Conventions nowadays have several aspects that are almost expected: dealer halls, panels, celebrity guests, and, of course… the costumers. Some are frightening, some are amazing, but all stand out in their own little way. That’s the reason behind it after all, to stand out and show your character love!
On February 28th, several friends and I attended MegaCon in Orlando, Florida. MegaCon is a multi-genre convention that has guests from across the board, dealers specializing in anything from swords to rare comics to that random Japanese figure, and costumers more varied than a box of anything-flavored jelly beans.
In past years, MegaCon had a larger anime/manga costumer population, which sometimes took away from the convention’s comic book origin. This was not the case this year, where variety took over completely. It felt like a preview for what Dragon*Con will be like in terms of costuming, from simple and fun to complex and extravagant. I saw more good costumes than bad, and people definitely put more love into their work than in the past.
Overall I would say this MegaCon had some of the best costumes in years, and the costume contest was no different. The winners made foam look like metal armor, and built entire characters onto their own bodies. The costuming level has definitely increased in the last few years, and it keeps the average con-goer all the more entertained. Special kudos go out to those who not only looked the part but “became” the part. I saw many convention attendees entertained by costumers who gave out a little performance along with a photo.
In short, this year was an excellent one for costuming at MegaCon. The bar has been raised, and I look forward to seeing all the ways next year’s costumers find to leap over it.
