This will be a bit stream of consciousness style writing as this project kind of just cropped up and became a thing. Despite having a 2022 wish list, suddenly out of left field, I want to make a kimono...a formal furisode kimono and a kitsune. Thus I am making a post about the design process for the Wisteria Kitsune. (I'll just say it's replacing the Sakura Fox in my wish list.)
Strange Origin Story
Want some real weird inspiration sources for this one? Well, one, I've been in a kitsune mood while writing my blog posts about Kitsune costumes in general. I've come up with lots of quick idea characters because of it.
Two, the anime Demon Slayer has invaded my subconscious on some level. That's what lead me to think about Wisteria flowers and including them.
Third, I was thinking of a scenario in my head where there's a 3 day masquerade with a new theme each day. The first day was Jazz Age and Modern Day American, the second day was medieval fantasy and the third day was Asian Fantasy. I was having fun thinking about what I would wear on each day with my current costume closet. I didn't have anything I liked for the Asian Fantasy day so I figured I would make something...so that I would. (Note: This is not a real event it was a story scenario idea)
And that's the uncensored journey of why I started making this costume and where the idea came from.
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| Artists are weird... |
Initial Design Phase
Once I had my concept of Wisteria Fox, I started looking through my current Pinterest boards for my kitsune costume tutorials, ideas, and designs. I made a new board for this project and started putting in a few ideas to get some visual ideas for the design and jumping points for research. I found some patterns for kimono that I wanted to learn more about and I also wanted pictures of actual wisteria.
From there, I knew I was going to kind of stick with a Wisteria color theme so purple, blue, green, and white. (Maybe pink...but we'll see.) But I had no idea where to use these colors on the costume itself.
As I mentioned, the other thing I was doing was kimono research. I've done it before in the past and I have sewn wa-lolita kimono. (I know not traditional.) But I needed a refresher so I could pick out fabric appropriate for a more formal looking kimono. Also had to double check things about colors, patterns, and sleeve sizes. But I knew from the start that I was not going to attempt to draft a pattern of my own and make this 100% traditional. I'm going a slightly more costume route because it's more economical.
So my two big challenges at this stage are how do I design kimono and how do I make these colors work?
Authenticity - Side Note
So I generally have a FIERCE debate with myself whether to go all traditional or authentic with a costume or to take a "costumed" approach. The idea being that with the costume you take short-cuts or use "trickery" to get the effect of the real thing, but it's not. So...it can feel cheap. (Usually because it IS cheaper than the traditional method!) However, realistically, in my financial and spatial situation, it's pretty much impossible to create a kimono in the traditional manner. (Update from Modesty in 2024. The traditional method for making kimono IS possible in my spatial situation and finances. I've made 4 authentic kimonos in 2024. Still making more. Anyway, continuing on.) The costume patterns for example make the obi a "clip-on" instead of a long ream of fabric that you tie on yourself. I have an Obi...I have only worn it once. Actually, "clip-on" obi belts are kind of more common than you'd think. There is a convenience factor that we love in our modern age. (For better or worse.) The other thing is that traditional bolts for kimono making are only available as imports from Japan. Kurokami Kanzashi has a great tutorial about kimono fabric in the US. But because I'm a beginner, this is my first full kimono design, I'll be more forgiving to myself and use the commercial patterns because they were specifically cut and sized for US based bolts of fabric. And I intend to screw this up a lot. (2024 update: To be fair, the templates I use to make kimono now were not available in 2022.)
So at the end of the initial design phase, I had a Pinterest board full of ideas. A few examples of wisteria patterns that I liked and purchased a couple of sewing patterns. I could not do more without further research.
Rough Draft
Part of the process is making the design that will color the furisode sleeves and outer robe. I wanted lots of real estate for the sleeves so I'm going for the long ones. (I'm an unmarried woman so I'm allowed to wear the big sleeves. So I can hide all my secrets!)
Personally, I kind of struggle with inspiration for making patterns on clothes. You'll see most of my character clothing designs tend to use solid colors only without much detail or baubles. (Literally, had a comic about characters that don't wear clothes...that's how much care I put into them. They eventually get fur loin clothes. I think this comes from my animation/comic making where I know if I have to redraw a character, I will lose track of details SO QUICK. Simple designs are better for this.)
Excuses aside, I have been learning how to incorporate more interesting details on clothes. For Wisteria Fox, I knew at the very least that I was going to include a fox and wisteria on the kimono. Those were the ONLY ideas I had. I found some good examples of kimono with wisteria in the design and a couple that included kitsune masks or animals or just fun designs on the sleeves. Did some more Pinterest pinning for ideas and eventually, made my first template draft of what this could look like.
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| Doodle Notes |
But new struggles arise! Not only am I unsure how to color things and what kind of style the obi should be but there are other logistical and artistic issues. One, this is a kitsune costume after all that means fox parts! How the heck do I incorporate the tail into the obi? (One of the benefits of making this a costume obi over a traditional one!) I have some ideas doodled one that would be easier but not make sense and another that makes sense but would be difficult to incorporate. It really does make me think about how the heck do you incorporate tails in clothes. (I've seen...interesting solutions. But honestly prefer not to think too hard on it.) (2024 update: Now that I know more about wearing kimono. The belt used to attach the tail can replace the tie/himo that makes the fold under the obi. That fold hides the tail attachment.)
Artistically, I have a hard time making final decisions about...well...anything about this costume! I don't really have a guiding vision which is a problem. (It's the problem I have with my unicorn costume too.) Part of how I usually approach costume design is through character. In this case, it was just designing a costume for me to go to this imaginary ball without thinking about what vibe do I want to put out with this costume. And turns out that knowing the vibe or character I'm portraying factors into lots of my design decisions. Without it, the decisions feel arbitrary and lack focus.
Costume Character - Side Note
I think this is just how I work, but a guiding character really helps me make final design decisions. Because there are multiple solutions to my design questions and none of them are wrong! I get stuck in a limbo state of indecision or uncertainty. Part of that is that the concept did not immediately give me a character like Sakura Fox did. That was a concept that had a clear sense of character that design decisions came naturally. For Wisteria Fox, it was literally the idea of a wisteria patterned kimono for a kitsune, but beyond that idea I had nothing. But that doesn't mean it's a bad concept but the character can come later as I start making a few solid decisions and then I have more of a guide to veto some ideas over others. It can also inform what props or details to add to the design. So, I still want this to be a costume for ME, but I want the vibe to be a reserved, mysterious, and somewhat ethereal. (At this point I still don't know what I'm going to do about the hair!)
Color Design Stage
I'm kind of skipping the struggle I went through with the obi design but that was mostly about finding a solution to how I wanted the back tie to look. I think the big waterfall drape would work best but...that'd hide the tail I want to show off! I did find a couple of obi tying methods that would work well. So that's done. But coloring the kimono would mean going digital. I got a furisode template from Kurokami Kanzashi. Cracked open photoshop and at first went with my doodle notes to see the result.
I think I want to add more wisteria on the back to connect the vines and fix the "flow" of the pattern, but this is the basic pattern and color idea. I did experiment with the color of the flames and the direction of the gradient as well as the color of the collar trim.
Oddly enough, I think my doodle notes were kind of spot on. Even with the comparisons I still went with this version. Although, the collar also looks good in pink. But I'm going to incorporate more green in the flowers and on the belt and it keeps all the colors in the "cool" family. An unintentional yet correct choice for the vibe of being reserved.
The obi is going to be blue similar to the flames with some green and white bits in it.
Fabric Choices
I'm currently still in this part of the process. I'm trying to find and decide on the correct fabric to use and what patterns to put on it. See, all I know is that I do NOT want to make the kimono out of cotton...because that's not right. That's better for Yukata or a truly economical kimono. I'm looking into the silk or synthetic silky fabrics for the main body. It's harder to find than I thought.
However, I will make the main obi out of cotton. One, because I found a cool patterned fabric on spoonflower that I want to use. They do print on a lot of fabrics but cotton is the cheapest.
I was also considering what to make the juban out of. I knew it would be white and the costume patterns all make "shortcut" versions of it. (Basically making it an undershirt instead of an under-robe). But then I remember that I actually own a white juban...I don't have to make a new one. Finally, that yukata I imported ages ago will finally get some use! (2024 Correction: Actual what I owned was a Hadagi, not a juban. 😅 I was close. Hadagi is worn under a juban. A Juban adds structure to the collar. Okay...ducking back out.)
But everything else has been a struggle. Because I also have to figure out how to make the fabric a gradient which means I'll have to have the right kind of dye. (Thankfully, I still have lots of purple dye for synthetic fabric!) I'll also need the right kind of Heat 'n Bond for the applique. I'm following Pixiekitty's Fabric Effects Tutorial for inspiration.
Fox Parts
Almost started writing my conclusion but I have to talk about the fox parts! Because there are a couple of things about this that are still up in the air. However, I did settle on the fur being pure white. No color changes or anything. I was tempted for a hot minute to make it a slightly lavender tail, but in the end simplicity and accessibility won out. White it is. But since I've been struggling with making fox ears for Goro, (I'll still make them myself) I opted to treat myself kindly and purchase pre-made ears.
I also had the crazy idea of making this an animatronic tail. Since I'm pretty much worthless with electronics, I purchased a pre-built one for a pretty penny. I opted for a "naked" tail so I could make my own covering. Yes...another potential "tail knitting" adventure is possible. I haven't even re-learned how to knit yet. /sigh/
The last detail is the mask. I drew something that could work but ultimately I haven't thought about it much. I have a few things on the vision board but not much.
Lastly, have a couple of prop ideas but will settle for minimal construction. Maybe I'll color a paper parasol and fan.
Conclusion for now
Okay, I'm drawing this to a close. There are so many things I'm debating simultaneously with this project it makes it hard to write about cohesively. I haven't even started talking about my hair style and color which is something I'm very concerned with. Because if I go with my idea of a masquerade costume then I'd likely use my own hair. Right now it's in an Audrey Hepburn-like pixie cut. I have a wisteria kanzashi clip I can put into it but it doesn't have a lot of variety in styles. (Although I have unintentionally gotten a Rengoku looking bangs because I wear an eyemask and sleep with my face against a pillow. It also looks like Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday.)
I'm also distracted by an annoying tickle in the back of my mind to make a Demon Slayer cosplay. But I refuse to give in. You've made me abandon my sweet, baby boy Goro for too long.
Although, the Vampire Slayer costume may incorporate some of the unintentional research I'm doing.
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| Don't Look at me like thaaaaat...I have no idea what I'm doing anymore! |
OMG...that's enough blogging. I hope this was mildly entertaining to read because boy the design process is a messy but beautiful process.
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