The Witcher 3 Yennefer DLC Alternate Outfit Cosplay Help

Hey everyone! It has been a while since I blogged anything and usually its for tv shows and movies, but this time its my own cosplay guide. I have been putting together the costume myself and I thought I would share the resources that I found and used for creating Yennefer's alternate costume. I will also post the images I used for reference to create this outfit. As for the sewing, I only did a little myself as I found a local seamstress near me who is affordable to make some of the parts. Here is some of the links that I used as reference for on to start.

- https://www.ravenstarcosplay.com/2015/09/15/yennefer-of-vengerberg-dlc-costume-tutorial/
- https://fjalladis.de/en/making-of-2/yennefer-dlc-outfit-making-of/

First for my version of the outfit, I decided not to go for the scarf as when I would be wearing it was in August so I didn't want to overheat myself. The fabrics I got from fabricland that related the most to the colours that is in the outfit. Please note that the top colour is hard to match unless you dye it. It is just easier to find something that matches instead.

So the fabrics you use will have to use your judgement on what you want to spend on it and how close you can get it to match. For me I got most of it on sale and the fabrics where around $60 CDN for me. I did later on add some more stuff which added another $20 CDN for the total cost.  I also got some bias tape for the outside of the skirt, to cover the feathers on the top, and for the ribbons around the forearms. You will probably also need some Elastics to connect some parts together and to give you that movement you need. You need at least 3 different colours of thread, one being heavy duty for the corset. The wig, you can pick up from ebay. Just search "the witcher yennefer wig".

For the corset, this is based on what you want to do and what you are comfortable in. It is hard to find one that is similar to what Yennefer has, in addition to being affordable. So I opted to make my own instead due to I can control how it fits on me and its cheaper. I did buy a very close leather for the corset and boot covers. In addition I did get some leather string for the corset as well. I found that my local fabric store at them at a decent price and I could get the length that I wanted. You can get cheaper on ebay if you can't find the leather string at a location near you. You will also need a pattern if you don't buy it or have someone make it for you. I found this video helpful, in addition to one of the links I posted above.

Next is the Top. As I mentioned above, I did find a local seamstress to make the top part for me, but I can at least say what she did. For the fabric, I got the closest match I could get without having to dye it as I am not comfortable dying fabric just yet. I believe I have about 2 meters of fabric for the top and it was barely enough to finish it. So I would recommend getting at least 3 meters to be safe.
 For the feathers, I found some on Amazon that were affordable, but they took at least 1 MONTH AND 2 WEEKS to get here in Canada due to being stuck in customs. So order your feathers first and plan to wait awhile for them to arrive. Even if the seller has an express option, they CAN'T control how long customs holds them. I personally ordered 2 packages and that seemed to be enough plus extra. Here is a video on how to sew feathers on.

The necklace I ordered from Amazon as well and it arrived in good time. You can also order from ebay, but I personally like ordering from amazon when I can.

For the Skirt, make sure you get a good sturdy fabric that isn't too light. You don't want it blowing everywhere. When it is sewed together, make sure the fabric is on both side to give it that look and durability you need. You can get bias tape to outline the skirt, which is about 2 -3 meters, but ask someone at your local fabric store for assistance if you are not sure. The number above is a guess as I can't remember how much I got. You will need hooks for the skirt so it is easy for you to take it on and off. My skirt starts at my waist and goes to my knees. There is a front panel and 2 back ones that meet at the butt. As for the black skirt, this is where you can save money if you want. There is 3 options for this. 1, make it yourself so it fits the way you want. 2 - buy it brand new from a store or the internet. 3 - buy from a thrift store. I got my skirt for 4.99 CDN plus tax from a thift store and it fits perfectly. In addition, if you buy from a thrift store, you don't spend a lot and then won't feel like you wasted money if you have to cut or fix it to fit what you want.

image from https://www.deviantart.com/isavien/art/Yennefer-boots-WIP-609734834

Now the Boots. This is where you have to decide what you are comfortable with spending and wearing. You can choose to buy a pair of boots that are similar to what Yennefer wears, modify an existing pair, or make boot covers. I did a combination of boot covers and modify what I already had from my previous cosplay. I used the same fabric from the corset and used it to create the base for the boots covers to go onto of my existing boot. I had leftover black leather from a previous cosplay what I used for the top part and the black strips. You will need to buy some black leather like fabric for the boots covers if you plan on building it. The covers also require elastic for some movement and to keep it attached to the boot. For mine, the elastics went at the heel and under the boot. In addition to around the ankle so it is easier for me to put on. Please note that it is important for the cover itself to have space around the knee so you can still bend your knee and sit comfortably. I found with this way, I could still walk but I didn't have complete full range movement of my leg. As for the black strips, I sewed it in various places to hold it in place. You can use the image above as reference for placement.

Finally all the little details that go into the costume itself. This refers to the belts, lace on top of boot, the metal things on the knees, and gloves. For the lace, there is 2 options, one you can buy stockings with lace on top, or buy Elastic Lace Anti-Slip Thigh Bands. Personally I don't like the feel of stockings so I went with the Thigh bands instead. Try to get the size you will think best and then use hooks or safety pins to help it fit correctly. I also sewed mine to size to help hold it to my leg as it moves around a bit when you walk and wasn't sure if the safety pins alone could do it. I did have a little trouble with the lace as sometimes the silicon on the top of the bands wouldn't hold and it would slide down. So I was fixing it here and there. For like 70% of the time it worked once I found a good spot it would stay. 

For the arm bands, I got a black satin bais tape, about 1 - 1.5 meters and sewed the edges together to give me a solid band. For the runic symbols on the band, I choose to go with a white fabric paint from Michaels. I found that amazon didn't have much affordable options, you might want to go to your local craft store for this item. To paint it, all you really need is a thin paint brush which you can get from your local dollar store. For the runic symbols, I got an image from one of the link above that I posted in the beginning. I saved the image and used it for reference. Once painted and dried, you can sew it to the forearms of the costume. It is important to pin it in place while wearing it before you begin sewing to get that shape it has when you are wearing. You don't want it too tight and placed nicely. You will need an extra pair of hands to help you place it. You can also use the images to reference below on how it's placed on the arms. Once pinned, I hand sewed it in at various points to hold the shape and decrease the chances of it moving on me.

Next is the more tricky part, the silver parts on Yennefer's outfit. There is a lot of different ways you can do it, but in the end it is what is possible in your budget to make it. In addition to what is your comfort level working with this stuff. Me, I don't know what to work, so craft foam seemed like an easier option. I actually haven't worked with craft foam before, so this is my first attempt. I got some sheets (about 2) of craft foam from my local craft store Michaels, in grey since what was my base colour for all the silver items. I bought a silver metallic paint for paint it with to make it seem more metal like. Since my craft foam is thin, I had to attach the 2 sheets together to get a certain thickness. For more help on how to do the designs on the knee pieces, this video by JakCosplay is really helpful and includes a template you can use to make it. Mine didn't turn out as great as I painted it, but I did use a grey marker to help pop the details out. To attach to it the boots I used double sided Velcro, attached horizontally. This gave me the movement I needed and held it nicely.

For the diamonds on the belt, I used a single sheet on the craft foam and cut the shapes out using scissors and painted them. I put on 2 coats of paint to make sure it really shined. Same process for the circles on the boots as well. Similar process for the circles but I painted the sheet of foam first in 2 layers of paint before cutting. I cut out strips first and then cut into pieces where I proceeded to cut circles out by hand. Once I had the circles cut out, I hot glued it to the boots and the black strips I made for them. This actually came out nice to look at, but not the strongest to stay on. I had issues with the circles falling off if something banged into them. Glue might have worked better.

With the belts, I found that 1 I could buy and the other needed to be made. The belt that goes around the waist and corset, I actually found at a thift store that looked similar enough and was the right size for the price of $9.99 CDN. Thrift stores are your friend when doing cosplay. For the brown belt around Yennefer's hips, I had no luck finding one that looked similar or at a good price. So I had to resort to buying the fabric and belt buckle and have it custom made. I did glue craft foam at the end for the metal part.

For the gloves, I just used the same fabric from the skirt and used this video tutorial to help me make it. Just give yourself extra time and space for these as it is tough to get it right. It can be either too baggy or too tight. Also remember that her gloves are a bit open at the bottom, so leave room for that when tracing. I didn't do much details on the gloves because I was running out of time and mine were a little tight around one of my fingers.

I hope this helps you when working on Yennefer's outfit for your cosplay. I am in no way a professional cosplayer, I just enjoy doing it once a year for Fan Expo and I know for someone trying to make it, guides do help give you an idea. I did have the help of a seamstress to make a lot of the parts, which is great if you are good at sewing or using a sewing machine. The price point for all the materials is about max $150 - 160 CDN. If you don't want to make it and looking for someone to make it, there is options on etsy, or you can use the link for reference when making the outfit as they do take a lot of photos from different angles. I will leave additional images below you can use for reference. Good luck!

My version of the outfit.