Ventress Running Costume

I have a history with Asajj and costuming.  My first Asajj costume was the comic book version (not the Clone Wars version we're so used to seeing now).  Working on that project helped me learn an insane amount of skills and information I'd never had to look into before.  I learned to draft patterns from nothing and apply make-up and bald caps.  I'm still pretty darned proud of that costume even if it's not perfect.  Asajj helped me to learn new things about crafting, sewing, and art - as well as giving me an awesome, strong female villain that I could portray at conventions.

So let's see....awesome, strong female character at a time when I'm feeling anxious, depressed, scared and weak.  And I'm going to run a 10K.  In April.  When I thought about it, Asajj was a natural fit for this occasion.  She's a fighter.  She won't let someone put her in a corner or push her around.  She knows what she wants, and she goes out and gets it.  I like that.  I need that right now, so it just made sense.

I decided to go with a Clone Wars version of Asajj since she's "canon" now and quite recognizable.  The few friends that I've told this idea to have been amused and asked if I was running in a bald cap and full make-up.  The answer is first a giggle or a laugh from me which is then followed by a very emphatic "no".  I did a bald cap at Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando.  In August.  No.  Thank.  You.

So without a bald head or full make-up, I've been toying with ideas on how to design this and make it comfortable for running as well as recognizable.  It's been a bit of a challenge, but I think I'm up for it.  It's been forcing me to think outside the box quite a bit and even put some of my thoughts on the back-burner and simplify simplify simplify.

I'm basically doing this outfit from the "top down" - starting with the race day hat.  I picked up a white Headsweats hat from Amazon and a dual pack of purple Tulip fabric markers (one fine point, one brush tip) from Michael's.  I've never used fabric markers before, so this was a first.  I wanted the white hat for Asajj's bald head and skin tone, and then I painted the purple tatttoos onto the hat by hand.  Well, that was fun.  First of all, it's pretty darned difficult to find a good source picture for her tattoos.  By the time everything was said and done, I swore that Google images showed me 5 different versions of her tattoos from the Clone Wars series alone.  Finally, I found a good close-up image from an action figure, and I used that as my reference point.  If it's not accurate - who cares.  Seriously.

I sketched my outline by hand with a red lightsaber pencil (yes - I totally did), and then I went over it with the purple markers.  I managed the back part of the hat with little difficulty, and I created a pretty decent side tattoo, as well.  Then I realized that the other side would have to mirror this one identically...and I freaked out a bit.  I grabbed a piece of tissue paper leftover from Christmas, and I traced my design onto the paper.  Then I flipped the hat around, lined up my paper, and pushed my pencil through the tissue paper and transferred my design.

It wasn't an absolutely flawless plan.  It worked, yes - and for the most part it lined up.  The design is maybe off by .25 inches or so, and I see it as plain as day.  It annoys me a little, but then I had to think - will it matter later on when I'm sweating on a 10K course and I want to die?  Nope.  Probably not.  So I'm going to go with it and call it a "win"!  I even took it out to the community center for a test run, and it was a success!  No purple paint rubbed off on my hair or head, so it's a double "win"!

I figured the shirt was next on my list, and I had a really nice, short sleeve design laid out - but it would have required sewing and drafting my own pattern.  I figured I could probably do that with a bit of work, but then I realized something - I hate running in sleeves.  So I tried to then figure out if there was a recognizable way I could make this shirt work as a racerback tank top, how could I add the wrappings without being hot, etc.  I knew I could make a tank with no problem, but making one cool enough with those darned waist wrappings would just be difficult without me layering things or having too many itchy seams on my belly.  That didn't sound fun.

So I started looking for navy blue tanks on the internet to see if I could get any inspiration or new ideas, and I happened to run into a Nike racer tank on www.jcpenney.com that made me change the way I was looking at the problem.  It had the navy blue color I was needing, plus it had a wonderful purple accent color that swirled down the sides and then carried around to the back.  I figured, Awesome.  Navy blue for the shirt color.  Wide, open racerback sort of matches her open-backed shirt.  Her original wraps are a gray color with purple accents, and wrap all the way around her waist.  Okay, so there's no gray on this tank, but look, there's purple!  And it wraps all the way around my waist!  And the swirls kind of remind me of her head tattoos and it's on sale and I have gift cards and sold!

It then went on clearance the day my order came into the store.  Not happy about that, but it is what it is.  Thank you, five year old JCP gift cards!

The shorts were a fairly easy choice, though I've been debating on buying them for a while.  I hate to wear short shorts when running because - well - thighs.  I got 'em.  Most of the world has 'em.  And they rub.  "Chub rub" is the wonderful term I've been hearing the most when searching for running shorts.  I want to avoid that.  So I went with a pair of 7" inseam Under Armour Heatgear Shorts.  I picked the black and silver option because it was cheaper than all black, and they just came in the mail yesterday.  I tried them on last night, though, and there's a pair of rather itchy seams that go right down the inner thigh.  Probably not going to be very comfortable for me when running, so back to Amazon they go today.  Shorts will probably have to be an "in person" purchase to ensure fit and comfort.

The other thing that goes along with the shorts is my plan for the skirt, which is something I'm actually going to make and not purchase from the world wide interwebs.  The skirt should come together fairly well, but I'm still working up an ultimate plan.  I have all of the pieces and parts.  I picked up some Navy "Let's Pretend Velvet" fabric from JoAnn's, as well as some 1 1/2" black elastic.  In addition to the velvety skirt, Asajj has this gold/burgundy waist tabard, a white double belt, and a belt buckle.

Starting with the tabard, I picked up a strip of burgundy marine vinyl at JoAnn's.  I originally thought about incorporating the tabard into the fabric of the skirt, but I thought it might get "lost" in my movement.  So I'm going to try this route of letting the tabard hang free and be a stiffer type of material.  If I hate it when I run, I'll use a piece of velcro or snaps to keep it "pinned" to the skirt.  On this tabard, she has a very nice gold design which I wante to replicate.  I wasn't sure of the best way to create the gold accents on her waist tabard, so I picked up three options (that were all on sale or clearance): 1) a fabric paint specially designed for leather and vinyl ($.99), 2) a Tulip fabric paint $.50), 3) a piece of adhesive gold paper in the scrapbooking aisle ($1.59).  The leather/vinyl paint was awesome in the test run, but not what I needed for this project.  It created a very, nice, clear finish with flakes of gold glitter.  It will find a home later, I'm sure.  The adhesive paper looks awesome and clean, but I didn't want it to get ruined if it rained.  I suppose I could always put a protective layer of something on it, though.  But the Tulip paint looks pretty darned good, so I'm going to try that first.

Still uncertain on how to make the belts work or if they'll get scrapped.  The belt buckle I have an idea for, but I have to find the air dry clay that's somewhere in my hell hole of a craft room.  Otherwise, I have another plan.  (So many plans!)

Lastly, at the bottom, my typical running shoes are already navy blue, so that's pretty perfect if you ask me.  I have a massive sock collection, so I was able to find something that worked pretty well with my color scheme.

It'll all come together, and I'll either feel like an idiot or feel like an awesome idiot.  We'll just have to see which one it is!  Yay!