[Sweety cosplay] Zenless Zone Zero New Year Qipao Look, Celebrating a Vibrant New Year

This time, I'm bringing you a New Year-themed cosplay of Sweety from Zenless Zone Zero. For the costume, I chose a modified black and red color-blocking New Year Qipao, with gold thread patterns embellishing the collar and cuffs, and her signature small bells and red strings hanging from the waist. Paired with black patent leather gloves and glossy high heels, the overall look carries the festive joy of traditional holidays while retaining the character's own crisp efficiency and playfulness. The sunglasses on top of the head and the black hair accessory on the side are key to restoring the character. To match the setting, I also specially braided a side braid, and with that single sticking-up ahoge, I repeatedly adjusted the angle several times during the shoot just to catch the most natural demeanor.

The inside of the studio was filled with New Year elements: gold ingots, red envelopes, spring couplets, red lanterns, as well as a massive koi kite behind me and lion dance props next to it. During the Studio shoot, I used a prop round fan and red envelopes to increase the sense of interaction, such as sitting on a wooden couch holding a red envelope with one hand, or leaning halfway against a small table using the round fan to partially cover my face, making the movements more vivid instead of looking stiff. The lighting in this scene was quite warm, making the skin tone look very lustrous while keeping the shadow contours distinct, beautifully accentuating the satin texture of the clothing.

This shoot especially tested my grasp of the character's temperament. Sweety herself is lively yet carries a touch of cool, so in many shots, I tried expressions like slightly raising my chin or half-lowering my eyelids, combined with casual hand gestures, hoping to convey that relaxed yet confident atmosphere. Looking through the entire selected set of photos, I am most satisfied with the sitting ones, because they can simultaneously showcase the costume's tailoring and the leg lines, and the high-slit design keeps the look from being too dull.

Cosplay is not merely an external replication of a character, but rather a hope to integrate the character into a specific festive scenario through the coordination of the lens and the scene, allowing the audience to immediately associate how the character would look in this atmosphere. From preparing the costume and props to arranging the on-site light and shadow, a lot of thought went into this New Year theme attempt, and the final photos matched my expectations quite well. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Cosplay photography.