Yes, it can.

In my atelier, I often work from pictures rather than from sewing patterns. A cosplay client may send me a screenshot from a film or game, character artwork, concept art, or even just one good photograph of the character.

Sometimes, that is all I have to start with.

But making a costume from a picture is not as simple as copying what you see.

A picture shows you the finished character. It does not show you how the costume was made.

And that is where the real work begins.

I learned to look at pictures

I have learned to look very carefully at pictures.

Actually, I think I started doing this as a child.

My sister and I would look at pictures of princesses, fairies, and characters from children's books. We even saw a picture of a woman in an Asterix & Obelix costume. We tried to draw the clothes ourselves.

Later, we started trying to make them.

First with simple crafts, and later with a sewing machine.

At the time, I never thought this would become part of my work.

Many years later, it suddenly came back.

“Mom, can you make this for me? For Comic-Con?”

And there it was again.

A picture.

Sometimes nothing more than a drawing.

But by then, I had many years of experience with fabrics, sewing and making clothes. I had learned how to look at a picture and start asking the right questions.

What fabric could I use?

Could I use an existing sewing pattern?

Do I need to change a pattern?

Or do I need to make the pattern myself?

How is this part actually constructed?

How can I make it look like the picture, but still make it into a real garment?

That is where the work begins.

One of the first questions people ask when they discover Historique Couture is:

“How much does a custom cosplay costume cost?”

It is a perfectly reasonable question.

The honest answer, however, is: it depends.

A custom cosplay costume can cost a few hundred euros, while a highly detailed, fully bespoke costume can easily reach €1,500, €2,000 or more.

Why such a difference?

Because a custom costume is not simply a piece of clothing. It may involve research, pattern drafting, several mock-ups, specialist fabrics, unusual construction techniques, hand finishing, fittings and many hours of work.

At Historique Couture, every costume is made personally by me in my small atelier in the Netherlands. There is no factory production and no outsourcing. So the price reflects the actual work involved in creating your particular costume.

When you commission or buy a costume from Historique Couture, there is something I want you to know from the very beginning:

Your costume is made here in Europe, personally by me.

Not in a factory on the other side of the world. Not outsourced to another workshop. Not ordered from a manufacturer and shipped directly to you.

It is made in my small atelier in the Netherlands.

That is important to me.

A European costume atelier

Historique Couture is a small, personal atelier. I design, draft, cut, sew, fit and finish the costumes myself.

This is particularly important with custom cosplay commissions. A costume may look simple in a reference image, but turning that image into a real garment requires decisions about proportion, fabric, construction, movement and fit.

When you commission a costume from me, you are commissioning the work of a person, not a production line.

That also means that every costume is slightly different. I do not have a warehouse full of identical costumes waiting to be shipped. I make each commission for one particular person and one particular project.

Why Europe?

I live and work in the Netherlands, and most of my clients are in Europe.

There is something very practical about keeping production close to home.

I can buy materials from European suppliers, visit fabric shops and markets, look for suitable buttons and other haberdashery, and sometimes find exactly the little detail I need in an unexpected place.

Whenever possible, I buy fabrics locally.

I visit fabric markets and the few physical fabric shops that are still available. I also buy online, but I keep my online sourcing deliberately close to home: mainly Dutch fabric shops, one supplier in Belgium and, occasionally, a fabric shop in Germany.

Of course, I cannot claim that every metre of fabric sold by a European shop was woven or produced in Europe. The textile industry is international, and tracing every stage of production is not always possible.

But I can tell you where I buy it.

And I can tell you where your costume is made.

In my atelier in the Netherlands.

I sometimes find materials in unusual places

For me, sourcing materials is part of the craft.

Buttons, trims, buckles and other findings can come from fabric shops, markets, specialist suppliers and sometimes second-hand sources.

I even look on Dutch marketplaces and visit charity and thrift shops when I am searching for something useful.

But there is an important distinction.

If I buy fabric from a second-hand shop, I am very particular about what I will use. I am not going to put a previously used piece of household fabric into a couture or cosplay commission simply because it is cheap.

If I find fabric in a charity shop, it would generally be something such as a curtain that is still in its original packaging.

I am looking for the material, not somebody else's old living-room smell!

Nicotine, damp, mould and that unmistakable smell of an old house have no place in my atelier.

Small-scale also means thoughtful sourcing

There is a certain freedom in being a very small business.

I do not need to order thousands of metres of fabric.

I do not need thousands of boxes printed with my logo.

I do not need enormous quantities of packaging materials sitting in a warehouse.

I buy what I need for the work I am actually doing.

Sometimes that means buying a beautiful piece of fabric because it is exactly right for one particular costume.

Sometimes it means searching for an old-fashioned button at a market.

Sometimes it means finding a suitable box at the local supermarket instead of ordering a pile of brand-new shipping boxes.

That may not look glamorous.

But it makes sense to me.

Even the packaging is small-scale

When I send a finished costume to a client, I need packaging that protects the work during its journey.

I often reuse sturdy boxes that I can obtain locally rather than buying large quantities of brand-new boxes.

For tape, I prefer paper tape where practical.

The shipping label is printed, attached, and the package is ready to go.

If the weather is particularly wet, I may add an extra layer of plastic protection around the package. When I do, I prefer biodegradable options where suitable.

It is not a perfect zero-waste system. I would never claim that it is.

It is simply the practical system of a small atelier trying to avoid unnecessary waste while making sure that an expensive handmade costume arrives safely.

No mass production. No outsourcing.

There is another reason I emphasise where Historique Couture is based.

There is a great difference between buying a handmade-looking costume online and commissioning a costume from a person who actually makes it.

A photograph can make those two things look surprisingly similar.

The production process is not.

At Historique Couture, I do not send your measurements to another workshop.

I do not outsource the sewing.

I do not order a finished costume from a manufacturer.

I do not operate a dropshipping model.

I make the costume myself.

That is the promise behind the name Historique Couture.

From the Netherlands to the rest of Europe

Being European-made does not mean that I only work with clients who live around the corner.

A custom costume can travel.

I have received enquiries from outside the Netherlands, including from the United Kingdom and the United States. I am happy when someone from further away discovers my work.

But the costume itself does not travel around the world during its production.

The work starts here.

The pattern is made here.

The fabric is cut here.

The costume is sewn here.

The fittings and adjustments are handled here.

And the finished costume leaves my Dutch atelier to begin its journey to its new owner.

Made in Europe. Made by Marga.

There is a simple reason I want to say this so clearly.

When you commission a custom cosplay or historical costume, you are not simply buying an object.

You are commissioning time, knowledge, research, pattern making, sewing, fitting and finishing.

You are also choosing who makes it.

For me, that matters.

So if you commission a costume from Historique Couture, you can expect something very straightforward:

Made in Europe.

Made in the Netherlands.

Made personally by Marga.

No mass production.

No dropshipping.

No anonymous factory or brand.

Just one costume maker, one atelier and one costume at a time.

Made by Hand, Made by Me

When you see the beautiful photographs on this website, you may sometimes wonder how the costumes and corsets are actually made.

Well, I make them myself. Every single one.

Yes, even the corsets.

I have a small atelier, a few sewing machines, a laptop, a lot of fabric and, perhaps most importantly, a lot of ideas. The photographs on this website may look very polished, but behind every finished piece is a real person sitting at a sewing machine, cutting fabric, fitting, changing things and sometimes starting again.

That is why I love showing photographs of the making process.

I want you to see the hands behind the finished costume.

What does OOAK mean?

You will often see the term OOAK on websites selling handmade and artistic work. It means One of a Kind.

In simple words: there is only one.

When I make a costume, corset or other piece as an OOAK item, I make it once. I do not produce a whole collection of identical pieces.

This is one of the things I love most about working this way. Every new project gives me the chance to create something that has never existed before.

And what is dropshipping?

Dropshipping is a very different way of selling.

With dropshipping, a shop may show products on its website, but the shop owner does not actually make or keep the products. When a customer places an order, the product is sent directly from another supplier, often a large warehouse or manufacturer.

That is not how I work.

There is no large warehouse behind Historique Couture.

There is no factory making my costumes.

And there is certainly no box of ready-made corsets waiting somewhere to be shipped to you.

I make the pieces myself, in my own small atelier.

When people see one of my historical costumes, they usually notice the finished garment. The beautiful fabric, the details, the silhouette. But every costume begins long before I thread my sewing machine.

It begins with research.

Every Costume Starts with Curiosity

One of the questions I am asked most often is, "Where do your ideas come from?"

The answer is simple: everywhere.

I spend many hours searching the internet, looking at museum collections, old paintings, historical portraits and photographs. But I also love something much more traditional. I own a growing collection of books about costume history, fashion, textiles and European history. Many evenings end with a cup of tea and several books spread across my table.

The more I learn, the more I realise there is still so much to discover.

Building the Story

Before I start making anything, I collect ideas.

I create mood boards filled with colours, fabrics, paintings, historical references and small details that capture the feeling of a period. Sometimes I also use AI to help me visualise my ideas and turn them into clear concept sketches. It never replaces my own creativity, but it is a wonderful tool for exploring possibilities before I start cutting fabric.

A costume should tell a story before the first stitch is even sewn.

Finding the Perfect Fabric

If there is one thing I have become very good at over the years, it is finding fabric.

Sometimes I think searching for fabric is almost a profession on its own.

I visit local fabric shops, large textile fairs and fabric markets whenever I can. Almost every day I browse online fabric stores looking for something special. I also enjoy searching through deadstock collections from fashion houses and ateliers, where beautiful forgotten fabrics sometimes find a second life.

The perfect fabric is rarely waiting on the front shelf.

Very often it is hidden somewhere unexpected. I have found wonderful materials in furniture fabrics, home decoration textiles and even in shops selling carnival or festive fabrics. Sometimes the most extraordinary fabric is lying quietly at the bottom of a pile, simply waiting for someone to recognise its potential.

Choosing the right fabric is one of the most important parts of creating a believable historical costume.

Cosplay Commissions

There is something fantastic about becoming your favourite character for a day.

Whether you dream of stepping into the world of anime, video games, fantasy, film, or television, I would love to help bring your character to life with a custom-made costume, created especially for you.

Every costume that leaves my atelier is made with the same love, care, and craftsmanship that I put into my historical clothing and couture creations. I don't work with standard sizes or ready-made patterns. Every commission starts with you—your measurements, your wishes, and the character you want to become.

Many of the costumes I have made over the years started with nothing more than a few screenshots, illustrations, or pieces of concept art. Even when no commercial sewing pattern exists, I enjoy studying every little detail until I understand how a costume is constructed. From there, I develop the pattern from scratch and gradually bring the design into the real world.

One of my favourite parts of the process is searching for the perfect fabrics and trims. Sometimes it feels like a treasure hunt. A certain texture, a beautiful braid, or exactly the right shade of fabric can make all the difference. My experience in historical costuming, corsetry, and couture allows me to use traditional sewing techniques whenever they help create a more beautiful, comfortable, or authentic-looking costume.

Of course, a cosplay costume should look wonderful in photographs, but I believe it should also be enjoyable to wear. Whether you're spending an afternoon at a convention, posing for a photoshoot, or entering a cosplay competition, your costume should allow you to move comfortably and feel confident throughout the day.

Over the years, many of my costumes have been photographed by visitors, professional photographers, and fellow cosplayers at conventions and events. Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone walk proudly through a convention wearing a costume that was made especially for them.

I create costumes inspired by anime, video games, fantasy, films, television, original characters, gothic designs, historical fantasy, medieval worlds, and Dark Academia. From elegant gowns and dramatic capes to fitted corsets and layered costumes, every project is different, and that's exactly what makes this work so enjoyable.

Every commission includes personal consultation, help with choosing fabrics and materials, custom pattern drafting, construction of the costume, and careful finishing with attention to the smallest details. Accessories can often be included as well, while larger props, armour, wigs, weapons, or specialised 3D-printed parts can always be discussed separately.

Because every character is unique, each costume is individually priced.

As a general guide, simple costumes start at around €500,

intermediate designs from €900,

detailed multi-layered costumes from €1,500,

and competition-level creations from approximately €2,500.

The final price depends on the complexity of the design, the fabrics, embellishments, corsetry, accessories, and the time needed to create your costume.

If you would like to commission a costume, simply send me your reference images and tell me about your plans. Whether you're preparing for your very first convention, a LARP event, a cosplay competition, or a professional photoshoot, I would be delighted to discuss your ideas with you. After we've talked through your project, I'll provide a quotation and an estimated timeline. Once your measurements have been taken, I can begin creating your costume.

For me, cosplay is much more than making clothes.

It's about telling stories.

It's about craftsmanship.

It's about seeing someone's face light up when they look in the mirror and, for just a moment, truly become the character they have admired for years.

If that sounds like the kind of costume you're looking for, I'd love to hear from you.

I am very proud to announce that Handmade Luxury Home is now online — a unique marketplace filled with beautiful handmade treasures, from original drawing art and elegant home décor to warm, cosy quilts and timeless creations for every interior.

Created as a stylish alternative to Etsy for the European Market only, this special collaboration with Paula Kuitenbrouwer brings together craftsmanship, creativity, and authentic handmade luxury in one inspiring place.

We also welcome new creative collaborations and invite artists, designers, and makers who share our passion for craftsmanship and originality to join us and become part of the Handmade Luxury Home collection.

Inside My Small Sewing Atelier – Where Every Costume Begins

People sometimes imagine that a costume atelier is a grand workshop with polished wooden floors, elegant display windows, and a team of assistants quietly sewing away. I always smile when I hear that.

My atelier couldn't be more different.

It isn't a luxury studio. It isn't a large warehouse. It isn't a commercial shop where customers walk in all day. In fact, it's simply my own creative room—a place where sewing, photography, designing, and a healthy dose of imagination all happen under one roof.

Along one wall stands a long workbench with my sewing machines lined up side by side, each one ready for its own specialty. In the middle of the room is a large cutting table where fabrics are measured, patterns are traced, and countless cups of tea have quietly watched projects come to life.

The opposite wall is surprisingly simple: plain white, with two dress forms standing patiently in front of professional studio lights. Within minutes my sewing room transforms into a photography studio. As soon as a costume is finished, I don't have to travel anywhere—I simply turn on the lights, dress the mannequin (or myself), and the photo shoot begins.

Of course, the real stars of the room are the cupboards.

Huge cupboards.

Very, very full cupboards.

Every shelf is packed with fabrics collected over many years. Silk, linen, wool, velvet, cotton... each waiting for the right project. There are drawers overflowing with ribbons, lace, trims, buckles, corset busks, eyelets, zippers, beads, and enough buttons to keep me sewing until the year 3000.

Then there are the boxes.

Boxes stacked on shelves.

Boxes under tables.

Boxes inside cupboards.

Boxes containing handmade accessories, sewing supplies, vintage treasures, carefully labelled orders, and items waiting for their new owners. Finished dresses hang neatly in long wardrobes, protected until they're ready for a photoshoot or a journey to their new home.

Is it perfectly tidy?

Not always.

Let's call it... creative organization.

Someone visiting for the first time might wonder how anything can ever be found.

Yet somehow, I know exactly where everything is.

That tiny antique brass buckle? Third drawer, left side.

A half metre of dark green wool bought five years ago? Top shelf, second cupboard.

The vintage Victorian sleeve pattern I haven't used since last winter? Of course I know where that is.

Perhaps it's a photographic memory.

Perhaps it's simply what happens when your hobby quietly becomes your life's work.

This little room has seen hundreds of projects pass through its doors. Historical gowns, theatrical costumes, fantasy creations, corsets, accessories, commissions, experiments, and plenty of ideas that began with nothing more than a sketch on a piece of paper.

Every finished costume starts here.

Not in a glamorous fashion house.

Not in a factory.

But in a small room filled with fabric, thread, inspiration, and just enough organized chaos to feel like home.

And honestly?

I wouldn't trade it for the biggest workshop in the world.

Customers from around the world have discovered my Historique Couture Etsy shop over the years, and I am truly grateful for the trust, support, and enthusiasm you have shown for my work. Every order, message, and kind review has helped my small business grow.

My Etsy boutique will remain open, and if you enjoy shopping through Etsy, you are always very welcome to continue doing so.

At the same time, I am excited to welcome you to my own Historique Couture webshop.