[Xishi Cosplay] The Pearl of the Water Town in Honor of Kings: Blue-and-White Outfit Under the Sun

This time, I finally had the opportunity to do a shoot with this blue and white color scheme outfit in an outdoor environment with lush greenery. Looking at the outfit I'm wearing, it's actually a sleeveless modified mandarin collar design with a small bow decoration on the chest. The collar edges and waistlines feature inverted V-shaped geometric embellishments, with silver leaf-pattern patches and blue-and-white rhinestones along the borders. The overall feel is very clean and translucent. This blue-and-white palette costume really tests fabric texture under natural light, but luckily the light turned out soft in the finished shots, without letting the dark wig swallow the contours of my facial features.

When styling hair and makeup this time, beyond standard base makeup and clear lip color, the key focus was actually on eye contours and false eyelashes. Wearing light-colored contact lenses made my gaze look more nimble, which, paired with this black wig featuring subtle blue highlights on top, naturally brought out the overall demeanor. As for hair accessories, the dark blue hair ribbon at the top connects two long light-blue tassels with small hanging bead strands. When the wind blows, the gentle sway of the tassels adds a lot of dynamic charm. Although it was very sunny that day, the strong light actually helped us capture a dreamy, slightly overexposed atmosphere outdoors.

The shooting location was a park with blue-gray stone steps, surrounded by abundant green plants. Dappled light and shadows falling on my body formed a very comfortable visual contrast with the cool color tones of the costume. Standing before the stone steps in this outfit, turning sideways slightly to pose with one hand casually raised easily captured a natural state of the character. The looking-back close-up shot offers another perspective, clearly showing the wig's layers and facial contouring.

This entire set is actually a classic fusion of Traditional Chinese style cosplay and modern design. The top's tailoring is form-fitting, paired with semi-transparent arm guards and an asymmetrical skirt hem, giving the overall look a flowing elegance even in static poses. Every time I cosplay this kind of character, I spend a lot of time styling the hair and adjusting accessory positions—especially keeping tassels and hair strands neat on both sides so they don't look messy. Holding a fan or making small hand gestures helps make the character feel more alive. Lighting for Outdoor photography is indeed great, but adjusting lights and reflectors required constant coordination with the photographer. Direct sunlight at certain angles can easily make facial features look flat or cause forehead glares, requiring us to constantly touch up makeup during breaks.

To recreate the character's feel, I deliberately picked a wig hair color that shimmers with a subtle luster under sunlight rather than looking flat black. Moreover, the costume fabric is very light and breathable, which allowed me to sustain a long shoot in the heat of midsummer. When cosplaying an ethereal character, the worst fear is a heavy wig breaking immersion. So when picking hair fibers, I specifically chose a lighter, fluffier style so the head weight wouldn't strain my neck, allowing me to try more varied expressions.

Although the skirt hem of this look appears crisp and light, it actually uses quite a bit of fabric stacked in layers; my legs felt pretty sore after standing for a long time. However, the flaw doesn't obscure the jade—the final result is quite satisfying. For this character's setting, I also studied her gestures and movements on my own, striving to convey a subtle strength within gentleness. During shooting breaks, with gentle breezes swaying hair and tassels while sunlight filtered through leaves onto the ground, the atmosphere felt truly comforting. It was a truly fulfilling shooting experience; turning original 2D or game artwork into real-life photography makes every detail worth researching.

In terms of light treatment, we intentionally preserved certain highlights to create a natural bloom effect. Compared to the overall composition of the first half-body photo, the second close-up shot showcases the wig's layering and delicate facial makeup nicely. A big advantage of Outdoor photography is the rich lighting variation—as long as you find the right angle, the body presents a natural three-dimensional quality. Although we encountered sudden mosquitoes and insects during the shoot, plus oily skin requiring constant touch-ups, seeing these final photos made all the effort feel worthwhile. This cool, pure blue-and-white color palette offers great space for post-production in both wide scenes and close-ups, and I wanted to preserve this translucent feel and vitality under sunlight as much as possible.

Regarding on-site details, the beads on the headpiece were actually strung by hand, so they couldn't be pulled forcefully during shooting. The shooting process went very smoothly, and the overall atmosphere was spot-on. Not only was the costume fabric fitting, but even the skirt's layering was displayed perfectly under sunlight. Once everything was ready, the photographer captured just the right feeling. This is my brief share regarding this piece, and I hope this outfit and scene convey the atmosphere I aimed for.