This studio session finally brought Kurumi Tsuchimikado (Hu Tao cosplay) from NARAKA: BLADEPOINT to life, featuring her iconic Otaku Lameng styling. From wig styling and custom costume tailoring to prop curation, the entire preparation took nearly a full month. Now that the final cuts are here, I couldn't wait to share the results with you all!
Let's start with the costume itself. To recreate her lively, agile, yet subtly mystical aura as a Fox-eared girl, this outfit features a pure white base accented by contrasting gold and crimson tones. The halter-neck top showcases subtle jacquard embroidery that read exquisitely under the studio strobes. The oversized red Chinese frog knot and tassels on the chest served as the defining highlight, swaying gently with every movement to create a captivating dynamic feel. The wide obi sash was crafted from a structured golden material featuring embossed relief patterns, which, layered with red braided cords and knotted ties, instantly established rich visual depth.
The wig is extra-long and silvery-white; upon arrival it was slightly frizzy, so it took hours of careful brushing and styling to set the foundation. The gradient black-and-grey fox ears were also extremely sensitive to angles; to ensure the ears seamlessly blended with the headpiece, we used numerous pins and bobby pins, and halfway through shooting I kept worrying they might slip off. But the final result turned out truly lifelike and spirited—paired with the massive, fluffy tail, it felt like stepping right out of the game.
Now for the White stockings that everyone pays close attention to. White stockings are notoriously unforgiving with studio lighting—slight miscalculations can easily make legs look bulky. This time, the photographer set up multiple lights dedicated specifically to sculpting soft rim highlights along the legs. To showcase leg contours and fabric texture at their best, I tested several postures: slightly popping one hip while standing, and crossing my legs while seated. This elongated vertical proportions while creating a gorgeous harmony between the tall White stockings and the crimson leg ribbons. While the traditional geta clogs looked lovely, the stiff wooden soles made balancing difficult during standing shots, making it quite an endurance test for my feet!
For props, we utilized an oil-paper umbrella and a colorful folding fan. The soft pink canopy of the paper umbrella harmonized unexpectedly well with the white garments, imparting a gentle, poetic ambiance in hand. The folding fan was illustrated with gradient auspicious cloud patterns, whose rich hues perfectly balanced the starkness of monochrome white attire. Adjusting the fan poses took several rounds—keeping it from occluding the face while maintaining chest silhouettes demanded surprising hand and forearm endurance.
Studio shoots are always a completely different world compared to outdoor con photography. There is no natural breeze in the studio; to simulate floating movement, the silk ribbons and skirt hem required an assistant waving fans frantically off-camera or me spinning in place. Furthermore, the enclosed studio grew stifling—bundled in such intricate layers topped with a heavy wig, I began sweating within an hour. But seeing the interplay of light, shadow, and rim lighting along the hair strands made all the hustle worthwhile. Kurumi is that quirky, mischievous, yet battle-hardened archetype in the game. When channeling her expression, I sharpened my gaze while keeping a subtle smirk of playfulness—I wonder if that came through to you in these photos!
Overall, the polish of this Hu Tao cosplay achieved what I envisioned. For any shortcomings, I'll refine them next time—such as tucking the side locks more snugly or tailoring the kimono hem to better accommodate dynamic movement. I truly adore this process of painstakingly refining a character, bringing 2D concept art step-by-step into reality and immortalizing it through the lens. I hope fans of Kurumi and NARAKA: BLADEPOINT enjoy this Otaku Lameng set!