I'm ignorant of cosplay and I have a question! Why do outfits

they're*

This is because you're looking at cheap, shitty cosplays. You also seem to be looking at cheap, shitty wigs. Dying your hair to look like an anime character for a weekend is retarded, also.

Can you imagine the godawful condition of someone's hair who dyes their hair for every character they cosplay? What about length, unrealistic styling, and going from dark colors to light?
I'm guessing OP is no older than 14.

>>8813310
The fabric looks bad because it's from a shitty premade cosplay shop that uses cheap shit. This is why people make their own cosplay.

Dying your hair looks bad 98% of the time because human hair is usually thin, doesn't hold shape all day, and can't always be dyed an accurate color. Plus, dying and cutting your hair to fit a specific costume that you're only going to wear for a day/couple days is stupid and doesn't take into account that people usually cosplay up to 3-4 different characters a weekend for conventions and you'd have to only cosplay characters with your specific hairstyle. There are a lot of nice looking wigs out there, if you've only seen shiny ones you've probably never looked at anything outside of party city shit.

I probably just fell for bait but if not, next time use the stupid questions thread.

Just like you should with a real uniform, you would want your cosplay uniform ironed and possibly starched so it looks its best. If anything, the fabric that's used in the photo looks like a rather thin cotton, and the jumper should at least be made of a thicker/stiffer fabric. The blouse is probably fine.

Uhh and most real people don't have hair as thick as anime characters? Or their job doesn't allow for bizarre cuts+colors? Coloring, cutting and styling your own hair is a lot of commitment for a costume you wear a handful of times a year, if that.

File: cosplay-encyclopedia-anime-gestalt.jpg (366KB, 900x1176px) Image search: [Google]

366KB, 900x1176px

If it helps, the basic fabrics you'd want to make the OP image uniform out of are shirting poplin for the blouse and polyester twill for the jumperskirt instead of resorting to a Chinese sweatshop horror.

>>8813310
>Why not just dye your hair that color instead?
Welcome to cosplay circa 1996. I recommend checking out this video (for anyone, really), and seeing how cosplaying was like merely 20 years ago. Out of the dozens of girls featured in the video, only a whopping total of 3 used a wig. Everyone else tried to do something to their hair or left it as-is. Awkward (or no) make-up all around, and a lot of people saying their decent costume was made in "1-3 days".

>>8813523
Is this available anywhere online? Even if I could find a VHS, I don't have a VCR to play it on. I found a trailer on Youtube but that's about it.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZViQZsp-I1A

I'm an oldfag and seeing old cosplays s major nostalgia for me.

>>8813555
I actually haven't found a copy online, either. A friend picked up a used copy from Goodwill a long time ago and we watched it that way. The DVD was a hard copy of the VHS, complete with all of the commercials for 90s anime, and almost broke down halfway through the amazing footage.

>>8813602
>http://www.amazon.com/CosPlay-Encyclopedia-Akemi-Matsuzawa/dp/B00005R5GU
Is it worth $10 to sate my nostalgia?

I still have somewhere a DVD of trailers of new releases I picked up at a con in 2003 or 2004, so I'm also excited to see all the cheesy old anime trailers.

>>8813523
Man I started this since I was 13 (ten years ago now) but I have been in love with cosplay photos since at least 99. Its weird to think just the quality of cosplay now vs then.

I remember in the mid 00's every one used ace bandages to bind for crossplay, and dying most of my wigs because I could never find the right color. And thats a far cry from what stuff was like before I started the hobby.

I do remember so many cosplays being made of cheap cotton when I first started, I always figured it was because it came in the largest color variety compared to other blends. Wasnt as bad as when every one made everything out of costume satin.