Most costumers deal with their hobby for a few hours each week. Tristen Citrine
lives her hobby each day as a career, handling the costuming work for the
show performers at the Venetian casino hotel in Las Vegas. "It's babying
people," she said at Anime Boston. "It takes a lot of patience. Anyone who
wants to work in costuming, especially in a pace like Las Vegas has to be
patient - everything is going to go wrong." Imagine a crowd of performers
that is nearly the size of the number of costumers who show up for each day
at an anime convention, and think of the work it would take to provide those
people with authentic 16th-18th century Italian period costumes, complete
with jewelry and beading. That's the size of Citrine's everyday work at the
Venetian, which includes the construction of jewelry worn with gowns that
cost as much as some cars.
Anime convention cosplay led to the professional costuming work for Citrine.
She was part of the Sailor Jamboree troupe that won the best in show award
at the Comic-Con International costume contest in San Diego a few years back,
and decided her fan interest in costuming and jewelry making could lead to
a career. Citrine answered a Las Vegas newspaper ad seeking a costumer at
the Aladdin hotel, and was pleasantly surprised when she got the job. After
a couple of years making and repairing beaded belly dancing outfits, she
moved to the Venetian three years ago. "When I go to anime cons it's my turn
to be the performer. When I'm at work I'm schlepping around in jeans," she
said. "If it wasn't for my cosplay they wouldn't have known what I can do.
I don't get to be my own boss but I can decide what I'm going to do every
day. It teaches me a different way to make things."
That different way is to make costumes that look good and are durable, something
that's a necessity in Las Vegas where elaborate outfits are treated as roughly
as construction work gear. Citrine's construction tricks start by using big
"whopper poppers" snaps to hold costumes together. "They're as big as your
eyes - you'd be surprised how much of Las Vegas is held together with these
snaps," she said. Her black and pink Ulala outfit was made from two type
of fabrics sewn on a serger, not a standard sewing machine. "Anything I make
from Spandex, I use a serger because nothing takes to a serger better than
Spandex...it would take me ten years to make if I didn't serger it.
Over edges, it gives you a double line of stitching which is the best defense
against cosplay, and it stretches as you stitch it." She insists on using
only wrinkle free fabric, and has found a fabric wrinkle remover that eliminates
the need for most ironing. Citrine has an advantage of living in a city where
so many casino hotels need costuming materials that businesses have emerged
to meet the demand, and those costuming stores are a great resource for an
anime convention costumer.
Most costumers deal with their hobby for a few hours each week. Tristen Citrine
lives her hobby each day as a career, handling the costuming work for the
show performers at the Venetian casino hotel in Las Vegas. "It's babying
people," she said at Anime Boston. "It takes a lot of patience. Anyone who
wants to work in costuming, especially in a pace like Las Vegas has to be
patient - everything is going to go wrong." Imagine a crowd of performers
that is nearly the size of the number of costumers who show up for each day
at an anime convention, and think of the work it would take to provide those
people with authentic 16th-18th century Italian period costumes, complete
with jewelry and beading. That's the size of Citrine's everyday work at the
Venetian, which includes the construction of jewelry worn with gowns that
cost as much as some cars.
Anime convention cosplay led to the professional costuming work for Citrine.
She was part of the Sailor Jamboree troupe that won the best in show award
at the Comic-Con International costume contest in San Diego a few years back,
and decided her fan interest in costuming and jewelry making could lead to
a career. Citrine answered a Las Vegas newspaper ad seeking a costumer at
the Aladdin hotel, and was pleasantly surprised when she got the job. After
a couple of years making and repairing beaded belly dancing outfits, she
moved to the Venetian three years ago. "When I go to anime cons it's my turn
to be the performer. When I'm at work I'm schlepping around in jeans," she
said. "If it wasn't for my cosplay they wouldn't have known what I can do.
I don't get to be my own boss but I can decide what I'm going to do every
day. It teaches me a different way to make things."
That different way is to make costumes that look good and are durable, something
that's a necessity in Las Vegas where elaborate outfits are treated as roughly
as construction work gear. Citrine's construction tricks start by using big
"whopper poppers" snaps to hold costumes together. "They're as big as your
eyes - you'd be surprised how much of Las Vegas is held together with these
snaps," she said. Her black and pink Ulala outfit was made from two type
of fabrics sewn on a serger, not a standard sewing machine. "Anything I make
from Spandex, I use a serger because nothing takes to a serger better than
Spandex...it would take me ten years to make if I didn't serger it.
Over edges, it gives you a double line of stitching which is the best defense
against cosplay, and it stretches as you stitch it." She insists on using
only wrinkle free fabric, and has found a fabric wrinkle remover that eliminates
the need for most ironing. Citrine has an advantage of living in a city where
so many casino hotels need costuming materials that businesses have emerged
to meet the demand, and those costuming stores are a great resource for an
anime convention costumer.
