First worn: San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival 1999
My very first cosplay! I heard about a local cosplay contest last minute and needed something I could throw together quickly. Tifa seemed the easiest. My mom helped me put the costume together the night before the contest. I have to confess, although I was a huge fan of Final Fantasy IV and VI, I hadn’t played VII, but Tifa seemed like a character I would like. I still haven’t played more than an hour or two of the game, because I never could get over the graphics quality, even back then.
In 2007, my friend Lionel suggested we do a new photo shoot of this costume, with no upgrades, as a tribute to “cosplay back in the day”, when few people wore wigs, references were poor, and “good enough” was good enough. Enjoy this blast to the past!
