[Sandrone Cosplay] Genshin Impact: The Classical Glance Back of the Puppet Clockwork Princess

This set of Sandrone's costume took nearly three weeks of adjustments from patterning to final fitting. Being able to present it completely today in an indoor venue with a classical dome and spiral staircase feels really reassuring.

Sandrone's costume design in Genshin Impact has a very strong visual impact. To restore that gorgeous yet slightly Cthulhu-esque mechanical atmosphere, the customized details of the clothing are extremely rich. What attracts me most about this mass product is the large backless design combined with a dark high collar. To keep the back from looking monotonous, I intentionally put effort into the complex mechanical-looking device at the waist, layering textures with golden frames, blue gemstones, and red ribbons. The cutting of the skirt hem was the most headaches-inducing part of the entire prop and costume production. To achieve the effect of intertwined black, white, and red colors drooping in irregular petals, a large amount of stiff organza was used at the bottom to support the shape, with a train length close to two meters. Only in this way can the skirt spread out naturally when sitting on the stairs, completely enveloping the steps.

When shooting these photos, the hardest part was actually the sitting posture and arm support. Because the petticoat takes up a lot of volume, finding balance while sitting on the stone steps required continuous core engagement, otherwise it was very easy to fall backward. That dark flared sleeve cover and white gloves also posed quite a restriction on movements. Therefore, in front of the lens, I deliberately reduced large body movements, relying more on slight finger curls and head turns to convey a feeling where machinery and vitality coexist. The light golden bob wig is very prone to looking flat and collapsed. Every time before adjusting my sitting posture on the stairs, I had to ask the logistics team to help re-fluff the hair strands to ensure the layering on the back.

The ambient lighting is crucial for the presentation of this costume. Clothes with strong black-and-white contrast are very demanding on lighting; if the lighting is too flat, the black parts easily become dead black, while the white parts overexpose. This shoot utilized the tall glass windows in the venue as the main light source, matched with soft backlighting coming from the side, which just perfectly outlined the golden trimming on the edges of the costume and the contours of the hair accessories. For the base makeup, I used a clean matte texture, paired with blue eyes and red lips, pulling the visual focus back to the face.

The first photo leans towards interacting with the lens using the gaze, while the second one is looking down at the hands. In terms of composition, I deliberately chose a high-angle overhead view, using the diagonal lines of the stairs to guide the line of sight. This not only completely captures the huge trailing skirt hem, but also evokes the solemn atmosphere of the retro court through the extension of the frame. The entire shooting process was actually quite physically demanding; just wearing and putting on all these accessories caused me to sweat quite a bit. However, seeing that the texture of the costume materials and the light-and-shadow quality were all preserved in the final photos, it makes all that effort feel completely worthwhile.