Cosplay By McCall's Patterns: Steampunk, Lolita, Accessories

Five new patterns have come out in the Cosplay by McCall line since I posted about it.  I have my hands on all of them now so I can give them a rundown.

Bow and Brine is a pattern for a pirate blouse. The blouse is ok, but it's really more fashion than costume.  Unlike a period garment, it buttons down the front and is fitted with bust darts.  It has three styles of sleeve and a variety of rather strange removable straps/neck things.  The pictured hat and belt aren't included in the pattern.  Overall, I don't see the point of this one.

Obi: Gado is a lovely full-length traditional kimono, an undershirt, and a short kimono with detached sleeves.  It also includes two styles of obi belt.  The obi are closed with hook and eyes and permanently styled.

Fatale is a set of accessories including the collar and foam crown from the front picture, a piece of fabric shoulder armor, and thigh-high leggings.   These pieces are fairly disappointing, and don't really feel like cosplay quality items  The crown is craft foam glued together.  The shoulder "armor" is a piece of thin faux leather gathered up and strapped on.  As far as their usefulness, they feel like something more for bedroom play or maybe burlesque than cosplay.

Stash is a pattern for a pair of  canvas belts and pouches in a military style. The pouches close with snaps and there is an option to attach them to a purchased belt.  The hip bag is attached to a belt with a bunch of D-rings attached to it.  I like the way the belts are closed with D-rings and metal clips instead of velcro or less secure methods.

These pouches aren't exactly steampunk, but they could definitely be used as part of a steampunk costume.  Especially if it was made in different fabrics or trimmed differently.

Rove is a bolero jacket pattern with several variations in styling.  I do really like this jacket, and it's nice for steampunk wear and wearing with corsets.  View F has some nice military tab detailing.  The only complaint about this pattern is that it's only a jacket and that may be a bit slim for an up-priced pattern, when there are other patterns out there with multiple skirts, a corset, and a bolero all included.

Manikin is a complete lolita pattern. It includes a blouse, a jumper skirt with shirred back, an apron with a corset-laced back, and a bow.  There area couple of other mainstream lolita-esque patterns out there, but this is the first time I've looked at a pattern and said "that's REAL lolita."  Now, I'm not an expert, but I've tried to educate myself about lolita fashion over the years and it's a style I really like, if not one I really wear.

But I'm super impressed with this pattern, and think you could make your own clothing that would be indistinguishable from purchased clothing from the well-known brands.  The pattern includes information and guidance about types of lace to use and how to choose and make trim for all the ruffles and layers.  So this is a pattern that's going to be invaluable to lolita fans, IMO.

Papillon is a really nice women's jacket with either tails or a pleated flounce at the back.  They are essentially the same jacket with different detailing, but it does give you two fairly different looks, from a menswear look to a fairly accurate Victorian women's bodice style.  The tails version is also a perfect pattern for the ever-popular character Sebastian from Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji).   The jackets are fully lined and the instructions give pretty good tips about fitting and using interfacing and choosing lining fabric.  So this is a pattern that I think will be good for a steampunk sewers library and I have seen demand for a good tailcoat pattern for women.

If anyone has more detailed questions about these patterns, please let me know, as I do have copies of them on hand and can check things if you're curious about something.