Modesty's Costume Closet

Modesty is the internet handle I adopted for myself way back in high school. I will answer to it as a name. People I meet on the internet tend to call me that. But I adopted this as a name for myself not only because it starts with "M" like my real name, but it is a virtue I aspire to. I don't always live up to it, but I continue trying.  What is Modesty? Now, immediately, the connotation for modesty seems to be telling women how to dress. And as everyone knows, people LOVE being told what to do.  Modesty, like any virtue, cannot be forced upon you to really take root. It must be nurtured in the heart of the person themselves. So, modesty is not forcing you to cover up.  The sister virtue to modesty is humility , which opposes pride...the greatest vice. It is the focus on self that often causes strife between people. Humility is not a popular virtue, but it is healthy and important for living with others harmoniously. And ultimately, make us happy.  Humility doesn't ...

 For most of my costumes, I assume that my time outside will be minimal. Nothing more than walking from the parking lot to the venue. But there are plenty of reasons for outdoor events to be costume events as well, such as Ren Faires, Live Action Role Play (LARP), Historical Reenactment, Film Shoots, and outdoor theatre.  In this post I want to go over how to make sure your costume can deal with:  Heat and Cold Precipitation Sun Exposure Uneven Terrain Dirt/Mud/Dust Shopping Convenience Staying Healthy and Hydrated Your physical health, safety and comfort should be a top consideration in designs.  Temperatures 🌡 When and where the event is located will affect the weather you'll likely encounter. So here are some suggestions for adjusting or planning your design to suite the typical temperature of the event's location.  Hot Weather 😎 For our body to keep cool, it needs sweat to evaporate off our skin. The more skin we can expose to the air, the more efficient o...

 I've had a sleep and some time to think on things and a few more ideas for the dress have crept in. So here's how day 2 is going.  First, I reviewed my previous day's results a few times. I did make some doodles but was not happy with my color scheme of red and black. It seemed too grim and again, too much like my current competition dress. (Which I finished by the way...here's what that looks like.) So things that bothered me were colors and cuts. While the styles of the 1920s go against every rule of dressing a pear shaped body, I decided that I wouldn't care...but I could "lessen" the effect with a few tricks.  For now I decided that the mesh-top with a heart shape would be best, but I'll put in a triangular cut-out to make a plunging V shape in the heart. I plan on using sequins to make lines on the bodice and making it a highly decorated top...which IS good for pears. The back line will be V-shaped as well.  During the night I peeked at some onli...

Just got good news that there is going to be a showcase this year at my dance school and it's going to be different than before! This time it's theme is a Murder Mystery in a 1920s Speakeasy. It's going to have a story to it so I'll be in-character after my dance number. (I've been craving a theatrical project. I'm going to have to brush up on my '20s slang.)  Right now, I'm plotting what to do with the character that I've chosen and how to design her costume. I thought this would be a fun example of developing a costume design as in the moment instead of in hindsight.  Character Description This is the character prompt I received from the organizer:  Polly Peppers - The flapper with a Dark Past. She dances and laughs like she hasn't a care in the world, but Polly's real story is darker than anyone knows. Is she hiding more than just a broken heart? So a few words stood out to me immediately: Flapper, Peppers, Laughter, Dark Past To be honest...

 This year for the Dance Party I want to go as a Sailor Scout. Currently, I'm not sure which character I'll go as or if I'll design my own or do some kind of crossover. (Sailor Mitsuri maybe. 😜) I have such a soft spot for the original characters as I grew up in the 90s with the original release of the manga in English and the wonky 90s anime. However, I do like some of the new designs of the reboot.  Thankfully, the characters all have the same BASE to the costume that is a leotard, with a sailor collar and short skirt. In essence, I'm going to work off my growing knowledge of how to sew swimsuits and leotard-based dancesport costumes to make this. And I did cheat and get a pattern just to get some ideas about how to put things together. But I think I'll make my own way.  As far as the variations between characters go, the differences are typically found in the sleeves, the colors, and the gemstone broach designs. (When looking exclusively at the Sailor Fuku/Unifo...

There are a few things you can do to increase the formality of the kimono. Most of these things you should consider in the PLANNING phase before you start measuring and cutting.   Fabric Fiber Choice One of the hallmarks of a formal kimono is the fabric type. You will not find a formal cotton kimono. All formal kimono are silk. And usually a NICE silk too. Silk with "shlubs" like silk dupioni are a less formal silk even in polyester form. A nice silk is smooth or has a purposeful design in the weave. However, even if you have a nice silk if it has a komon pattern it's not considered formal...it's just a very nice informal outfit.  Sleeve Height (Feminine Only) Furisode sleeve heights vary which affects the occasion and formality level.  Ko Furisode has a height of 75 - 80 cm long when finished. This type of furisode was worn as a school uniform back in the early 1900s, so it's good for that kind of historical outfit and some cosplay. In modern day, this is only wo...

The intention here is to help you plan and prepare to create a feminine kimono ensemble for either an original design or character recreation.  For the feminine style kimono planner, we will cover:  Identifying Feminine Kimono Formality Customs Design Planner Resources, Tutorials, and Patterns  The key feature of a feminine kimono is the opening under the armpits and down the body side of the sleeve. The opening on the body is called Miyatsuguchi. Other identifying features are very rounded marumi on the sleeve corners or just very tall sleeves. When worn, there should be a fold underneath the obi called Oshori. The hem should be just over your toes and the collar is worn off the back of the neck instead of against it so there is some subtle shape differences compared to a male collar. But the obvious indicator is the open sleeves and miyatsuguchi.  Formality Customs Female formality customs can be a rabbit hole of learning. Things change over time and in some cases ...

This post is hopefully going to give you some ideas on how to plan and prepare to make a masculine style kimono ensemble. This will help both with original designs and cosplay.  We will cover:  Identifying a Masculine Kimono Formality Customs The Design Process Resources and Tutorial References Masculine Kimono The quickest way to identify a masculine kimono is to look at how the sleeves are attached. There will be no opening under the armpit on a masculine kimono. The sleeves also tend to have a sharper corner. The collar is generally all one width. Lastly, the bottom hem of the kimono reaches the wearer's ankles. However, since people vary wildly in height the most accurate and obvious identifier is the lack of an opening under the sleeves. (The opening is known as Miyasuguchi ).  Formality There are only a few identifiers that make a kimono more or less formal for men. These include material, the number of family crests (Kamon), Colors, and what other clothes you wear ...

The purpose of this post is to give you some baselines and cultural common knowledge about kimono as well as the bare bones needed to make one.  What you Need to Wear a Kimono  Kimono is just a part of a whole outfit, just like a jacket is part of a tuxedo. These are the different things typically worn with modern kimono:  Hadagi/Nadajuban/Modern Underwear The first "layer" of this is undergarments. A Nadajuban looks similar to a kimono, except it does not have a wide collar. A Hadagi is a "shirt only" option worn with a wrap skirt. It is the first layer of protection against your skin/sweat/oils. This is even worn with Yukata. You can consider this an optional layer as Modern day underwear serves the same purpose.  🖉NOTE : You can wear a slip or shorts instead of the susoyoke (wrap skirt).  Juban/Nagajuban/Hanjuban The under kimono or Juban is the part you see peeking from the collar worn directly under the kimono. The Nagajuban is a single piece that looks ve...

Duct tape Dummy or a Duct tape mannequin is a quick way to create a replica of your body for all kinds of projects. From being a dress form to creating a pattern, Duct tape dummies (DTD) are incredibly useful for all kinds of costume projects.  However, if you are trying to make a full body DTD, you'll need assistance to make it. It may also destroy some of your clothing in some methods. And you may not feel comfortable making one as it is restrictive.  The primary reasons for making a DTD are to make patterns for clothes or armor. Because it is easy to translate the 3D form into a 2D pattern.  Puppet head covering pattern. Personally, for things like gloves or boot covers, I have no trouble making a DTD of an arm or a leg. But full body I need a different approach.  Method 1: Silhouette Tracing As a kid, I remember having a criminal outline done on banner paper of myself. It is still a viable approach although now I may need to tape pieces of banner paper side by si...