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Wisteria Fox: Day 7.5 Prop Shoppin'

This weekend was not very productive on the costume or knitting front. But I did do a bit of online shopping and wish-listing for possible props for Wisteria Fox. 

Silk Wisteria branch.

Some of the ideas for props or accessories I had were: 

  • Mask
  • Oil-Paper Parasol
  • Folding Fan
  • Paper Lantern
  • Wisteria flowers 
  • Fangs
  • Kanzashi
  • Claw nails

Character Guiding Principles

But I can't nor should do all of these. In these situations, I can use what I'll call "character guiding principles" to narrow down what would be appropriate and other decorating themes. If you are thinking of a character, these are just a cluster of traits or words that you can associate with them. Then when considering props you can weigh if the item fits or pick a color that works best. 

For example, Captain America is patriotic and protective. The shield as a prop makes sense to these principles because the primary purpose of the shield is to protect the ones behind it which is what Steve Rogers is known for. The design of the shield is made to be patriotic. This makes it a prop that matches the character's principles. 

Wisteria Fox Guiding Principles

For this character concept, the guiding principles are: Protective, Peaceful, Soothing, Hidden.

The mild lore I have in my head is this character is one that only appears to those who need a hidden place to rest. Now, I can go back to my list of prop ideas and evaluate if it works with the principles. 

Note: It may be that a prop or prop idea that you really want to include can alter your guiding principles. In my case an idea I got from the parasol helped influence some of these traits. 

Illustrating a final-ish look.
Mask - I currently have an unpainted half-mask with no ears or anything too fancy. Since I have furry fox ears to me it did not make sense for the mask to also have ears. I don't yet have a pattern for the mask in mind, I'll need to look at a few examples and find things that I think look cool and fit with the theme. So definitely will be painting with blue and purple for sure. 
No frills mask.

The mask is definitely going to be a prop I include as it fits with the guiding principles of hiding and protecting. 

Parasol - A traditional prop for a kimono. It is protective against UV rays (rain if it is an umbrella), it can also be used as a shield to hide your face. I'm making it a veiled parasol with silk wisteria fronds dripping off the edges to further suggest a tiny sanctuary. So theme-wise, it's an obvious fit. The design is still a bit unfinished. I did kind of get the idea of dangling the wisteria fronds around the edge while making the above doodle. But the umbrella itself can have a more elaborate design. I would like to paint something on it. Something like this: 

Maybe I'm going a bit too far into the wisteria theme...

Folding Fan - This is also a traditional prop for a kimono. It does keep you cool which is soothing and peace-inducing. It can be used to hide part of your face. Having a decorative fan would also be very nice. Originally, I was going to find a blank paper fan I could paint myself when I found a vintage fan with wisteria painted on it and inlaid with mother of pearl. So...I snatched it up. 

It's vintage so...it'll be a nice display piece later.

Paper Lantern - I got supplies for this last time I made a kitsune costume. I never finished it unfortunately but I still have the round paper lamps and I have lots of different kinds of led lights (or I could get fairy lights. I like those.) 
from DeviantArt
It would be a fitting and appropriate prop for this creature and concept. But I hesitate to go forward because a lamp is more of a "guide" thing and my current lore has this character as one who is more hidden herself until needed. On the other hand, if I REALLY want to make this then I can disregard the principles and it honestly would still work. I'd just update the lore a bit to make her a spirit that searches for those lost and scared in the woods. 

Silk Wisteria Flowers - This would be more of a photoshoot backdrop situation. It's really obvious that it would be appropriate to include as set dressing. But not something that the character holds. 

Fangs - I wrote about fangs as an accessory previously. (I will write more on it as it relates to the whole becoming a Kitsune Series.) Foxes have sharp teeth so it is appropriate for a kitsune character to have them...but I would not say it is necessary. It would be a bit contrary to some of the guiding principles of being a peaceful and soothing creature. Sharp teeth mean a predator. 

On the other hand, that doesn't mean that fangs are completely off the table. The style and size of the fangs will matter. If they were petite fangs that matched my teeth in color then it wouldn't detract. Then again, the point of getting fangs is to show them off for photos and I don't intend to snarl or threaten to bite in my posing. 

Fangs for nomming!
Kanzashi - This is a hairpiece that resembles a flower but made from folding ribbon or silk fabrics. This again is kind of a traditional thing associated with wearing a kimono. It doesn't really have much to do with the particular principles but it does fit the overall theme. PLUS it acts as a way to blend the headband with the ears with my short hairstyle. 
I bought one and I might make one, just in case. 
Claw Nails - Nail art is fun. I don't do it often because I type so much and it feels unnatural on my real nails. So it would be just for photos. However, this would be another one of those things were the design and style of the nails would matter. For the fun of it, I could go all out and get my nails done professionally with flower or blue fire related nail art. I could just paint my nails a solid color of some kind. I think long claw like nails would be inappropriate for a forest spirit. If this was an indulgent kitsune roaming the cities living her best life, then long claw fake nails would make sense. There's just something threatening about long or pointed nails that doesn't really fit the vibe of peaceful, soothing, or hidden. 

Weapons? -  If we go with the lore of Wisteria Fox being a protective spirit, how does she defend herself? Magic? A mystic sword? A monster form? An adorable Snowshoe Siamese cat familiar? (Most likely.) 
This boy gonna get ya! 

I might play around with some of my 3D printed Katana during a photoshoot but I think we have plenty of fun accessories and props to make this an outrageous costume. So no weapons. 

That is currently how things sit with this project. I'm waiting on a few things to arrive and such but for now, the real focus should be working on the lining of the kimono and moving things along. (I did dye the neck band green.) Until next time!


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