First off, thank you so, so much for your commission! I’m beyond thrilled to help you turn into the senshi of your dreams. My fukus are a labor of love and with proper care, they can bring you years of senshi magic.

Putting Your Fuku On

If you’ve looked at the Cosmic Coterie tutorial, you’ll notice many familiar elements in these fukus.

First off, the base dress is composed of two main pieces: the under leotard with the attached skirt and the chest armor. The leotard closes at the crotch with a set of hooks and eyes. There are two ways to put this piece on: you can connect the hooks and eyes at the crotch and step in through the neck opening (recommended) OR you can leave the crotch open, slide the leotard on overhead, and then connect the crotch. If you put the leotard on overhead, make sure to be careful of rubbing makeup on the fabric and also make sure that the seam of the hip roll points down. Once your base leotard is on, you can put the chest armor on overhead. If you have a Supers variation, you’ll also want to put the sleeves on at this point.

Once your base pieces are on, you’ll need to attach the rest of the fuku! The collar connects to the chest armor with a pair of snaps. The front and back bows also connect to the chest armor and base leotard with snaps. Your front bow will only have one snap at the back of the bow knot. If you’d like more stability, you can safety pin the edges of  your bow to the chest armor or sew on an extra set of snaps. If you choose to add an extra pair of snaps, stitch the female side to the back of the bow first and have a friend help mark where the male side should sit while you are wearing the chest armor.

If you purchase the Deluxe fuku, your glove rolls will come attached to your gloves. These are designed to sit just below your elbows in the regular and Supers versions. Eternal fukus sit at your bicep. If you purchased the Classic fuku, you’ll receive the glove rolls but will need to provide your own gloves. Any white spandex gloves will do. The glove rolls should be snug enough to fit without stitching, but you can ensure that your glove rolls stay in place by whip stitching the glove rolls in place.

Caring for Your Fuku

The base fuku, chest armor, and collar are all machine washable. To wash them, place them in the wash (preferably in a garment bag) with a gentle detergent such as Euclean and wash with cold water on delicate. Lay flat to dry.

If your skirt has wrinkles in it, you can iron them out on the synthetic or polyester setting or hit them with a garment steamer. If water from the steamer or iron splatters on the satin, quickly remove it by pressing it with your iron. This will prevent water stains.

To clean the gloves, hand wash with a delicate detergent such as Dawn.

DO NOT put bows in the wash. This will crumple them. Spot clean your bows with stain remover and gentle detergents. I recommend storing your bows in a box to help retain their shape. If your bow has wrinkles from travel or shipment, you can gently press the tails using an iron on the synthetic or polyester setting. If the bow loops have been flattened, push the back of the bow back into place until it is in the correct position, shown below. There should be a fold in the center of the bow and the outside of the bow loops should push toward the front.

Please note that while the majority of the fuku pieces are washable, it’s recommended that you do not wash your fuku after every single wear, as this will decrease the longevity of your costume. Spot cleaning and spraying your fuku with a gentle mist of Febreeze or a vodka and water solution will help keep your fuku fresh between washes.

Conclusion

This covers basic wear and care for your fuku. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!