Modesty's Costume Closet

 The design frenzy has settled down. The initial excitement wanes a bit as expected. But there is still more to think about. While I'm pleased with the potential ideas, there are a few things I should consider on a more logical and practical basis. For example, what's going to be the challenge in making this dress? How expensive do I think it will be? Is my production plan the best way to make this? When it comes to accessories, what will be great for dancing and what will get in the way or become an annoyance?  Current preferred Design Lets start with determining potential Accessories. Accessory Evaluation Going off my drawing, here are the accessories I might use:  Feathered Headband Stud Earrings Long Pearl Necklaces  Ornamented Necklace Black Gloves Gold bangle bracelets White Feather Boa Ornamented Belt/Sash T-strap Mary Jane Shoes A couple of non-negotiables include the shoes and at least one other Flapper staple such as the headband or pearls.  For dancin...

 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...

For me, a big challenge comes with picking a character or making one up because I have lots of fondness towards the characters. And I am not opposed to doing a bit of cross-over or reaching back into my high school art and making Sailor Virgo or some other original character design.  For the base costume, I am keeping closer to the Manga references or the Reboot for references. Every character has multiple versions depending on the series and powerups. I'm going to try and stick with first season basics/initial costume. First I'll go over characters I'm considering: (Images all made with the Sailor Senshi Maker ) Canon Characters Sailor Moon Sailor Mercury Sailor Venus Sailor Mars Sailor Jupiter Sailor Saturn Sailor Pluto Original Characters Sailor Virgo Sailor X Sailor Goro Crossover Characters Sailor Rarity Sailor Fluttershy Sailor Mitsuri Sailor Tanjiro Sailor Shinobu Sailor Kyojuro So 16 character ideas total. Time to evaluate and eliminate to determine which one I will...

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 ...

 Two of the kimono I'm making are female tomosode or a semi-formal kimonos. They will both have similar steps in terms of construction and not include anything extra like embroidery or a haori. However, they are made with different fabrics which will affect the sewing process.  Gothic Rose Pattern/Instructions  Alice in Cosplayland Kimono  Other References Measurements Hip Circumference: 102cm (40.5")  Mid-back to wrist (Yuki): 66cm (26") Waist Circumference: 30" Height (Mitake): 160 cm (62") Materials Fabric: Crepe de Chine, Polyester Damask, Satin  Needle: Microtex/Sharp 70, Universal 90/14 Thread: 100% Polyester Fine (black), All Purpose (black) Techniques/Methods Hairline Seams Back Seam Reinforcement (Ishiki ate) Chikara Nuno / Mikazuki Blind Hand Stitch Kise Seam My Plans Gather my materials and set up my machine with the Walking Foot Follow the basic instructions for making a kimono mixing the pattern instructions with Billy's videos. I will try to ...

After the juban, I plan on making the one thing that won't use juban! The Yukata. The video will be my main instructions since I also want to make this with a machine. But there are some things I plan to add because it is a white yukata.   Ruka Yukata Pattern/Instructions Alice in Cosplayland Traditional Kimono/Yukata Other Resources:  Ishiki ate  - This is the thing I'm going to add to the yukata. I like to call it the CYA panel. That is partly what it does. In addition to modesty, it is supposed to take some of the pressure off the center back seam when sitting or kneeling in a kimono. So it doesn't get split up the back seam.   It can be a small patch that you blind stitch by hand to the bum area. Or it can take up the whole back two panels. I'm doing the version in between. It will stretch between the 2 back side seams and hang from the uchiage seam.  This CYA panel is typically found on hitoe (unlined kimono) made of thin silks. It can also go int...

Happy New Year! It's time to finally start the 6 projects, starting with the foundation of undergarments. My sewing machine is tuned up and all fixed (apparently it had some corrosion. 😬) Currently, I'm getting over a cold I got while on my vacation so my start has been delayed slightly while I recover. It does give me a little more time to really go over how I plan to construct the garments. So my following posts will be about proposed plans and references for the project.  This is going to be a reference for my plans for making these garments. I may make a more generic planner for anyone to use.  Nagajuban  Pattern/Instructions:  Alice in Cosplay Land: Juban Other Tutorials/References:  Measurement from the video above Small Stay cloth Stay cloth for Collar Material:  Fabric: White Cotton Broadcloth Thread: White All Purpose Needle: Universal Needle Size 80/12 Presser Foot: Normal, Blind Hem Foot, Wide Hem foot Measurements :  Full Length (Mitake): ...

Some of the blogs and videos I've been watching use this kind of folding board that was long and narrow. Perfect for cutting, marking, and sewing Kimono and Obi. I come to learn it's called hera dai. (Google translates it as Spatula Table). Basically, when you use this with a tool called a hera (it is like a resin spatula) you can make indent marks on your kimono fabric instead of using chalk or markers.  From Morio-Hobby.com The closest thing I could find that was similar for Western sewing was this Dritz's cardboard pattern making mat. (I have one!) I like it and just realized I can put pins in it (game changer) but it doesn't stay as flat as I'd hoped. Also, it's made of corrugated cardboard which bends easily and can't get wet.  You might be able to purchase a hera dai by going to a shop in Japan. I did see some online stores, but I don't think they ship these internationally. I haven't seen them on eBay or Etsy either. So, that means I have to m...