Construction Details:

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure what the material for the dress I used was. I think it was fleece? I made a pattern out of a dress I got from Forever 21 without the sleeves, then made the sleeves and paws separately. I should have made the sleeves & paws one piece, so if I ever re-do the costume in the future I will remember that.
I painted the black detail using acrylic paint on the golden parts of the paws, which were glued on. I cut slits under the gold parts so I could stick my hands through. The inside of the paws are stuffed with cotton and I made little handles out of cardboard to keep the paw stiff when I move it around on the inside. Two pieces of left over fleece are velcroed on the inside to hide the holes. The eyes are red outdoor safety lights, the mask is just a mask I bought off of Amazon (I attached the lights with glue through holes), and the teeth is worbla that is velcroed on. I put a layer of glow in the dark paint over the teeth. The "zipper" is also made from worbla and is velcroed on. The tail is black fur and I sewed white fur on the tip (the tail was actually what I made first and my first time ever using a sewing machine). I stuffed it with cotton and have a really thick wire in it that pokes out at the end. I used worbla to attach the wire that pokes out to a belt that I wear under the costume. The gold rings on the back and the hood are actually for shower curtains, but they were the only things I could find that were perfect color, shape and size where I was shopping. The ears gave me a lot of trouble and were partially sewn / hot glued on. The black detailed on them is puffy fabric paint.
The costume probably took about two months to make. I had the hours in my Cosplanner app but upgraded my phone and lost it. :(

Personal Thoughts:

I wanted to cosplay Taokaka since the moment I saw her years ago. Since I started making costumes, I figured she would be perfect for my first (I made Akali at the same time as Tao) as she seemed simple enough without the claws. Plus, I like her face mask. I've grown quite self-conscious of my mouth since I got braces. I planned to wear her at Fanime 2015, but I was unable to because I ended up getting really sick. I again planned to wear her at SacAnime Summer 2015, but I left a lot of important pieces at home thinking I had it with the costume. SIGH
Trying again for SacAnime Winter 2016.

Styling Notes

I initially braided it, but my braids are terrible. So I asked my boyfriend to do it, because he has a little sister and can braid ten times better than I can.

Wig Review

Super soft and excellent quality!
I would have liked the wig to have been longer, but at the time I purchased it, this was the longest wig available.

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