[Xia Mi cosplay] Guangzhou Dragon Raja Only: Self-Styled Black Gothic Dress Look

Yesterday's Guangzhou Dragon Raja Only ended with a great sense of ceremony, and I cosplayed Xia Mi. Instead of her usual fresh and casual look, I wanted to try a stylish dress coordinate, fulfilling a small personal wish. The gear was mostly put together from elements I had on hand. Since the original design looks so amazing, I did my best to replicate that feel with a self-styled look, so apologies in advance for the fan-matched outfit!

Mentioning Xia Mi, most people picture her school uniform or signature yellow trench coat. But in Dragon Raja's lore, a black Gothic dress can also convey the Dragon King's majesty and fierce aura effectively. The wig this time is a light blonde shade, complete with heavy straight bangs, elongated sideburns, and her signature ahoge on top, which definitely took plenty of time to style. In the picture, I intentionally clipped a black bow hairpiece on the side to add layering to the overall look, preventing it from appearing flat with just hair alone.

For the outfit, I chose a black sleeveless top with subtle vertical stripe textures paired with a mini skirt, giving it much better texture than standard polyester fabric. The black bow at the collar and the rhinestone necklace across my chest filled the large empty space nicely—a design detail I personally adore. On my arms, I wore a pair of black over-the-elbow lace gloves; long gloves like these are the soul of many anime Gothic style looks, beautifully contouring the arm lines.

The highlight, of course, goes to the full-body look in Photo 2. This coordinate was paired with Black over-the-knee stockings and chunky platform lace-up black combat boots. The slightly sheer material of the over-the-knee stockings combined with platform footwear elongated the legs visually. Although taking a mirror selfie obscured my face, this framing highlighted the silhouette of the whole outfit. The black dress, stockings, gloves, and boots connected seamlessly without color breaks, looking very sharp. The close-up selfie in Photo 1 shows how well the makeup fit the styling, where hair texture and close-up perspective clearly presented collar details.

Guangzhou's weather lately has been quite friendly, and the indoor venue's air conditioning was powerful, so wearing this outfit indoors didn't feel uncomfortably hot. Fellow fans on site yesterday were super passionate, sharing the same love for this series. Even though it was a self-styled coordinate, while posing or walking around, some fans recognized Xia Mi right away. Hearing them discuss costume details made me so happy, making all the fatigue from staying up late trimming wigs and adjusting skirts totally worth it.

Normally when posting photos I pay strict attention to expression control and outfit smoothness, but taking mirror selfies this time brought back a casual and natural feel. To me, cosplay is not just about faithful recreation, but also self-expression. Bringing a character into a style I love—preserving her original character base while infusing a bit of my own aesthetic—is a fun endeavor in itself.

Returning to this look, the black-and-gold color base truly suits Xia Mi's identity. A Dragon King's core nature is majestic and powerful, and a Gothic dress adds a touch of queenly pride. Though a simple self-styled effort, putting it on genuinely shifted my aura alongside the clothes. Black lace and strap elements, combined with the heavy wig and Black over-the-knee stockings, carried a distinct Western dark or Japanese Gothic aesthetic that yielded great photos at the convention. In terms of makeup, I slightly emphasized elongated eyeliner and blended eyeshadow, allowing her character gaze to shine through even beneath the wig.

This is perhaps the true charm of cosplay: using garments to reshape your silhouette and makeup to transform your features. Every different attempt deepens your understanding of the character. Although the texture this time might not be as flawless as custom outfits or withstand scrutiny under a magnifying glass, the overall feeling leaves me deeply satisfied. If there's an opportunity to attend related Only events next time, I hope to bring costume sets closer to original lore and capture even more photos to share!