Xena Warrior Princess was an extremely formative show for me as a kid and I always wanted to be her so, when I started cosplaying she was on my list but it took a few years before I felt like I could tackle her and in 2013 , it was time to attempt cosplay armor ( details below.) I debuted Xena at Sakuracon 2013 and then, 2 years later I competed with her at Rad Con and ended up winning my first craftsmanship award for Best Journeyman! I had been competing with skits for a couple years but, this cosplay was the first craftsmanship win AND first solo win.

The dress is made with half a hide of real garment weight leather and about 150 metal studs attaching the skirt pieces. I used the Butterick B4254 corset pattern as a starting point and it….worked? I did not know how to fit things and this pattern was not a good base for my body which led to me needing to modify the dress a couple times after finishing. The armour is a base of WonderFlex with a large amount of epoxy sculpt molded onto it to make all of the designs. The bracers and armbands are made from off cuts of a thicker hide with more epoxy sculpt used directly onto the leather for the detailing. To say this cosplay was a learning experience is an understatement. I truly want to remake this cosplay someday with leveled up skills.

Callisto is Sage Bell

First 3 Photos by SmallRiniLady, Next 1 by Jason DeSomer