[Lucy]

Yeah, I'm going to be cosplaying "bandaged Lucy" from Elfen Lied. My idea is to buy some sort of sturdy underwear/swimsuit and attach bandages to wrap around the important parts and make it look like that's all there is. But, this is only my second year cosplaying, and I'm worried about the regulations regarding how much of my body has to be covered. I'd rather not have to buy a leotard (limited funds and authenticity are both factors here) and all the "naughty bits" would be covered by said underwear/bikini. There's a pic linked below, though I would have more covering the important parts. Lucy's a little too nude for a con dressed like that. But same basic idea.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_PgzWtj7VIiM/RdSm1a...00-h/elfen3.jpg

Like I said, more bandages over the breasts and pelvic area. Would it be appropriate then?

[Alkaren Hyralt]

The con as I recall is considered to be "PG-13". There are also indecency laws to consider, which I do not know. I would lean heavily towards saying that would be too skimpy.

[Kasin]

Alkaren Hyralt, on Feb 5 2008, 02:31 AM, said:

The con as I recall is considered to be "PG-13". There are also indecency laws to consider, which I do not know. I would lean heavily towards saying that would be too skimpy.

there was a blonde, who had a small cloud over her chest one on her crotch and one on her but...sooo, i'd say no...not too skimpy at all

[Iris]

As long as you have underwear and a bra on, I don't think that's too skimpy at all. Same thing as wearing a bikini to the beach.

Good luck with the costume! :3

[Aonele]

I think you'll need someone who actually knows the rules to "cover" this for you (haha pun) I'd wait until an actual convention staff head who knows the rules well to give you the go or not if I were you.

And I do find the costume (or the lack thereof) a bit disturbing...But that's just me, I suppose

[Alicorn]

Based on precedence, if you were to wear a barely-covered nude-toned bikini/leotard so that it looks from a distance as though you're essentially naked, you would be asked to change. "No indecent costumes" is a line that's kind of subjective, I know, but that one would probably cross the line of "family con propriety".

The cloud-girl/Sexy no Jutsu Naruto last year? I didn't see her except in photos after the fact, but IIRC she was asked to return to her room and put some clothes on...maybe it took a while because the staffpeople who saw her thought she was hot? XD I've known cases where much less skimpy outfits were shown to IRT beforehand for clearance, even with a mock-up drawing of how it would work on the actual person, and were denied for decency reasons because of the areas that were exposed. Better to pick a more clothing-ful design and not worry about it

[Alkaren Hyralt]

Aonele, on Feb 5 2008, 07:34 AM, said:

I think you'll need someone who actually knows the rules to "cover" this for you (haha pun) I'd wait until an actual convention staff head who knows the rules well to give you the go or not if I were you.

I "know" the rules; I have them sitting beside me. The problem is, that it much more up to IRT (and not a programming staffer) and such... The rules state that costumes must conform to "indecency" laws though.

As to the naruto cosplayer last year: I work backstage of the convention. Last year I barely saw anything outside the back hallways except the extremely rare time I was leaving main programming for some reason so I wouldn't have seen who you are referring to. :[

However, given the family theme (and the fact that I can foresee parents of a 9 year-old or something having problems with it) I would think you would need more than "underwear/bikini".

There is also the matter of there may or may not be a policy concerning the wearing of shoes to consider as well.

[`Aygen`]

Idk ... a White bikini + white bandages artfully wrapped should cover the indecency bit because you are covered by a white bikini, not a flesh colored. If you mistake that for being nude at a distance ... your loss.

[Alicorn]

Oh, I was going on the assumption it was going to be flesh-toned I'd double-check with IRT for the end-all word, but if it were a white bikini it would be more likely to pass.

(Alkaren brought up shoes - if you do end up doing this and I presume she's meant to be barefoot, you can find flip-flops with clear straps, or those "sole-only" adhesive footwear. I forget the common brand name for the latter, but I've seen it come up on cosplay.com a lot in barefoot discussions. I know that for me, even if it weren't against the rules to go barefoot, I wouldn't want to get my feet all ooky on that floor ~_~)

ETA: wanted to add just as a general statement, for this idea or similarly scanty costumes, please don't wear panties/bra XD Find a swimsuit instead, or make one, because even though the coverage is the same, wearing underwear just LOOKS tacky and bad because you can usually tell it's just underwear. Underwear is meant to be UNDER your clothes...bikinis are supposed to be seen, so let 'em do their job!

[Cuddles116]

A white bikini of flesh color leotard should be fine. If you can wear it to the beach without scarring children it shouldn't be an issue (AKA don't wear like a see thru tiny bikini top and then a thong or g string, everything should be covered) .

The sole only shoes are called topless sandals, google it to get to the site and check em out. They are basically the underside of a flip flop.

[Lucy]

Thanks. I actually have a white bikini that might work...and it would mean less shopping. But I have a backup plan if all else fails. I hadn't even thought about footwear. Thank you all for your help. I wouldn't want to get myself in trouble at the con. <3

[Iris]

Alicorn, on Feb 5 2008, 08:30 AM, said:

I've known cases where much less skimpy outfits were shown to IRT beforehand for clearance, even with a mock-up drawing of how it would work on the actual person, and were denied for decency reasons because of the areas that were exposed. Better to pick a more clothing-ful design and not worry about it

Is the con getting more conservative? I've worn my share of skimpy things in the past, and there was never any fuss from anyone. It really puzzles me that a bikini wouldn't be considered okay, because as someone else mentioned, it'd not like kids don't see that on the beach, or in their neighborhoods in the summertime.

I was pondering over the possibility of doing one of the DOA Xtreme bikini's as my Sunday outfit (obviously one of the ones that looks like a bathing suit, not the ones that look like floss or an inch of fabric). Is that going to be a problem now?

[Edrik]

Nope. The official rule is as long as you're wearing what amounts to a bikini for girls and bikini briefs for guys (Guys are technically allowed to wear bikini tops if they like, but for the sake of my eyes I ask them not to), you're okay. As far as local indecency laws are concerned, ACEN regulations are actually more stringent, so if your costume is acceptable according to ACEN's rules you'll have no problems there.

[shamurai7]

well i think it would be great if you were hot... but i dont know what you look like!!!!! if i like it you will know ill take pictures of you and ask what your doing later that night!!!!

[Taz6672]

Alright to finally answer your question once and for all. As long as your naughty bits are covered and it isn't simulated skin colored you can wear what you like. If you feel that wearing a white bikini will help with your cos-play that is ok. However Management does still reserve the right to ask you to put it away.

Thanks
Taz
IRT DH

[Lucy]

Thank you so much. I'm working on making it look good, not tacky, so hopefully I won't have to change. You've been extremely helpful. =D

Thanks again.

[Riker]

Yeah, generally as long as you could wear it on a public beach, you can wear it at con. (This is just a rule of thumb; your mileage may vary.)

[OmNefarious_05]

You mean her
http://www.flickr.co...ious/666265879/

She is a good friend of mine and I was with her most of the time when she worked on that "costume". She did her best to make it "otaku" proof, meaning it couldnt come off if someone "accidentally" bumps it and parts of her come spilling out. I roomed with her and had to follow her around just to help keep some of the crazies at bay. Though that did earn my other friends and I the title of being stalkers.

I know it looks like she just has the clouds covering the good parts, but she neighbor-rigged a pair of tan panties and bra to basically look seamless and used the clear vinyl on the sides.

Needless to say she got a lot of attention in the few hours she was allowed to wear it. I think we got stopped literally every 2 minutes for pictures and we lost track after 600th person came up for pictures. Im not kidding. I think the longest we went without being stopped was 11 minutes.

When she was stopped to get checked by the IRT, they were talking to a Lagoto about his shoulder spikes being past the limit. They looked at my friend and let the Lagato go with out even blinking.

She could only wear the costume up until the Naruto shoot on friday night. Even still she wore it for like another hour or so afterwards.

[Kasin]

OmNefarious_05, on Apr 22 2008, 12:49 AM, said:

You mean her
http://www.flickr.co...ious/666265879/

She is a good friend of mine and I was with her most of the time when she worked on that "costume". She did her best to make it "otaku" proof, meaning it couldnt come off if someone "accidentally" bumps it and parts of her come spilling out. I roomed with her and had to follow her around just to help keep some of the crazies at bay. Though that did earn my other friends and I the title of being stalkers.

I know it looks like she just has the clouds covering the good parts, but she neighbor-rigged a pair of tan panties and bra to basically look seamless and used the clear vinyl on the sides.

Needless to say she got a lot of attention in the few hours she was allowed to wear it. I think we got stopped literally every 2 minutes for pictures and we lost track after 600th person came up for pictures. Im not kidding. I think the longest we went without being stopped was 11 minutes.

When she was stopped to get checked by the IRT, they were talking to a Lagoto about his shoulder spikes being past the limit. They looked at my friend and let the Lagato go with out even blinking.

She could only wear the costume up until the Naruto shoot on friday night. Even still she wore it for like another hour or so afterwards.

to tell the truth i didn't even know who she was cosplay as, i'm not a fan of naruto so much. she was cute though, she probably full filled alot of boys dreams...even though it's a guy transforming in to a girl.

yeah cute girl, and clouds to cover wiith tan panties...not good at convention, otakus swarm!

[The Puppeteer]

the costume has to follow all local dress code laws. if you use more bandages than in that than it should be fine. also use wider strips. they will cover more.

[GenericDreamers]

There was one last year sunday.
She had 2 somewhat broad bandages
you should be fine.