Starlight Express is well known for their spectacular costumes, so, of course people have always tried to copy those.
Feel free to upload tips and tricks to help cosplayers.
See Backstage Images and Character Galleries for references.
Starlight Cosplay - Where to start?[]
Cardboard Costumes[]
Starlight costumes are bulky and elaborate, but the most essential element is to get the proportions right first. Fortunately, this just requires cheap materials such as cardboard boxes and paper, and plenty of time. Take photos, move around plenty, and only when you're completely happy with your template, move on to using craft materials.
Planning[]
As a cosplayer you can choose whether you want to replicate a stage-ready costume, or make a costume that looks like what's used onstage. There are advantages to each - essentially, the stage costumes are designed to last 8 shows a week, racing, falls, being worn by professional dancers. They are also designed to be seen from at least several metres away under stage lights. These costumes are heavy, tough, expensive, but not highly detailed. A cosplay costume is going to be seen much closer, in natural lighting, and you're unlikely to be racing in it. Whether or not you're even skating in costume is optional! So in your planning you need to decide if you're going to "cheat" (it's cosplay, it's not cheating!) some of the details. However, I would strongly recommend if you're going to skate at all, do not skimp on safety equipment such as kneepads and wrist guards. Your health is more important than any cosplay.
Planning time and budget is going to take four times longer and twice as much money as you expect. Particularly on time, it is very important to do test fittings and test wearing before going out in costume, with enough time to find pinch points and rubbing points that could ruin your day if not fixed first.
Cosplay Community[]
The wider cosplay community has many creative, inventive people who have found astonishingly successful techniques for making cosplay armour, working with spandex, wigs, etc. If you have chosen to not exactly replicate the authentic mechanics of the costume, there are many helpful tutorials that can be adapted for Starlight costumes. If you have chosen to be as stage-accurate as possible, then the community can help you with advice how to, say, build your own vacuum-forming machine.
The most important element, beyond the inevitable stress and small injuries, is to have fun making something amazing! It's always worth it in the end!
Belle pullman (talk) 17:49, 18 June 2023 (UTC)