Costume vs. Character vs. Cosplay: What's the Difference?

                The three major dress-up related categories I use are: Cosplay, Costumes and Characters. The line between each category is very blurred and the terms are often used interchangeably. I am likely to use the words, especially costume and cosplay, very interchangeably in blog posts. But to clarify for what type of cloths you will find in each section, the following is the rough definitions of what each term means to me.

                Cosplay: is something worn to a convention or for a competition. Pulling from the original meaning of cosplay, costume and play, I think the defining characteristic of this category is that these outfits are worn with the idea that you are playing the part of that character as well as portraying a specific character. They generally have more detail work and often take longer to make. They are made to be worn for extended amount of time and photographed.

                Costume: is when dressing as a generic or non-specific character. These also include bought costumes, the simple kind you wear for Halloween. This category also includes alternate versions of characters like Steampunk versions of characters or Steampunk itself. Original character costumes would also be here. Many of these, Steampunk especially, are also used for competitions and can be either quick to make or take some time. This is the most encompassing category.

                Character: is more of a themed outfit made to resemble a character. A good example of this is Disney Dapper: dressing as a casual version of a Disney character at Disneyland or Disney World. This is the simplest category I have.