Cosplaying is the new black. It once used to be the preserve of ultra-nerds, but it’s now fashionable and commonplace. Whereas it used to be the case that people only ever dressed up as their favorite fictional character for Halloween – or possibly for a themed fancy dress party – people are now finding excuses to play dress-up all year round. It’s become a big business – you only need to look at how many people turn up in fancy dress to Comic-Con to see how mainstream cosplaying is in the modern era. Comic-Con, by the way, is now a huge deal. You can’t argue that it’s solely the preserve of nerds now that two hundred thousand people turn up to the event.
If you want to make a big impression next time you require a fancy dress costume, you could do a lot worse than taking the Lara Croft route. The star of the ‘Tomb Raider’ video game franchise is returning to the big screen next year, and so she’ll be in the news and on television a lot. She’s also still riding high on the popularity of the most recent ‘Tomb Raider’ video game, ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider,’ which was released during 2018.
We say ‘returning’ like Lara is making a comeback, but in real terms, she’s never been away. She’s been featured in multiple video games since she made her debut in 1995, and has also starred in three previous movies, including two where she was played by Angelina Jolie. Not only that, but she’s also a mobile slots star. There’s a bit of a crossover between videogamers and online slot games players, and so the ‘Lara Croft: Temples and Tombs’ game has been attracting plenty of bets on mobile slots websites since it was released in early 2019. Simply put, she’s an icon of our times. Not bad for someone who’s never existed in real life – although the fact that she’s fictional probably explains why she doesn’t appear to have grown a day older in the past 25 years!
With Lara costumes likely to be as ubiquitous as Harley Quinn costumes were around the time of ‘Suicide Squad’, if you’re going to play dress up as Lara, you’ll want your costume to better than the average. Fortunately for you, we’re here to help.
Here’s What You’ll Need:-
– A pair of solid boots (Doc Martens work well)
– Two toy guns
– Tube socks
– A tank top (blue, brown, gray, or green all work)
– Cargo shorts with pockets (brown)
– A canvas belt
– Fingerless gloves (motorcycle gloves will do just fine)
– Two tactical leg holsters (you may need to find a specialist military surplus store online for these)
Equip The Look
Your shirt goes on first, and should be tucked into your shorts. Note that you don’t need the top to be particularly tight. 90s Lara went for the ‘super tight’ look. The more recent incarnation of Lara, both as seen in the games and as played by Alicia Vikander in the films, favors practicality over looks. There’s nothing wrong with choosing a tight top if you want to mimic 90s Lara, but don’t feel like you have to!
The tube socks should go on next, and they’re followed by the holsters. Lara positions them as far up as they’ll go on her upper thighs. Make sure they’re nice and tight – nothing will ruin the look like your holsters falling down as you’re walking around – not to mention the fact that you’ll trip up over them! Keep the guns in the holsters. It means they’re less likely to get lost, and you’re less likely to get stopped by the police on your way to your destination!
Once the holsters are on, but the boots on and lace them up. Add the belt, and then put your gloves on. You’re 90% of the way there now – but we also need to talk about hair!
Getting The Hair Right
Lara Croft has a lot of hair. You may or may not have a lot of hair. If you don’t, you’ll probably need to order extensions or a wig. Whether you’re using a wig or your own hair, you’ll still need to style it accordingly. That won’t take you too long; while she has a lot of hair, she doesn’t do much with it. As we’ve said before, Lara Croft is a woman who favors function over fashion every time.
When she’s swinging through tombs, Lara Croft can’t afford to have her hair fall down across her face. It would be impractical! For that reason, she styles it into a single, long, braid. That means tying your hair tight, and putting it all behind you. One single French braid is enough to pull this off convincingly.
Whereas we’d also usually talk about makeup, if you’re putting together a Lara Croft costume that simply isn’t necessary. Lara isn’t a very ‘girly’ girl, and she works in hot, sweaty environments. Makeup isn’t something that crosses her mind, and wearing bright colors and too much eyeshadow would ruin the look. Ideally, go without it completely and head out with a natural look. If the thought of doing so horrifies you to your core, consider nude tones, and be as minimalistic as possible with them.
That’s about all there is to making a Lara Croft costume. You could also buy one pre-packaged from a costume store, but in all honesty there just isn’t a good reason to do so. It would likely cost you more money than buying the individual parts, and an outfit made from real clothes beats a cheap, mass-produced costume every time. You should be able to find all the parts you need (with the possible exception of the tactical leg holsters) from high street stores, and you shouldn’t need to break the bank in the process. When the look is complete, all you need to do is add one more element – sass! Lara is someone who never looks worried in any situation, so wear the outfit with pride, go out there and slay!
