Wendy Darling - Peter Pan



Cost: $71
Costume Made By: Ammie
Costume Received In: December 2016


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Information

I don't have a lot to write about this particular costume in terms of the costume construction or why I chose Wendy to Cosplay. This particular costume was a gift from my friend Amber. We had been discussing various costume ideas and dream Cosplay groups and she brought up the fact that she would like to organize a Peter Pan group. Peter Pan is one of her favourite Disney characters and she wanted me to Cosplay as Wendy with her. I've always thought Wendy's nightdress in the Disney adaption was quite pretty so I was interested in Cosplaying from the movie. Amber talked to me about it a couple of times over a few e-mails and before I knew it, she surprised me by making me a Wendy costume as a Christmas gift for the Christmas of 2016. She made me both the dress and hair bow. The dress looked super cute! I wasn't sure that I could pull off an empire waist dress, but the design looked quite flattering on me.

Unfortunately, my measurements didn't quite match up with the commercial pattern that she used to make it. It was a tad small in the upper back and the zipper wouldn't quite go up all the way. I had to return the costume to her when I visited her in September 2017. She had offered to open up the back seam to add a bit more fabric so it would fit me better. After the alterations the costume fit quite well although I did remove the back bow and add snaps to it so it wasn't weighing on the back off the dress when zipping it up.

Back in January, not long after I had received the costume, I ordered a Phoebe ponytail wig from Epic Cosplay in light brown to style for the character. Amber also offered to style the wig for me so I gave her the wig in September. I had some issues with the wig, though. Amber did a wonderful job styling it. She curled the back of the ponytail extension and styled the bangs to have a heart shape to it. Unfortunately, every time I tried to test out the wig, I couldn't put it on my head. The wig was super back heavy and would not stay on my head without slipping back. I was concerned but I tried to compensate for the weight by adding wig clips to the front of the wig. The costume sat around for a couple of years, but I finally decided to give it a test run at the Fan Expo Holiday Market in 2019. A few days before the con, Pan offered to help me try on the wig because I warned her that I couldn't put it on by myself. Pan tried her best, but she felt the wig was too heavy and would slip back even with a lot of pins. Instead she went through my wig collection and she found a brown curly wig that I had bought for re-wearing my Hermione costume. I had never gotten a chance to use the wig. She just clipped up the back of the wig and it actually looked pretty accurate. I think the colour is a bit better match to the Disney cartoon as well. Of course, the bangs are not as nice as Amber's original wig. It's a shame that her wig is just too small in the wig cap and too heavy to wear comfortably, but I was surprised by how quickly we found an alternative and how well it worked! Pan really saved the day! The replacement wig was just a cheap eBay wig. It cost less than half the price of the Epic Cosplay wig and took only 5 minutes of styling. Sometimes faking a style works better for accuracy and comfort.

I finished the costume by wearing a pair of cute black flats and with blue Venus Eye circle lense contacts. The shoes made the costume very comfortable. Honestly, this was one of the comfiest costumes I've ever worn since the length of the gown kept me fully covered. This makes me wish stores sold floor length gowns for us short girls. I loved how this dress looked, but this was the first time in my life I've ever had a full length dress to wear (if you don't count my over the top Princess Peach gown that was more of a ball gown style).

I had a wonderful time debuting this costume at the Fan Expo Holiday Market in 2019. I sort of thought the costume would get a lackluster reaction since Peter Pan is such an old Disney movie. I know it's a classic, but it doesn't get revived as much as some of the other Disney stories. I also didn't expect much after how uninterested people seemed in my costumes at Fan Expo Canada in the summer. I honestly was blown away by the number of kind compliments people gave me! I really felt like a Princess! The dress felt super flattering and I'm really looking forward to wearing this again when Amber makes her Peter Pan costume. I can't believe I didn't wear the costume sooner! Thank goodness for Pan's quick thinking and for my stock of old wigs that gave me an alternate brown wig to wear. It was a blast Cosplaying as another Disney character. I've had so many wonderful experiences portraying Snow White that it felt nice to add Wendy to my Cosplay repertoire. With this costume being so comfy and flattering, I cannot wait to portray Wendy again!

Events/Conventions this costume was worn to
Fan Expo Holiday Market 2019

Photo Credits
Pan & Sleepymeow Cosplay


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