Introduction: TEAM FLARE!! (can Also Be Psy)
With the new Pokemon X & Y game out, I decided to be a Team Flare Grunt for Halloween. Had quite a few items to work with, but overall the costume was pretty simple and this could actually work as a Psy costume as well :D
Alright so here's all the stuff you are going to need:
White Suit - $8 from thrift shop :D (or Red, if you go with red you won't need the dye or the salt)
Black buttons - $3.75 (depends on how many buttons your suit has)
White Dress Shirt - $3 again from thrift shop
Black Tie - $3 i love the thrift shop
iDye True Red - $2.99 AC Moore (Only necessary if you are going with the White Suit route)
Black fabric ink marker - $3.49 AC Moore (or fabric paint)
Salt - had at home
3D glasses from the movies - "borrowed" from movies
Red Foam Sheet - $0.49 (the thin ones used for crafts)
White Foam Sheet - $0.49
Wire mesh - $6.38 (can be found in the sculpting area of your art supply store)
Dress Shoes - $17
Leather Gloves - used friend's
Red wig (or if you are willing to dye your hair go for it! I personally went for a blonde wig which I inked, but didn't work out so I'm leaving that out)
Alrighty, got everything? Good, let's get this stylish show on the road XD
Alright so here's all the stuff you are going to need:
White Suit - $8 from thrift shop :D (or Red, if you go with red you won't need the dye or the salt)
Black buttons - $3.75 (depends on how many buttons your suit has)
White Dress Shirt - $3 again from thrift shop
Black Tie - $3 i love the thrift shop
iDye True Red - $2.99 AC Moore (Only necessary if you are going with the White Suit route)
Black fabric ink marker - $3.49 AC Moore (or fabric paint)
Salt - had at home
3D glasses from the movies - "borrowed" from movies
Red Foam Sheet - $0.49 (the thin ones used for crafts)
White Foam Sheet - $0.49
Wire mesh - $6.38 (can be found in the sculpting area of your art supply store)
Dress Shoes - $17
Leather Gloves - used friend's
Red wig (or if you are willing to dye your hair go for it! I personally went for a blonde wig which I inked, but didn't work out so I'm leaving that out)
Alrighty, got everything? Good, let's get this stylish show on the road XD
Step 1: Step UNO! the Suit
If you have a red suit you can skip this step, for those who have the white suit, continue reading.
Ok so to keep myself from going too broke, I went to my local thrift shop in hopes for finding a suit. Sadly, no luck with the red suit, but there was a white suit, which I could dye into red so I got it. It was only $11 including a white dress shirt, which you also need for this costume. Also got my tie and dress shoes at another one, those together was $18
First is to remove the buttons, this was just in case they get stained by the dye.
Next is to prepare the dye. Following the instructions I got from the dye mixed, the instructions can be found here: http://www.jacquardproducts.com/assets/jacquard-site/product-pages/dyes/idye/iDye Natural Instructions.pdf
I used the front load washing machine method, use what you think will work best. After dying I gave the clothes a simple wash again in the washing machine. The clothes were removed and air dried while the washing machine was washed with bleach only again.
After the clothes have fully dried, took me over night, I started to work on the pocket flaps, which are black. Using the fabric marker, I took about three layers to cover and conceal the red color underneath. Using w/e button sewing technique you know of sew on the buttons. If you want to be accurate to the character, they have two large buttons on the sleeve and I would use one of those clip hooks on the jacket front instead of buttons so that it appears to not have buttons.
Well that's prop one complete. Next onto the glasses.
Ok so to keep myself from going too broke, I went to my local thrift shop in hopes for finding a suit. Sadly, no luck with the red suit, but there was a white suit, which I could dye into red so I got it. It was only $11 including a white dress shirt, which you also need for this costume. Also got my tie and dress shoes at another one, those together was $18
First is to remove the buttons, this was just in case they get stained by the dye.
Next is to prepare the dye. Following the instructions I got from the dye mixed, the instructions can be found here: http://www.jacquardproducts.com/assets/jacquard-site/product-pages/dyes/idye/iDye Natural Instructions.pdf
I used the front load washing machine method, use what you think will work best. After dying I gave the clothes a simple wash again in the washing machine. The clothes were removed and air dried while the washing machine was washed with bleach only again.
After the clothes have fully dried, took me over night, I started to work on the pocket flaps, which are black. Using the fabric marker, I took about three layers to cover and conceal the red color underneath. Using w/e button sewing technique you know of sew on the buttons. If you want to be accurate to the character, they have two large buttons on the sleeve and I would use one of those clip hooks on the jacket front instead of buttons so that it appears to not have buttons.
Well that's prop one complete. Next onto the glasses.
Step 2: Step 2: Anime Glasses!!
I'm going to go into more detail about these in another instructable, but I'll give you the basic fabrication of these.
First are the 3D glasses, you won't be needing the lens part of the glasses so just pop them out. Next trace the shape onto the foam sheet, including where the lens should be.
Next make dots all over where the lens should be. I used a ruler to make it more ordered and evenly spaced, think it was every 1/2 a centimeter.
Afterwards I took some wire I had, you could use a paper clip, and with a candle I heated the end and burned the holes. Make sure they are clean holes and no little bits of foam hanging off.
Next cut out the shapes and hot glue them onto the glasses. I left the front end of the head rest portion not glued so that they could fold easier.
And there ya have it, you've got the glasses done.
Next onto the belt buckle, the one piece that separates Psy from a Team Flare costume.
First are the 3D glasses, you won't be needing the lens part of the glasses so just pop them out. Next trace the shape onto the foam sheet, including where the lens should be.
Next make dots all over where the lens should be. I used a ruler to make it more ordered and evenly spaced, think it was every 1/2 a centimeter.
Afterwards I took some wire I had, you could use a paper clip, and with a candle I heated the end and burned the holes. Make sure they are clean holes and no little bits of foam hanging off.
Next cut out the shapes and hot glue them onto the glasses. I left the front end of the head rest portion not glued so that they could fold easier.
And there ya have it, you've got the glasses done.
Next onto the belt buckle, the one piece that separates Psy from a Team Flare costume.
Step 3: Step 3: Belt Buckle
Every stylish member of Team Flare needs one of these spiffy belt buckles and to make them is pretty simple.
First make the basic shape of the best buckle, depending on your body size this would probably be different, onto the white foam sheet. Don't make them too large or they will look like tighty whiteys.
Next using the same red foam, draw a reverse version of the team flare logo, this is so that when you cut it out the inked part won't show, only the clean side.
Now to make this even more durable, take your wire mesh and cut out a slightly smaller version of the white belt buckle part. They should cut pretty easily with a pair or scissors.
Next using the hot glue gun, put the mesh on the back side of the belt and "inject" the hot glue onto the back. This will both create a good adhering with the foam piece and the wire mesh, and give it extra thickness.
Take the mesh again and make pieces that will hook onto the belt, more like rest on the belt. Depending on the size of your belt buckle, get cut out a long strip of wire mesh. Don't remember what size mine was, but it fit behind the belt and was double layered. With some pliers, curl the edge inward and flatten so that it doesn't cut anything and hot glue this onto the wire mesh belt buckle, as shown in the picture. Not wear your belt and "hood" the belt buckle on top of it. In the picture I have it in my pants XD
Alrighty what else what else hmm... Ah! Hair
First make the basic shape of the best buckle, depending on your body size this would probably be different, onto the white foam sheet. Don't make them too large or they will look like tighty whiteys.
Next using the same red foam, draw a reverse version of the team flare logo, this is so that when you cut it out the inked part won't show, only the clean side.
Now to make this even more durable, take your wire mesh and cut out a slightly smaller version of the white belt buckle part. They should cut pretty easily with a pair or scissors.
Next using the hot glue gun, put the mesh on the back side of the belt and "inject" the hot glue onto the back. This will both create a good adhering with the foam piece and the wire mesh, and give it extra thickness.
Take the mesh again and make pieces that will hook onto the belt, more like rest on the belt. Depending on the size of your belt buckle, get cut out a long strip of wire mesh. Don't remember what size mine was, but it fit behind the belt and was double layered. With some pliers, curl the edge inward and flatten so that it doesn't cut anything and hot glue this onto the wire mesh belt buckle, as shown in the picture. Not wear your belt and "hood" the belt buckle on top of it. In the picture I have it in my pants XD
Alrighty what else what else hmm... Ah! Hair
Step 4: Step 4: Hair
Now to tell you all the truth, I tried several different things to get my hair to be red, without dying it. If you are willing to dye your hair, awesome, if not I wouldn't suggest trying out any temporary hair coloring products. For myself, personally, I have really dark asian brown hair. I've tried sprays and something called Splat washables, but it only darkened my hair into a maroon color so... i tried to the wig direction.
By this time it was getting really close to Halloween and I was running out of options. I was able to get a Guy Fieri wig, which I colored with red ink pads. Overall it looked nice, but the problem for me was that I tend to sweat. You see Team Flare likes to smooth their hair back, which means exposing the hair line in the wig. This hair line was placed on my head right where my own hair line was, resulting in some of the hairs touching my own hair. I went to a party with the wig and by the time I got back my forehead was stained red. So if you do this costume, my suggestion is go with your normal hair, red wig that 's already red, or dye your hair.
I later went to an event for my school club and went with my normal hair smoothed back, still got noticed because of the belt buckle and the glasses so it worked out, although most people thought I was Psy, which I didn't mind either :D
Finally, putting it all together.
By this time it was getting really close to Halloween and I was running out of options. I was able to get a Guy Fieri wig, which I colored with red ink pads. Overall it looked nice, but the problem for me was that I tend to sweat. You see Team Flare likes to smooth their hair back, which means exposing the hair line in the wig. This hair line was placed on my head right where my own hair line was, resulting in some of the hairs touching my own hair. I went to a party with the wig and by the time I got back my forehead was stained red. So if you do this costume, my suggestion is go with your normal hair, red wig that 's already red, or dye your hair.
I later went to an event for my school club and went with my normal hair smoothed back, still got noticed because of the belt buckle and the glasses so it worked out, although most people thought I was Psy, which I didn't mind either :D
Finally, putting it all together.
Step 5: Step 5: Team Flare! Assemble!
Alrighty so the rest is pretty simple, wear the white shirt, get the tie on (used the usual knot for this), get the suit on. Wear your belt, should be black, then put the buckle on. Put on the dress shoes, black socks duh, and finally slick back your hair with pomade, hair putty, or mousse. Personally don't like to use gel since it gets all hard and feels weird. Oh almost forgot the glasses, put those on and your leather gloves. I haven't been able to find any good tight black leather gloves so I used my friend's leather gloves, they were thick, but it still worked. Wish i had taken pictures of myself before goin out to the party, but i've only been able to get this one from a friend, was taken in the dark so it'll grainy.
And there ya have it, how to become a Team Flare member, ready to beat all those who appose you to clear your way for a more beautiful, and stylish, future XD.
And there ya have it, how to become a Team Flare member, ready to beat all those who appose you to clear your way for a more beautiful, and stylish, future XD.