written by LK (@thriftcosplayer)

A large sheet of thermoplastics- $60. Enough EVA foam to make an armor chest plate- $50. Imported fabric - $40. Custom foam and wood prop weapon - $70. Official color cosplay wig - $60. Foam latex prosthetics - $20… Cosplay can be expensive! Not to mention time consuming—building an authentic costume and creating pieces can take months and months, and a finished costume can cost hundreds of dollars. Because of this, getting into cosplaying can be not only intimidating, but also prohibitively expensive for many. What do you do if you want to get into cosplay but don’t have the time, money, or know-how to create costumes completely from scratch?

Well, I’m LK, also known as “The Thrift-Shop Cosplayer.” As long as I can remember, I've loved going to thrift stores and getting good deals. It's something my mother instilled in me early; she has an amazing eye and could always find the best items at garage sales and thrift shops. I learned from her that finding a great thrift deal can feel like a special treasure hunt. As long as I can remember, I've also loved dressing up in costumes. Halloween is by far my favorite holiday, and my love for sci-fi, anime, and comic books meant that it didn't take me too long to fall in love with the ComicCon scene as an adult.

So, perhaps it's no wonder that my two loves of thrifting and cosplaying have often combined, and that I love finding creative and dirt-cheap answers to some of the hardest cosplay questions. I can't sew a stitch to save my life, but a bit of luck, a glue-gun, lots of duct tape, paint felt, and imagination can take you a long way.

In this column, I’ll be sharing some of my thrifted cosplay and some ideas for how to get into cosplay without losing sleep or breaking the bank.