Aside from this blog, Chris Evan’s dog, and Cate Blanchett, my greatest love is probably cosplay. I love designing, I love creating, and I love collaborating with artists who share passions similar to mine. I’ve learned a lot about the community over the past few years, and I’ve learned that one of the most important relationships/connections that a cosplayer can foster is the one between photographer and cosplayer (you can read my post detailing the intricacies of this relationship here).

My favorite thing to do at conventions is wander the exhibition floor. It’s part swap-meet, mostly nerd-fest, and the geeky consumer’s shopping paradise. For conventions like Los Angeles Comic Con that take place close to Halloween, well, there’s more than a few vendors who bring the spoopy.

By the Collectress

The Collective Crew has been to our share of comic and fan conventions around the globe, and we’ve written about most of them. Yet, for all the con coverage we’ve done, we’ve never really delved into the types of people you meet at conventions. So this past WonderCon, I spent quite a bit of my weekend just walking around and talking to people. It was the social exercise of the year for me because I’m a verified introvert, and this is by no means an all-inclusive list, because of course there will be people who fit into none or multiple categories.

Dearest Collectors,

My editorial this week comes as a concerned member of the cosplay community. A few days ago, it came to light that a well known and respected cosplay photographer in Southern California had been using spy cams in changing rooms during photoshoots. This horrified me because the photographer had come highly recommended by almost every SoCal cosplayer I know who has worked with him. As the story grows and more and more cosplayers I know and respect come forward, I can’t help but wonder at the massive amount of trust that both photographer and cosplayer place in each other, and oftentimes very little discussion is had as to just how this relationship should function.

Enter me, and I’ve got a lot to say.

We spent last weekend at Anime Los Angeles, located at the Ontario Convention Center, and let me tell you, the fashion did not disappoint. Between cosplay and the Japanese street fashion featured in the ALA fashion show, I felt like I’d entered into anime heaven, which apparently looks a lot like Harajuku fashion. If this kind of style interests you, here’s some designers that you should definitely check out.