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WINTER IS COMING: Cosplaying In The Cold

Winter in my hometown Manchester UK is dark, cold and very, very wet.

But in a city that has so much fun stuff to do on a regular basis despite the season, like film & comic conventions, games expos and of course Halloween and Bonfire Night; a cosplayer can still find ways of keeping themselves warm and a smile on their face.

Now we’ve reached the season of colds, coughs and flu I thought it best to advise you on the best and most practical winter cosplays to keep you wrapped up and warm until the sun comes out again next in spring (or if you live in Manchester, you’ll have to wait even longer than that…)

Due to this traffic cop’s lack of waterproof coat and may layers of sweaters and wool, this picture actually looks like it could have been taken in the Summer during one of our surprise downpours. My city sounds like an awesome place to live right?

At this time of year, I often finding myself wishing I had Aquaman’s powers. Being able to see in the dark would be awesome on my way to work at 7am every morning, I’d also be able to withstand extreme low temperatures and high pressure from the huge amounts of water dropping from the sky.

That being said, his outfit isn’t really designed to do any of this for him so his actual costume might not be any good to us regular humans, but you could always wear it and pretend.

The evolution of Aquaman’s costume. Some of these look like they’d be a little chilly.

Santa is an obvious winter favourite, and a quick google search for a costume will result in millions of pictures of women scantily clad in red velvet and bits of white fluff. This is only really festive because allegedly the Coca Cola Corporation that decided Saint Nick should be pictured in red to match their brand, in earlier history he was usually painted in a brown or green cloak.

Nothing says Christmas like bottled sugar water!

And where the skimpiness a red bikini comes into the equation I really don’t know, that is highly unseasonal!

Wearing a bikini in Manchester at this time of year would only make sense if you wanted to swim to work rather than catch a bus, which considering our rainfall probably isn’t the worst mode of transport. 

Santa as we know him however is a perfect winter cosplay. He wears a thick hat, coat and pants that are all trimmed (maybe lined too, I’ve never asked him in any of my letters) in white fur – probably from some arctic creature that lives close to his pad in the North Pole. This is ideal for the low temperatures we get at this time of year, and his boots are a great for those small lake sized puddles that gather by sidewalks right in front of bus stops.

Guy Fawkes is another good winter cosplay, the anniversary of his capture is celebrated every November 5th and people today still burn his effigy on bonfires and light fireworks to symbolize a gunpowder-plot-gone-awry.

Remember remember the 5th of November.

A traditional Guy Fawkes effigy is a lot more like a scarecrow than any ‘Anonymous’ interpretation you’ve seen before. He’s usually a bunch of old clothes you were about to throw away, stuffed with straw or news paper with an upturned bucket or a pumpkin for a head. This is a very easy look to recreate, and the stuffing makes for a very warm outfit.

Also, you won’t care if your clothes get wet or muddy, because you were going to throw them away anyway! Perfect for chilly nights stood by the bonfire in a muddy back yard toasting marshmallows. And if you accidentally catch fire, that just adds to your costumes authenticity. Well done you!*

*Obviously do not try this at home. May result in death.

For another simple costume, you could simply douse yourself in gasoline, yell “Flame on!” and light a match.

You could also join the Dark Side and fall into a river of lava…

An instant and accurate cosplay at a very low price (unless you do live here in the UK, gas prices are just ridiculous.)

What better way to keep warm in the colder months than covering yourself in REAL flames? The Human Torch was really onto something there. But as normal humans without superpowers, you may find it difficult to keep your flames alight, so you should try to enlist a friend to be on stand by with more lighter fluid or bellows.

Even this can’t remove the stench of the Fantastic Four movies

The night’s watch are prepared for anything. Especially bad weather. These guys spend all year in the cold, on top of a high wall in the far north with snow, wind, white walkers and giants and stuff. So if you were to take winter advice from anyone’s wardrobe, it should be the crows.

They do dress all in black, which probably makes it very easy for wildlings and predators to see them in the snow, but it also means they’re less likely to lose each other in a snow storm. Seeing as us city folk don’t have to worry about wildlings, wearing all black heavy fur while it’s so cold is probably a fantastic idea.

Not only is Ninetales one of the most beautiful Pokemon, but she (75% female gender ratio) is also a perfect amount of fur and fire to keep anyone warm in even Baltic conditions.

Imagine snuggling one of those fluffy scarf-like tails while she lights a fire with her breath for you. What a wonderful way to stay toasty. Ninetales also make great pets as they are extremely intelligent and can understand human speech very easily. It is best never to cross one however, as they have been known to curse those who mistreat them.

As a costume, the amount of fur involved is definitely going to make it a practical edition to your winter wardrobe and any fiery accessories are only going to make it hotter. If you are anti-fur however, please look to other fire type Pokémon.

A lot of costumes this Halloween had a campfire theme. This is another costume that calls for lighter fluid, and a friend on stand by to relight the flames* if the bitter November rain foils your attempt at cosplay. Be careful though, a lot of variations I have seen of this costume online this Halloween have involved some kind of marshmallow/smore hat. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS.

Any molten mallow, melted by your flames could drip into your eyes or scald your face. Neither of which feels good.

Storm may not be my favourite mutant, but she sure is an easy cosplay for this time of year.

Basically all you need is some white contact lenses and an X-Men get up, then wait for some weather and stick your arms in the air. Hey presto! You’re Storm!

Alternatively, you could utilize wind to your advantage and dust off your Superman costume to have that constant billowing cape thing going on. Or to give you a hair-flowing manga look, or make you look like you’re running really, really fast all the time a la Quicksilver.

Any costume of the ‘walking carpet’ variety is going to be an obvious winner.

Nailed it! (kinda)

Chewbacca (or an Ewok if you’re not quite as tall as that), yetis, bigfoot, and Cousin Itt all make great Halloween costumes and cosplays for those of us that want to keep it cozy. These costumes are made entirely out of hair and require you to shave 10-15 people’s heads depending on your body size/type.

Family members are the best as they are more likely to be willing to help and you’ll have better luck getting a color match for an all over even fur texture.

N’awww

During the wind and snow it’s always more tempting to hibernate and rebuff invites to costume parties and other events where you may have to venture outside and leave your blankets at home.

But this needn’t be the case if you can just figure out a way to dress smart and wrap up whilst also being in costume. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, or be super flashy.

With a little imagination you can create something warm and functional from things you can find in your own home.

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