of heavy metals but requires more skill when it comes to actually making it yourself. A good simple way of constructing a suit like this, would be to start with a fabric undergarment and build on top of it using a material that you know will stick to it easily. The joints on Master Chief’s suit are quite dark, so I would suggest something black and adding as much detail as you want with fabric paint highlights where ever you can see this layer of the costume.
Iron Man came close in the poll, but no cigar. He did however spark a debate about whether the suit is really armor or whether Tony Stark is technically a robot of some kind because of his dependence on the suit.
This is an interesting and valid point, but I think it demonstrates that the two things are not mutually exclusive. Iron Man epitomises the bridge between the two. Whether his suit is simply body armor or something more, it is certainly inspired by other robot models which are often almost always metal plated to conceal and protect the inner circuitry. Which is pretty similar by definition don’t you think?
(If you would like to argue with strangers on the internet about things tenuously related to my pop-culture polls, then please follow me on Twitter @little_sofi)
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| My personal favourite demonstration of the line between machine and armor cosplay being crossed |
Excluding Master Chief and Iron Man, the two most popular votes, the rest of the top five looks something like this:
Firstly, Isaac Clarke’s Extra Vehicular Activity suit in Dead Space III was ranked highly for being such a useful suit. With its many thrusters and other hi-tec doo-hickeys, it’s perfect for space travel or just hanging around in vacuum areas. But the main reason people like it, is because it looks so awesome. My favourite feature is the RIG health monitor that lights up down the spine of the suit.
Secondly, the Kingsguard of Game of Thrones came up quite a lot in discussions about people’s favourites. I did notice however that most of the people who claimed this was the best armor they had seen in a while, were girls with a crush on Jaime Lannister. But, I do think that this is a good suit. It offers the traditional medieval plate protection, whilst adding to the wearer’s physique broadening the shoulders. Each plate has beautiful ornate embossing too, so overall it’s not a bad choice as a favourite.
Battle Cat was mentioned only once, but the discussion that ensued made me think that he was important enough to mention in the top 5. The talking green tiger Cringer, by day a coward and compulsive eater, dons armor for his buddy He-Man and becomes brave and fearsome.
If you’re basing your armor on a high-tech robot from the distant future, or on warriors from days of old, you can employ the same techniques to make either. And as always, you will probably be able to find anything else you need online.
The beauty of things like cosplay, is that the whole idea is recreating art in your own style. People on the scene are usually more than willing to share hints and tips on how they made their outfit or where they got the parts from. As like most things, you will encounter some folks who just don’t want to share or get angry that you don’t have the same opinions as they do on a character they like to dress as.
Don’t let any of this get in the way of your good time.
If cosplay makes you argue with people who are a fan of the same things as you, you’re doing it wrong!
