Dragon Con was a lot of fun this year. Sure, I missed some events and photo shoots, but I saw lots of costumes and met cool people.

I’m going to list some of my favorites from Dragon Con 2008:

Favorite Group: No question…G.I. Joe. This group was based on the cartoon/comics not the crappy black uniforms of the forthcoming live action movie. Lady Jaye was my favorite when I was a girl. I know, Scarlett was ‘the’ chick, but Jaye was my favorite.

Favorite Craftsmanship: Medina from the Zelda games. She wore the hat most of the weekend. When I spoke with her and Link, they said they carved foam, insulation I think, for the headgear. It is light and comfortable with straps and shaping sorta of like a hard hat. They then painted and distressed it appropriately.

Favorite No-Fuss: The Buy More folks. This trio was friendly and just as excited about ‘Chuck’ as I am. Throughout the weekend I saw a few other people in the green Buy More polo. This costume is easy to put together and well received by fans.

Favorite Childhood Memory: Jem. Why not the Misfits too? No reason really. I just prefer Jem’s sparkles to the Misfit’s neon. Both groups were willing to pose for my camera, thank you. You might recall I toyed with the idea of a Jem costume. After seeing these lovely ladies I’m glad I didn’t try it.

Favorite Prosthetics: Professor Snape. I’m not putting down all the elves and Klingons and what-not with this choice, I’m praising Snape. She did a great job on the costume as a whole, wearing the trademark dragon-hide gloves and long black cape. What makes this incredible are the face prosthetics. Her make up blending and facial hair put her work over the top. Great job.

Favorite Hero: Donna Troy/Troia/Wonder Girl (1). Donna has never been high on my list story or character-wise, but this costume rocks. I’ve seen a lot of women try to pull off this look but none have succeeded as well as this young lady. Perfect unitard. Great star and bracelet work. Just great.

Favorite Cartoon: Back with the Joes. They win twice. Heehee.

Favorite Sci-Fi: Col. Tigh. This one was a hard choice. There were aliens and troopers and Trek and so much to see. In the end, Tigh sold it. He looked like he needed that flask. The Andorians get an honorable mention because I think Jeffrey Combs is awesome.

Favorite Pose: Superman and Batman. I love the staging of it. Great shot.

Favorite Parade Costume: Tie between Kuzco and Zod. Both of them really played to the crowds. Kuzco had the self-centered act down pat. His dancing was a sight to behold. Zod (I only snapped his campaign vehicle) demanded obedience and votes. Kneel before Zod in 2008. It was a fun choice for the parade.

Favorite Dragon Con Costume: There were a lot of costumes I didn’t capture. For example, Munky’s Rogue was really impressive. There was ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ Audrey that I just missed. I’m going with Arthur. It takes a lot of courage to wear leotards, and he did with confidence. Plus, sidekick. No one ever wants to be the sidekick. Three cheers to Arthur!

There ya have it. That Costume Girl’s favorite costumes from Dragon Con 2008. Still more to come from the D*C vaults.

Dragon Con is over and everyone is home. It was a great weekend with lots of really awesome costumes. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this if Costume Craze hadn’t helped. I’m just sorry it didn’t turn out as planned.

Sunday night we went to the Wolf Pack Elite party. It was pretty intense and completely different from the Shindig. The WPE had a drawing based on a sci-fi logo game. Two of the logos had me stumped and I didn’t complete the answers. About three minutes after I turned in my incomplete form I figured out the two logos. Oh well. They also had the presentation of their costume awards. Munky, the young lady that introduced me to the WPE, was recognized for her Queen Gorgo dress. I wish I could have gotten a picture of her. She looked stunning.

After the party we continued our sweep for costumes. While canvasing the Marriot bar we accidentally ended up in line for another Dr. Horrible screening. It was nice to see another screening, but the group in charge was not prepared for the show. It needs work if they’re going to try again next year.

The trip back was a little longer than the trip down. I’m still going through the my card looking for usable pictures. I haven’t cracked open MWP’s card yet. Stay tuned for lots of pictures.

ThatCostumeGirl’s Dragon Con 2008 Gallery

Saturday afternoon was a bust for me. My camera died at the beginning of the Stargate panel. I’m sorry folks. There was an Ultimate Kitty Pryde there I wanted a picture of. Most of that afternoon went pictureless. I didn’t get a back-up camera until just before the Whedon Shindig. It’s strange using someone’s camera.

We helped set up for the Shindig then went up to the room to put on the EMT costumes. As always, they got a great response from the party goers. The bands were appropriately folksy. There was a large gathering of Rivers dancing in the corner. I tried to take lots of pictures for the Browncoat yearbook. I don’t know how many turned out yet.

We left the party early to scout for costumes. I had hoped that a late night scavenge might make up for the dead afternoon. Our reflective tape ruined most of the pictures people took. We call it Troning pictures.

Sunday morning brought out Kitty Pryde. The shoulders turned out a little wide and my gloves looked wonky, but I liked it. ManWithPez decided on wearing his Ariel EMT costume. Lo Pan played with my gloves. I shook hands with Avery Brooks. It was shaping up to be better than Saturday.

Off to find the Wolf Pack Elite party.

ThatCostumeGirl’s Dragon Con 2008 Gallery

Well folks, Thursday marks the beginning of the 2008 Dragon Con adventure.

My plan for this year was to bring Kitty Pryde (your voting selection), updated Wonder Girl, Wonder Girl armor, and my Ariel EMT costume. What actually will happen is still up in the air because the armor is unfinished. I ran into more yield signs than I expected. Pattern making is not my strong point and the costume has suffered for it. I still have hope though. I’ll keep that list of four costumes and add the Dr. Horrible groupie to the end.

I was also working on costumes for ManWithPez. His list included Yorick Brown, Ariel EMT, Spider-Sense Spider-Man, and the ever lovable Seymour Krelborn. Again with the hitches. Yorick is finished and ready to go. The EMT and Seymour were previously completed. The Spider-sense mask has befuddled me. I’m not a seamstress so a spandex mask that covers only half a face is tricky for me to figure out. Again, I have not lost hope. We have added Dr. Horrible to his costume trunk for D*C.

Last you read the Dr. Horrible costume was giving me fits. Mostly due to poor shipping procedures and bad online shops. No more worry my friends. The box of goggles arrived just a few minutes ago. They are pine green. We’ll paint and distress them before Thursday. The lab coat was also troublesome. I picked up the Mad Scientists costume and made some alterations (still in process). All the black buttons have been removed and white buttons procured, more than a foot of length has been cut, slits have been added to the sides, and double vents have been created on the back. The only thing I don’t care for is the chalk white starkness of the polyester coat. No time to test dyes this time around.

I made a Kitty glove! All on my own. It looks a little wonky because I sewed it by hand. I like it. Now that I know I can do it I’ll sew the other glove. Too bad I couldn’t track down a purple dragon. Sigh.

All in all I’m pretty pleased with taking four costumes each. Keep your fingers crossed that I can manage the armor in three days. Heh. When I get a break from the needle and thread I’ll grab the camera and add some pics for you.

I’ll keep you posted.

Carnival. It brings to mind Rio dancers, New Orleans floats, and the spectacle of Mardi Gras. This time think Brit.

The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual street party, the largest in Europe, that takes place during the August Bank Holiday.

This year’s Carnival is August 24-25th. Over the two days, 1.5 million people will take to the streets. A whopping 7,500 participants will entertain the masses. Three hundred food stalls will serve Caribbean treats. That doesn’t’ count the more than seven thousand police and 200 medical staff keeping everyone safe.

The Carnival was started in 1964 to help ease race relations in an ever melting London. A large number of Caribbean immigrants had set up new lives and brought with them tangy food and steel drum beats. A local street party organizer had the idea to tailor the event to the growing Trinidad population. It’s grown every year since, only getting official support in the 80s.

The Carnival opens Sunday with Children’s Day. It’s a family friendly event that showcases the youth. The parades, the bands, the dancers are all under 21. These kids don’t take the easy way, oh no, their costumes and dances are just as intricate and mind blowing as the adults taking the street on Monday. About 30 million sequins, 15,000 feather plumes, and 30 liters of body paint cover the thousands people.

Music and food are just as important as the spectacle at this event. The parades have hundreds of musicians marching. Bands and singers line the streets. Steel drums started it all, but the scene now includes reggae, r&b, and ska. The food vendors serve jerk meats, lots of plantains, and of course the British staple, curries.

The Notting Hill Carnival theme for 2008 is “Welcoming the World.” It represents China’s handover of the Olympics to London. Go have fun. Dance and eat well. Most importantly, dress for the spectacle.

Photo credits: MyVillage, KOCIAK, MyVillage, MyVillage, Haldon, and MyVillage. Links to their profiles and websites can be found in the gallery.