Inside the elaborate costumes at NY Comic Con

These clothes are amazing.

Nearly a quarter of a million movie, TV, anime and video game fans flocked to the Javits Center downtown this weekend for a gala event. Celebrity portraits, merchandise markets and a parade of eye-catching fashions Some of them took hundreds of hours to assemble.

Among the Jedi Legions, there are caped Crusaders and armor-happy Transformers – and Celebrities from Sigourney Weaver to George R.R. Martin – Visiting Manhattan since Thursday has been a parade of Disney princesses: including Ariel in a fluffy dress made from a repurposed sofa found at a church sale.

“As soon as I saw it, I said this would be perfect for Ariel,” said Amanda Caswell, a 25-year-old cosplay designer who spent a month sewing the bright pink and white design. “I was inspired by the sofa’s fabric – it’s very comfortable and easy to walk in.

“I just love twirling around in a ball gown,” the New Jersey native added. “Ariel’s story is truly beautiful: exploring new horizons – and I think that’s what we all need to do.”

Kaitlyn Martin, 35, spent her summer hand-applying rhinestones to the heels and a matching New York Comic Con-themed towel for a Sabrina Carpenter-inspired take on Cinderella’s costume.

“The towel took three weeks, and the shoes took ten hours each,” said Astoria, who lives in Queens, adding that getting dressed cost her hundreds of dollars. “I made the babydoll (dress) and the corset as well: for the wig, I sewed two wigs together.

“I watched a lot of TV,” she admitted, noting that she had just finished the sleeves of the little blue doll dress on Sunday morning.

Will Damante Jr., who publishes comic books as The undisputed king of comicsHe noted that the name Comic Con has become almost a misnomer in recent years.

Now, more cosplayers are dressing up for Disney, “Squid Game” and other pop culture references.

“Even though it’s called Comic Con, it doesn’t necessarily cater to comics,” he lamented.

Although Comic Con is one of its busiest days each year, economic concerns may have caused many fans to be reluctant to spend big in 2025, the longtime comic collector said.

Elsewhere, New Milford, New Jersey residents Amanda and Fred Alfaro donned a simpler look — an inflatable Godzilla and rival villain Mothra — for their eighth wedding weekend.

“The costumes are so cool,” said Amanda, who has been attending with her husband since 2013. “It’s really cool to see how creative and imaginative some people can be…just to see some of the ideas people come up with.”

Four-legged actor Benjie — a white German shepherd registered as a service dog for his owner Bre Azanedo — even donned a Krypto the Superdog onesie for the event.

“I got him for a good reason, but this is not what he wants to do with his life,” Azanedo, of New Jersey, said of attention-loving 1-year-old Benji, who was rescued during a recent trip to San Diego Comic-Con.

Midtown Manhattan gym owner Sean Cronin, who was a Bungie fan on Sunday morning, arrived at the convention wearing a Justice League-style group costume featuring himself as Superman, his wife Elena Sukaina as Green Lantern, and his companions as Hawkgirl and Supergirl.

“We had a ‘Superman’ movie coming out in the summer, so we thought this costume would be interesting: If you’re esoteric, no one will really recognize you,” said Cronin, 37, of NYLO Fitness, who described his costumes as “store-bought” with “accessories.”

In recent years, the husband-and-wife team has dressed up in ensembles such as Mad Max: Fury Road and the anime My Hero Academia.

“You want it to be something contemporary, so you can appeal to everyone,” he added.