Maetel - Black Coat #1

Maetel, Galaxy Express 999, Leiji Matsumoto

COSPLAY ID

CHARACTER Maetel
SOURCE Galaxy Express 999 manga & anime, by Leiji Matsumoto
COSTUME Maetel's classical black coat

COSTUME BREAKDOWN

• black furry dress/coat, with short cape
• black furry hat
• blue travelling suitcase

Today, should have been the Cosplay Photoshoot, but we're on lockdown, and I'm far from finished with the Mad Hatter costume. So, I decided to publish a throwback from 10 years ago, when I attended the Photoshoot for the first time. The Cosplay Photoshoot has been held regularly for 18 years, at Parque das Nações, in Lisbon. It's an open air big meet, where a crowd photo is taken and people just hang out afterwards. At first it was held on Fat Tuesdays, but then a silly government law deemed it not a holiday any more (Carnival is very popular and celebrated in Portugal), so it's been held on Fat Saturday ever since. Last year it was the last Cosplay event I attended, less than two weeks later, we were entering the first lockdown.

Back in 2004, when I was occasionally cosplaying, but not part of the community, I found a very cheap short black fur, at Feira dos Tecidos, and decided to make this costume, as the huge Leiji Matsumoto fan that I am. I knew it was possible to get a longer fur, at a convenient price, at Santo Condestável, in Campo de Ourique, so I went to the shop to get it. I already had almost the exact suitcase, from a vintage set which belonged to my dad, when he was a bachelor. All there was left was to find a long wig. Fortunately, there was a Spanish party shop downtown, I forgot the name, which had a long blonde wig, so I bought it ASAP. I already had some black tall boots and long fake lashes (very important for Matsumoto-sensei's ladies), and I got some 2cm thick batting to make those puffy trims, cord for the ponpons and an invisible zipper.

Maetel, Galaxy Express 999,at Gare do Oriente 2011
photo by Paulo Morgado

I remember making the costume in a few days, maybe one week. It was an easy draft, a simple dress pattern, with an A-line skirt and darts to shape it at the waist and bust. The cape is in 3 pieces, with seams at the sides, and it's lined with black satin. I rolled the batting and put it inside the long fur, for the puffy look. It closes in the front with an invisible zipper, and two hooks and eyes at the collar.

The wig, still a party city quality wig, didn't survive the second time I wore it, it went to the bin. But in 2014 I made her mother's cosplay (they look like twins), La Andromeda Promethium, so, I can wear that wig.

Unfortunately this costume is very hot for Portuguese weather, especially for a person very sensible to hot weather like me. I only wore it twice, when I made it in 2004, for the Torres Vedras Carnival (where I was fine with the temperature, it's colder than Lisbon), and back in 2011, where this photo was taken, by my friend Paulo Morgado.

I'd love to take it to Entroncamento, to the Train Museum, and make a photoshoot there. But it's sill about one hour away, and I don't drive.

+ This was probably the last costume I made when fabrics were still affordable, even fur. I'm still in awe how my dad's suitcase, which I also used often in my travels, matches the artwork so perfectly!

- Although this costume is quite comfortable, the short fur has some stretch, it's too warm, so I didn't wear it again in 10 years.

THE CUNNING PLAN

Try to make the photoshoot at the Train Museum happen.