Marinette is relatively flexible in terms of difficulty, a significant amount of the costume can be purchased or you can choose to make it from scratch. I went with a middle approach, so in this post I’ll give suggestions for makers and buyers alike – and remember there is no wrong way to cosplay!!! For a video walk-through of the costume you can watch on YouTube.
This cosplay would not have been possible without the amazing support of my Patrons over on Patreon.
The main parts of the costume:
- Jacket
- Shirt
- Pants
- Shoes
- Wig
- Tikki
Jacket
I chose to make the jacket to get a slightly more accurate shape and fit, but it could easily be made from a purchased black blazer that is modified to have a polka dot lining. The shape of my jacket was based off a princess seam bodice, the front sections are cut so they do not meet when closed as the jacket is supposed to sit open, I also drafted the jacket with less curve in the bust so there would be less excess fabric when it was sitting open. The jacket sleeves also flare so they can fold over the elbow and still stick out. You can grab the pattern for the jacket in my store.
For the outer fabric I used a black stretch denim on the reverse side so it was a slightly lighter color and the lining was made from white cotton that I painted the pink polka dots on. All the dots were painted with pink fabric paint using a q-tip following a grid guide that I could see through the fabric, the guide is also included with the pattern. You could also save yourself some time and buy pink polka dot fabric like this one, though the dots are a little smaller and denser it would work just fine. Alternatively I have print on demand fabric over on Spoonflower. Once assembled, the exterior and the lining were placed wrong sides together and the raw edges were finished with black bias tape.
Shirt
For the shirt I started with a base white t-shirt that had a crew neck. I then painted the design on the front using pink fabric paint and black and grey fabric markers, I used this design as the template to get the size and shape right. I found the fabric pens has a little more feathering/bleed at the edges, while the fabric paint didn’t stretch as well, both will work it’s just a matter of preference and availability. Alternatively, you can easily find print on demand versions of this shirt if you don’t want to DIY it.
Pants and Shoes
The pants and shoes were both purchased from Amazon. For the pants I also folded up the cuffs and hand stitched a faux lining of the polka dot fabric to the part that was visible. Though purchasing the pants made them less accurate, it saved me a whole head of effort, you can certainly make them from scratch or dye them yourself based on your time/skill and desire.
Wig
For the wig I used the Shinobu wig in Navy Blue from Anime Stuff Store and styled it using the ‘cross over method‘ into low pig tails, and trimmed the bangs slightly. You can also find already pony tailed wigs in the right color at Arda Wigs and Epic Cosplay wigs. The pig tails were then backcombed and hair-sprayed into the right shape, unfortunately the traveling flattened the pig tails and i couldn’t get the volume to stay with the supplies I had on hand, I would definitely recommend hard core styling gel or even white glue to get the puffs to stay.
Tikki
I made Tikki following this tutorial, but instead of socks I used red stretch fabric and drew her sports on with black fabric pens. The antennae were also wired so they could be posed. Overall she turned out well, though there are a few shaping changes I would consider if I did her again. I have also included my template in the pattern. Or you can purchase a licensed plush from Amazon.
