Why I chose this costume:

Sailor Earth is an original character based on the series Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. Although there is only one crystal per planet and Tuxedo Kamen has Earth’s (which makes him the male version of a Sailor Senshi), I still wanted to create a Sailor Earth. I decided that she should have dark brown hair and eyes and have a Japanese name (as all the Senshi do). She would have a green camouflage fuku with silver bows and a green crystal on her chest. Her tiara would also be gold with a green gem. Her shoes would be knee-high green boots with a small heel (later changed to black ankle boots, and recently updated to gray ankle boots). She would complete her outfit with the elbow-length white gloves ending with three stripes of her camouflage fabric. Her name would be Chino Chinako (family name first) meaning “Little Child of Earth” and she would have a tiger-striped kitten from the planet Nyu named Tigre who would be her guardian and trainer.

How I made this costume:

I bought a white ballerina leotard and set to work! I found the perfect camouflage fabric and cut my pieces for the skirt, sailor top piece, and glove accessories. I added a white tube of fabric to the top of the skirt and tacked it to the leotard for the hip roll. I wasn’t sure how to make boots, so I used knee-high black ones that I found instead of the green ones I wanted to make. I painted the gold tiara and green gem on my forehead with face paint and wore the elbow-length gloves with the green rolls sewed on. The bows were made from amazing silver fabric I found and tacked to the costume. I wore my hair as Sailor Earth would–shoulder-length with two braids starting at each temple and combining into one at the back of my head.

Thoughts on this costume:

I was very proud of the costume and found it to be a challenge to create at the time. I had never made a pleated skirt before so when my skirt was done it was the correct length but too tight for pleats, making it look like a miniskirt. But the costume was still my biggest project to date and almost entirely hand-made. Most people knew what series I was from as I attended two Halloween parties that year. It made me happy!