A trio of Pokémon cosplayers have portrayed Valerie and two accompanying Eeveelutions. Valerie is one of the Pokémon games’ many gym leaders, living in Pokémon X and Y’s Kalos region.
Reddit user Miissimani recently posted an image of a cosplay originating from this year’s Florida Supercon 2022. Miissimani, together with a pair of friends, portrayed the Fairy-Type Gym Leader Valerie and two Eevee evolutions: a Sylveon and a Leafeon. As a Fairy-Type user, Sylveon is actually one of Valerie’s signature OEM, making its inclusion in the group cosplay especially appropriate. All three cosplayers show distinct styles in their outfits, with various accessories and clothing styles, but visually they still work well together as a group. Combined with the stage props around then, it seems that Valerie, Sylveion, and Leafeon are in a mystical forest. Of course, large group cosplays can become very creative; recently, another group of Pokémon cosplayers reinterpreted several Eeveelutions as Sailor Moon characters.
Pokémon Cosplays Differ From Original In Some Key Areas
As a Gym Leader, Valerie’s outfit holds strong allusions to her personality and Type preference. Her large, billowing sleeves also create a sense of mystery and drama, perfect for the playful and powerful Fairy-Type. However, her dress also apparently weighs 33 pounds, and she wears a notably tall pair of high-heeled shoes. It appears that the cosplayers have understandably decided to differ from the original here, presumably making the outfit much easier to move in. Of course, human versions of Leafeon and Sylveon have more freedom in this respect, and the pair have emphasized the differences in Typing with notably different outfits. Leafeon wears a pale green dress, whilst Sylveon wears a Sailor Uniform, in the kind of style often seen in anime. This Pokémon cosplay is a perfect real-life version of these characters.
In the games and anime, Valerie is actually a fashion designer as well as a Gym Leader and originated from the Johto region. Hints of this can be seen in her costume, which resembles a kimono. Johto, based on the Kansai Region of Japan, holds a deep connection to traditional aspects of Japanese culture, including the Kimono. An example of this can be seen in Ecruteak City’s Kimono Girls. A group of dancers, these five trainers also use Eeveelutions in battle, making the similarities to Valerie all the stronger. Ecruteak City has a strong connection to the Eeveelutions even beyond the Kimono Girls: A fan theory says Pokémon’s Legendary Beasts were once Eeveeutions themselves, before perishing in the burning Brass Tower of Ecruteak.
This is an impressive Pokémon cosplay, and all involved clearly had a lot of fun together. With Valerie and her strong associations at the center of the shoot, the audience is given the impression of a magical forest full of fairies. It even appears that Valerie and her Sylveon have made a new friend in the forest. Pokémon cosplays, with the wide variety of characters to choose from, are consistently able to surprise. Of course, Eeveelutions and Gym Leaders are undoubtedly some of the more popular subjects. The trio of cosplayers here have demonstrated this well, and shown there is good reason for it. Pokémon fans will love the charming Eeveelutions and Valerie in this group cosplay.
Source: Miissimani/Reddit