Colette Brunel
Tales of Symphonia
Status: Active
Cost: ~$70
Made and worn in 2012 - Present
Colette Brunel is one of my most favorite fictional characters ever.
I admire her emotional strength, her ability to love everyone, and her commitment to improving the world. I love her even more for her character progression--specifically, that she learns to value her own life and to stop thinking it's okay to sacrifice herself for everyone else's sakes. Colette does a lot of emotional labor. I think active empathy--the kind that makes you actually do something to help others--is a skill everyone needs to work on. At the same time, I think taking care of ourselves is just as important.
Tales of Symphonia was my first Tales game, back before I knew it was a series. I loved Lloyd and Colette as a couple, and when I got into cosplay, I always hoped for an opportunity to cosplay my favorite ship with a significant other. I am so, so pleased to be able to do just that with my spouse.
I used a pattern from an old Layers magazine specifically for Colette. I used primarily cotton sateen for the whole project because it's easy to work with, it's sturdy, and it has a very subtle sheen. It looks matte in photos, but it doesn't look completely flat. I also used quite a bit of bias tape and some broadcloth for the bottom strip. There is a zipper in the center front, since that's where it makes sense to me where the outfit would have a zipper.
The Cruxis Crystal is cast from resin, and I made the necklace completely out of craft foam. I heated it over an electric stovetop and bent it into shape. It still holds up to this day, but it's a little worse for wear.
I've gone through a few different wigs for this (I used an ebay one back in the day), but I've settled on an Epic Cosplay wig in the Nyx style.
I even made wings for one con! They didn't hold up well, and I've tossed them into the trash since, so maybe it's time to remake them...
One day we'll make swords for Brett when he cosplays Lloyd, but for now, we're happy with the joke weapons!
Photos by Para Para Productions, Joseph Fox Photography, Some Kid, and Soulfire Studio.
With Brett as Lloyd and celsius as Sheena
