[Shimoe Koharu Cosplay] Blue Archive Pure White Oath: Sweetness and Detail Complementing Each Other

For Shimoe Koharu's Pure White Oath look in Blue Archive, I felt during the preparation stage that it possessed quite rich levels of detail. Before doing this cosplay, I repeatedly confirmed the original color scheme, noticing that while light pink and white dominate overall, the contrasting design of the dark blue necktie alongside black bows and ribbons is the key to preventing the entire look from appearing floaty or weightless.

When doing the cosplay, the wig featured twin-tails; besides trimming the bangs for natural hair texture, the transparent pink halo atop the head served as the core prop brightening the overall atmosphere. For this shoot, we selected a pink backdrop board in the same color tone, maximizing light diffusion onto the costume to present a dense, soft color tone before the camera lens.

During studio shooting, I chose this white feather back piece that remains lightweight yet structured, along with ruffled sleeves. The separate sleeve cuff design ensured arm movements weren't constricted by the outfit when posing, making it easier to naturally restore that playful yet slightly tsundere personality. Although the black ribbon wrapping details across the body took considerable effort to put on and take off, they genuinely added immense depth to the costume layering.

During filming, to fully display the dark blue floral decorations at the skirt bottom alongside textures of the white tights and white high heels, we used indoor softboxes plus reflectors. The seated pose shown in the pictures strongly highlights the purity brought by the white tights, while a bouquet of mixed blue-and-pink hydrangeas placed by my feet provided a wonderful visual extension to the composition.

Preparing this set of photos, we paid special attention to makeup as well. Since the character leans towards a clear, adorable feel, I intentionally softened contouring shadows, instead applying a moderate area of blush beneath the eyes and across the cheeks. Paired with light-colored contact lenses, this made the gaze look brighter and purer, grounding the vast expanses of white and pink in the outfit.

Shooting for over an hour in the studio, the hardest part was quickly switching between sitting and standing poses without rumpling the skirt. This skirt consists of multi-layered stacked tulle, which easily gets creased underneath when sitting. Thus, with every pose change, I had to manually adjust the skirt's spread arc to guarantee optimal photo results. Choosing to take off my shoes and set them aside in the picture actually made my overall state look more relaxed and natural.

When executing this work, I habituated to staying as close to the character's original demeanor as possible—not just standing upright, but actions like casually sitting on the ground playing with the bouquet or glances touching the chin conveyed Shimoe Koharu's distinct gentleness and modesty. Standing poses with hands gently clasped at the chest like in Photo 2 directly presented the dark blue neckline bow, shoulder-neck lines, and white tube-top design.

During this shoot, the photographer gave plenty of movement suggestions, namely minimizing forced poses. Because the Pure White Oath costume itself comes with a massive skirt train and feathered back wings, overly stiff posing would look somewhat jarring against the background. Conversely, poses like sitting cross-legged with a side glance in Photo 1 captured a sense of effortless agility when snapped by the lens.

Given the solid background and bright color scheme, I deliberately preserved a bit of the airy ambiance created during lighting during post-processing retouching, without cranking contrast too high. Shifting overall color grading slightly toward warm pink made the white tights look smoother while preventing dark blue flowers and black ribbons from appearing overly dreary.

Browsing through the entire photo set in the end, I chose my three favorite shots to share. From cute standing poses to relaxed sitting stances, everyone can see the varying visual effects this cosplay brings from different angles. Although this outfit appears dreamy and pure white on the surface, every strap and floral decoration involves meticulously crafted details during making and wearing. I hope this presentation resonates with the innocence and charm of Shimoe Koharu that everyone feels in the original work.