[Ruan Mei cosplay] A Traditional-Style Custom Design Cosplay Attempt for Honkai: Star Rail

For this shoot, I crafted a custom design cosplay look for Ruan Mei from Honkai: Star Rail.

The reason for choosing a custom design cosplay was the desire to infuse some relaxed, everyday touch without straying from her core character aura. For the outfit, I selected a greenish-gray floral Chinese-style camisole dress. This low-saturation dark green base paired with pink floral patterns not only preserves classical traditional charm but also softens her distant, ice-cold detachment. A pearl-trimmed choker was specially designed at the neck, paired with delicate thin straps to fully display shoulder and neck lines. The outer pure-white plush shawl serves as the highlight of this look—its fluffy texture enhances visual softness while creating a wonderful contrast between cool and warm material textures in an outdoor garden setting.

Regarding makeup, to complement the lightness of this custom design cosplay, the eye makeup remained clear and subtle without heavy eyeshadow, emphasizing clarity through light-colored contacts and natural lashes. Eyebrows were shaped into soft straight brows, paired with airy center-parted bangs to soften facial contours. Extensive care went into the wig, adding greenish peekaboo highlights inside the black base hair, which creates a smooth gradient under natural sunlight. Subtle casual curls were added to side strands, with a small top bun adorned with wooden-toned hair accessories echoing the floral motifs on the dress.

The blue-and-gold yueqin cosplay props in hand were crucial for the shots. The lute features exquisite craftsmanship with 3D cloud-and-water carvings on the soundboard, while pegs and neck are decorated with faux pink flower branches echoing the skirt's patterns. The prop itself is quite heavy, requiring arm strength to hold elegant poses. I tried various grips, like holding it vertically or slightly tilted, hoping the strings and frame created natural visual leading lines. Its blue-gold palette paired beautifully with the greenish-gray dress, balanced by the white plush shawl for a unified tone.

The venue chosen was a park near water with bamboo groves and stone steps. The first set by the wooden chairs near the water utilized late afternoon natural backlight, with sunlight hitting the plush shawl's edges to create a soft halo. For the second set seated on stone benches, I rested the yueqin against a stone pillar and leaned forward slightly, revealing leg lines beneath the skirt—a posture more relaxed than holding the lute, fitting the gentle custom design mood. The bamboo forest set leaned into dark moodiness, swapping props for a round silk fan and using bamboo shadows to create half-side lighting, capturing Ruan Mei's cool, detached yet gently accessible nature in Chinese-style photography.

The advantage of custom design cosplay lies in avoiding rigid adherence to fixed game poses, allowing free expression based on props and scenery. Though lugging heavy cosplay props around gardens was exhausting and the plush shawl added warmth, finding that perfect golden hour angle—where sunlight hits hair highlights or wind rustles pink branches on the yueqin—made every preparation worth it. Through this set, I hope you feel Ruan Mei through my eyes: a vibrant, vivid, and grounded character portrait.