Cosplay can be an exciting and rewarding activity for cosplayers of all ages, regardless of their fandom, budget, or experience level. Whether you’re a Marvel girl, the all-new Wolverine, or an uncanny X-man, one of the best aspects is that it is so open-ended, allowing you to be as creative as you wish. If you have a short timeframe or not a master costumer, there are plenty of ways to purchase and compile the individual components of a costume or even the full thing all at once. Even if there is not a mass-produced option available, there are plenty of hobbyists and professionals who create and sell pieces on sites like Etsy, eBay, and even Amazon. X-Men's Jean Grey is a perfect example of a character that has many costumes to choose from and even more ways to create them. Anyone can buy a green dress, yellow belt, and mask to recreate one of her more classic looks but if you really want to up your Jean Grey cosplay game consider some of these options.
Several of Jean Grey's iconic comic book costumes incorporate yellow or gold accessories. Whether your cosplay is completely faithful to her design, or if you want to play around a bit and modify her to a different tilt like steampunk, a good pair of gold boots is an excellent base. These Jean Grey Marvel girl phoenix cosplay shoes come highly recommended and can easily be repurposed for other characters. There are not really any belts targeted specifically for Jean Grey costumes. To remedy this, one can simply break the accessory down into its two components, the belt and the buckle. When approached from this direction it is quite easy to find options that work. Just make sure to purchase a belt that has a removable buckle, like the Women's Thick Wide Bonded Leather Belt w/ Removable Silver Buckle, which also comes in both gold and yellow so you can be flexible on your color scheme. An X-MEN X Symbol Metal w/Enamel Accents Red Black Belt Buckle would work well with the yellow belt to mimic the belt worn by Jean in her classic green dress outfit. As far as the dress goes, there are plenty of Women’s Long Sleeve cocktail dresses out there in green so it should not be difficult to find one that fits your body and cosplay style.
For a more low-key look using pieces you may already have in your closet, Jean Grey’s New X-Men costume can be put together with simply a pair of black pants, a black shirt with the X-Men logo, a black coat, and finish it off with the classic black belt with the iconic X belt buckle. The best part about this particular costume is that even if you have to purchase some or all of it, any of these articles can be worn on a day-to-day basis.
There are a couple of options if you are in the market for a full costume in a single purchase. Two of the more popular Jean Grey cosplays are the comic book Phoenix and Dark Phoenix full body green/gold and red/gold with gold sash designs. Often, these can be found in a single package as a full body spandex suit. For example, this Jean Grey Phoenix Deep Green Spandex Cosplay Costume is very close to the comic design and affordable as well. Since it is a spandex material it should fit most. Keep an eye out for costume elements that match your character but which don’t necessarily name them, such as this Women's Shiny Metallic Lycra Phoenix Zentai Catsuit, which is clearly a Jean Grey Dark Phoenix costume.
For fans of the recent X-Men film franchise, there are plenty of sellers offering replicas of Jean Grey's Dark Phoenix costume worn by Famke Janssen. Since this is not a spandex outfit and therefore much less forgiving if the sizing is off, be sure to order one from a seller who publishes their size chart. It would be even better to buy one from a seller who can tailor the costume to your own measurements. A great example is this X-Men The Phoenix Jean Grey Halloween Party Cosplay Costume, which comes in stock sizes S-XXXL, but also has a customization option.
No matter what costume she is wearing, Jean Grey is most notable for her long, flowing red hair. Since the majority of the population is not blessed with this attribute, it is likely that you may want some sort of augmentation to help match this key characteristic. If you are lucky enough to have flowing hair with a light shade of color such as blond or light brown, you can use a temporary red dye like Manic Panic or perhaps some instant temporary color for highlighting or even extensions to simply suggest the red color. 
If your hair is too different to work with these options, there are a wide variety of wig options available. Synthetic wigs will always be cheaper and, for the purpose of cosplay, may make more sense than purchasing a more expensive human hair product. Since you are going to your event in costume, no one is expecting your hair to be natural, especially when emulating someone like Jean who is constantly depicted with massive perfect locks. You will want something that is easy to maintain but that still has body, such as this basic red wig with some waviness to it. It can be easily washed and brushed out at the end of the day, as well as cut and restyled if necessary. If more length and drama are desired, there are other options such as this long and curly wig. You will need to be careful to detangle it after every wear, but it will certainly look fabulous while you are rocking it.
Whether you are a do-it-yourself type or prefer to expend as little effort as possible, your Jean Grey cosplay dreams can be easily fulfilled. You will not have to break the bank to do it, either. Her many costumes give you plenty of options to choose from and the elements for most of them are quite affordable. Hopefully, this article gave you plenty of ideas, now go forth and cosplay!
