Francesca DeCoster interview at Anime LA

Cosplay Connection is all about learning more about cosplayers and their journeys through cosplay, as well as providing cosplayers with tips and tricks of the hobby. Anime LA is a community-centered anime convention that brings a lot of incredible cosplayers to the Long Beach Convention Center. We connected with Francesca DeCoster and talked to her about cosplay tips as well as her personal experiences.

Cosplay Connection Interview with Francesca DeCoster

Cosplay, or “costume play,” is a fun way for convention-goers and those involved in fandoms to express themselves, be creative, and make new friends.

Francesca has been cosplaying for eight years. We asked if she prefers to make cosplay pieces herself or purchase them and piece things together. She said:

“So, I do a little bit of both. For the most part, though, my mom is the genius behind every single thing that I cosplay. And she’s teaching me to sew…but I also, I have no problem buying pieces. Like, I bought this dress that I’m wearing, but my mom made the bow.”

Francesca DeCoster cosplaying KiKi — Francesca DeCoster at Anime LA 18. Photo taken by Maddie Morrow.

Cosplay can be an expensive hobby and craft. Francesca has some tips for budgeting for cosplay.

“I would just say just keep looking around. Shop around and see what the best deal is if you’re going to buy your cosplay… You can check thrift stores. Checking thrift stores is great. You can check the swap meet. You can check a little bit of anywhere, and just try to color match. It doesn’t have to be thousands of dollars. It can look like thousands of dollars even if you don’t spend thousands of dollars.”

Maddie and Francesca DeCoster in cosplay — Maddie and Francesca at Anime LA 18. Photo taken by Jenna Wrenn.

At conventions, cosplayers are stopped for photos. We asked Francesca for some tips and best practices for posing for photos.

“So what I do, for poses for the characters, I will look up what their…maybe three signature poses are. And I’ll work on those and focus on those. And I know sometimes photographers, they’ll have poses they want you to do, but you have to make sure you set your boundary and you do those three poses you’ve practiced.”

You can follow Francesca DeCoster on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Maddie Morrow

Maddie Morrow (she/they) plays a vital role on the Temple of Geek Team. As a jack-of-all-trades and Creative Director, she actively participates in nearly every project and facet of the organization. From fostering community and interviewing on red carpets, to managing backend operations, Maddie contributes across almost every department. Find her on Instagram and TikTok at @maddie_whovian and on Twitter @mad_whovian
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Maddie Morrow

Maddie Morrow (she/they) plays a vital role on the Temple of Geek Team. As a jack-of-all-trades and Creative Director, she actively participates in nearly every project and facet of the organization. From fostering community and interviewing on red carpets, to managing backend operations, Maddie contributes across almost every department. Find her on Instagram and TikTok at @maddie_whovian and on Twitter @mad_whovian