The Princess Peach Project: Research

It is official: we (my daughter and I) are going to Otakuthon this year. I have paid for our registration, so unless one of us is too sick to go, WE ARE GOING.

Which means I have to start working on our costumes, and as we all know, research is the best part of planning. I had already decided back in February (see Otakuthon 2011 Costume Project: Princess Peach and Toadette, posted on February 5, 2011) that we would go as Princess Peach Toadstool and Toadette.

Toadette from Super Mario

Toadette should be fairly easy to make: a summer dress, a vest, some white shorts and slip cover for my daughter’s bicycle helmet should do the trick. Since Otakuthon is the week-end of August 12 to 14, and toddlers tend to grow really fast, I will wait until July to start making her costume.

Princess Peach on the other hand poses a challenge. First, there are many designs to choose from.

Princess Peach as she appears on Super Mario Bros 3

Princess Peach in her appearance for New Super Mario Bros Wii

Princess Peach in her appearance for Super Smash Bros

I am leaning towards the second one. Simple, but slightly more detailed than the first one, and I really like the resemblance of the skirt to Disney’s Cinderella’s.

Disney’s Cinderella

The real challenge is to make it right. It looks simple, but looks can be deceiving. I have looked all over for pictures of Princess Peach cosplay that I liked, but in general, the fabric is too shiny, the proportions are wrong, or the fit just isn't right. I was beginning to believe that this was the costume that never looked good. It was suggested to me that I should see this as a challenge, to make a good looking one, but honestly, I was getting really afraid, thinking “What am I getting myself into?”.

But then I found two.

The first one is made according to design number one.

Jenni Källberg, aka Pixelninja, as Princess Peach

It fits well, the skirt has the right volume, and I really like the way the darker bottom colour in the sketch was interpreted as an underskirt. It makes the whole look like a real dress for a real person, not just a pink costume.

The second one is made to be like the more detailed concept art.

Princess Peach by Enayla

Again, beautiful fit and proportions. I have not seen the panniers look so good on any other cosplay of this character. The sleeves are also perfect puff sleeves, and the collar is just the right height. I will look at this picture often when making my own as a reference for these details.

I am now feeling a little better about the project. I now believe that a good looking Princess Peach costume, in the version I want to make, can, in fact, be achieved.

But since I am not as slim as the girls in the above picture, maybe I’ll invest in a good pair of Spanx. It can always be useful!