During the night session of the CICF Expo (China International Comics and Games Expo), a complete set of photos for the blue-and-white porcelain themed Kasugano Sora cosplay look is finally ready. Actually, before this outdoor shoot, I had some concerns about whether this modified Qipao outfit would present its best texture under night flashlights. But the final light and shadow effects exceeded my expectations. The pure black background is clean and sharp, fully highlighting the details of both the character and the costume.
The core of this styling lies in the color echo between white and blue. The white wig is paired with a modified short Qipao featuring blue-and-white porcelain textures, and the cut-out design at the collar fuses the elegance of a Chinese standing collar with Japanese anime-style tailoring concepts. The hair buns on both sides are adorned with white-and-blue floral bow accessories, making the overall look feel very lightweight. For stockings and shoes, I paired white over-knee thigh-high stockings with black chunky-heeled platform leather shoes. This classic black-and-white contrast makes the leg lines stand out prominently in the frame, and the white stockings enhance the translucent look of the skin under direct flash, while the black shoes serve as a visual anchor to ground the lower half. To match the character's unique temperament, a lot of thought also went into styling the wig's bangs and the double bun hairstyle on top of my head. Black ribbons are woven through both sides to avoid monotony while bringing a visual memory of traditional Chinese braided hair. Although this short Qipao was specially made for the exhibition, the choice of fabric and the three-dimensional pattern are highly important for daily or outdoor shoots. I personally love the details at the cuffs and frog buttons; it preserves the charm of traditional attire while boldly shortening the lower half and modifying the collar cut-out, making the character look more vibrant and fashionable.
During the shooting process, we deliberately designed several different compositions and postures. The standing pose is intended to showcase the complete cut and proportions of the entire outfit, letting viewers clearly see the elongating effect brought by the high waistline. The sitting pose, on the other hand, shifts the visual focus to the intersection of the skirt hem and the stockings, as well as the texture of the costume's fabric itself. Especially that final shot of my hands gently pulling at the collar was meant to showcase that casually revealed playfulness and sweet-and-cool vibe of the character, capturing the viewer's attention without being overly flashy. For being on camera, this kind of Qipao outfit has high demands on posture; when standing, the back must be perfectly straight to support the outfit's shape, while when sitting, one needs to position the legs cleverly, utilizing the elongating effect of the white stockings to flatter the legs.
The shooting location was selected on an outdoor lawn at night. Laying a layer of fluffy matting on the grass not only protected the costume from directly contacting the grass and soil but also added a soft texture at the bottom, forming a visual contrast with the harsh hard light produced by the flash. Although the CICF Expo was extremely busy with crowds, finding such a secluded corner of the lawn during the night session made it easier to calm down and get into the character's emotional state. For facial makeup, I chose a clear and transparent base paired with soft pink eyeshadow and an energizing red lip, looking clean and not overdone under the flash. Night shots usually darken the background more than daytime shots, allowing the main subject to pop. As a Coser appearing under the flash, maintaining focus and stability at the split second the shutter clicks is crucial because hard light does not tolerate obvious shadow dead-ends on the face, yet it also makes the facial features look more three-dimensional. This set of photos basically restored that sense of agility generated by the collision of blue-and-white porcelain with Anime cosplay that we envisioned during planning, making it my personal favorite look from this CICF Expo.