Getting Convention Ready: Rewearing a Costume Multiple Times at the Con

There are a lot of reasons to re-wear a costume multiple times during the same convention! You may be a new cosplayer with only one costume to wear, or a seasoned cosplayer who knows that re-wearing an outfit makes it easier to find photos later. Whatever the reason, you should take some steps to make sure that your costume isn’t going to get ruined, smelly or dirty over the weekend!

Preventative Measures
Do this every day to help make sure your costume stays clean, and you stay smelling good! These preventative measures can be used even if you aren’t re-wearing the costume.

• Make sure the costume is clean before wearing it (wash it if necessary)
• Wear clean underclothes, and pack clean underclothes for each day
• Wear a slip or lightweight breathable undershirt, to keep sweat from getting to your costume
• Wear an antiperspirant deodorant, and reapply throughout the day as needed
• Shower before wearing the costume
• If you are wearing the costume and applying makeup, use a towel to prevent powdered makeup from falling onto your clothes.
• If you are wearing full body makeup, make sure that your makeup is sealed to prevent it from rubbing off on your costume - and the rest of the convention!

During the Day
While you are wearing the costume, there are some steps you can take to prevent it from getting overly dirty or smelly.

• If you are eating, be careful to not spill it on your costume.
• If you plan to sit outside, avoid sitting in areas where you may dirty or stain your costume. Bringing a blanket/towel to sit on can help you avoid dirty and grass stains.
• As Preventative Measures mentioned, reapply deodorant throughout the day as needed.
• If you stain your costume, use tide-to-go or another stain remover to help get it out quickly.

Late Night
If you plan to be up all night, give your costume a break. It’s also good to change out of the costume if you plan to attend the rave/dance parties for various reasons.

It’s pretty common for people to hang out in pajamas, kigurumi, regular clothes, or stripped down versions of costumes for late night events!

If you don’t want to ditch the costume, just make sure you take it off at some point so you can do the steps in “Overnight”

Overnight
When you do take your costume off, here is what you can do to get it ready for the next day:

• Wash the costume in the sink or bathtub. Just spot clean any stains, or sweaty areas as needed.
• Spray the costume down with Febreeze or another anti-odor spray, to keep it smelling fresh
• Hang your costume by a open window, to help air it out. Separate the pieces so any sweat doesn’t get trapped.
• Prepare new underclothes, shirt or slip, socks, and anything else that can be changed for the next day.
• Have a shower! Even if you don’t smell, cons can be a dirty environment (remember there are hundreds of people, some who did not wash their hands) and often a hot enviroment (you’re probably going to sweat a little during a con) and a shower will keep you clean
• Inspect your costume for damages, and use your fix-kit to fix them.

Just in Case
Sometimes the worst happens: your costume gets extremely dirty, it rips and can’t be fixed, or you find out it’s just extremely uncomfortable. Just in case, pack an extra costume, change of clothes, or both! You don’t want your con to be ruined because the cosplay didn’t work out!

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