A Cosplayer's Journey

I found out about the Create Your Own Happiness challenge only a few hours before the deadline, but I thought it was a great idea, and that it would be important to enter even then. To do this, I thought that I would share a bit about my happiness and where the path has led me. So first, I would like to share a little history with you.

Way back in the summer of 1982, I was a young kid. One day my parents were out shopping and stopped at a fast-food restaurant with my older brother. It just so happened that they just started to issue promotional items for a new film called “Star Trek – The Wrath of Khan.” Knowing that I was a big fan of Star Trek, he purchased a couple of items. I was surprised by this -first that he would do something so nice, and second that a new movie was coming out. I had was hesitant about seeing the second Trek movie because the first was, well, not all that great. Okay, it was kind of boring, especially for a kid. But there was a local showing of the film, so I was able to see it. That was a moment that changed my life— and on the screen was the Enterprise crew. Still, instead of the familiar, campy disco-inspired costume, they were all dressed in these fantastic red and black uniforms that looked like a natural progression of a modern navy uniform. As I watched, I think I paid more attention to the uniforms than to the movie itself. There were so many subtle details built into them. It may sound strange, but this became an obsession for me. I absolutely loved these uniforms! As the movie progressed, there were new variations shown, and somehow, they all made sense. The costume designer (Bob Fletcher) must have put a lot of thought into them. The more I watched, the more I wanted to see. When the videotape of the movie became a reality, of course, I was there to rent it. I watched it repeatedly, mentally noting every little detail until I could put them into crude drawings. I researched everything – what fabric was used, how the ranks were designed, and more. There was nothing I didn’t want to know.

Flash forward to the early 2000s. I was attending the San Diego Comic-Con and had struck up a conversation with one of the exhibitors. I was given the opportunity of my lifetime – to be able to view and photograph a couple of screen-used uniforms worn by William Shatner. All I can say is thank goodness for digital cameras because I am pretty sure I took several hundred pictures—I detailed everything: the jacket, the ranks, the inside chain and snaps, how the seams were aligned and sewn, and followed up with more photos containing rulers for measuring, and more. I was in OCD heaven.

As you might guess by now, all of this eventually led to me building my own costume. It was not an easy task either. I wanted to have as much of a ‘screen accurate’ version as possible, so I spent years tracking down the actual fabric – wool elastiqué – which is quite expensive (about $80+ per yard) and custom dying it to my desired color. I purchased the pins from Lincoln Enterprises (a mail-order ran by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry) and hunted down the original chain used inside the jacket. Because the manufacturer no longer made the chain, I found someone in South America who had some and snatched it up. I found all the other original fabrics, and I set about building the costume of my dreams with the help of a more experienced friend. Even after all my research, I did not fully understand how insanely complicated the actual construction of the uniform was. The available patterns at the time were of little help, with virtually no instructions. I set out on my journey, cutting pattern pieces from muslin, fitting them, re-cutting, refitting until we got the fit. Getting just the right cut on the various pieces to make them fit was not unlike putting together a jigsaw puzzle of jellybeans. I can now say from personal experience that no one can truly appreciate all the work that goes into this until you are standing in the middle of a room in muslin pants. Once this process was done, it was time to commit to the expensive fabric. One of the subtle, and most difficult details of the costume was that all (and I mean all) of the fabric grain was vertical, meaning that laying out the patterns was not the easiest thing to do. But, in the end, I did manage to get everything done correctly. After literally weeks of cutting, sewing and fitting, the uniform was finally finished. It was now time to add the finishing touches in the form of the ranks and insignia. Once I was happy with the results, my friend looked at me and swore that to never try and make that uniform again. And for good reason. The uniform has a nickname, “the Monster Maroon,” and it has definitely been earned.

Even though I had completed my own journey, I didn’t want all the information from the years of research I did go to waste. I loved this uniform so much, and I wanted to share it with everyone, and equally important to do so, because one of the things I detest most are people who refuse to help others because they want to horde information and experience. To that end, I decided to take a stab at writing a book about it. I did and submitted it to many publishers, only to collect a bunch of rejections. Not being dissuaded by this, I decided to self-publish and ultimately created a book called ‘The Essential Cosplayer’s Guide’ for the ‘Monster Maroon’ uniform. It ended up at more than 160 pages, even though I am sure I could have expanded it even more. I am still amazed when people comment that they never realized how carefully thought out these uniforms are. I love to see everyone’s unique creations. Both the uniform and the book were pure labors of love. I want to encourage everyone who enjoys cosplay – whether they are ‘professionals’ or simply enjoy seeing the costumes at local conventions. Everyone starts as a novice. It does not matter if you assembled your costume from things lying around the house or if you spent thousands to re-create every tiny element in perfect detail meticulously. All it takes is some inspiration, a few yards of materials, and, of course, a good, sharp pair of scissors.