The Anime Revolution took place last weekend at the Vancouver Convention Center. The weather was perfect and the convention center mall was filled with Cosplay (costume play) attendees wearing colorful and creative costumes. However the vast majority were purchased. I saw a few handcrafted costumes but very few were fashionable. Anita was the outstanding exception. As Celes Chere she felt bad a@@ dressed as a warrior general. She used her imagination to modernize her 16-bit character from the 1980’s Final Fantasy III video game. To make her outfit battle ready, she hand wove aluminum scales on to chain mesh to make medieval chainmaille amour. It was so authentic, it made a clinking sound with each step. Also, she did a fair amount of historical research to create a functional harnesses for her sheath and sword. Her shoulder pouldrons, sword and bracelets were handmade from a mouldable plastic then painted and airbrushed. She enjoys selecting characters you wouldn’t normally see then pushing her design abilities to create something truly unique. She mentioned she was stopped several times by people that recognized her character. It made her feel good when others appreciated her craftsmanship. Incidentally on Saturday Anita won fan favorite for her Ariel costume from the Little Mermaid.

Visit R!c's website: www.SidewalkRunway.com or follow him on instagram.com/sidewalkrunway_com  or Twitter @RunwaySidewalk

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