So, just to continue my Fire Emblem kick, I decided to cosplay Marisa, the great swordmaster. A native of Jehanna (I think I'm seeing a trend here!), she is known as the Crimson Flash for her great speed. Marisa seeks to surpass her father, who was also a great swordmaster, and joins Gerik's Mercenaries in the great war with Grado.

I really didn't think too much of Marisa during the game, other than she was my best sword fighter. However, when Nintendo came out with their official artwork for the Fire Emblem Museum, I fell in love with her design. Saucy little thing, she is ^.^ The dress was made from a purple faux-velour with red bias tape and button detailing. The collars were freehanded, as was the skirt wrap. The wrap is white voile and is decorated with gold thread satin stitching and gold fabric paint. The fingerless gloves are red jersey knit. The boot covers are made from brick red microsuede, red bias tape, gold buttons and gold vinyl. I added the buttons for closure as the picture doesn't actually show the front detail of the boots themselves. The armbands are craft foam painted brown and decorated with gold vinyl and jewels. I purchased the multicolored wig from Ebay (a fabulous find!) and styled it.

The sword was a first for me. I had never worked with insulation foam before, but it was rather easy to carve out and shape. I coated it with paper mache and gesso, but due to the wacky weather this summer, it didn't dry properly and had a few rough spots. Next time I'll just let it dry inside ^.^ Anyway, I think this costume turned out very well and I'm really happy with it!