Construction Details:

This was a... Fun construction costume. I went back and forth about whether to make the kimono one piece or two, and finally settled on two pieces, top and skirt. The skirt is three layers, white and yellow cotton and a polyester red. The shirt collar is the only part with three layers; both skirt and top are hand patterned. A compression vest and padding with towels around the waist were used to help get a more "kimono-like" shape. The details on the sleeves are cut-out applique that is edged in satouche and have custom dyed feathers. The obi is three layers; duct cloth for stability, yellow sparkle fabric to be FABULOUS and then a silk-dyed sheer with a 3D chrysanthemum pattern in it. The black roses and vines were cut from lace, placed around the Chrysanthemums and sewn on by both hand and machine. The comb was designed on the computer and then printed out on a 3D printer. The costume has eight strands of EL-wire and twenty-four LEDs. The LEDs run on individual battery packs while the EL-wires as all hooked to one inverter and battery that is hidden in the back of the obi, under the bow.

Personal Thoughts:

OH God, why do I do this to myself every time? So, unfortunately, this costume was fun, but a bit of a nightmare and an insane sprint to try and get it done. Trying to order the EL-wire was a nightmare, and then four days before the plane, one strand of LEDs shorted out. Then back stage, one of the EL-wire stands in the sleeves went out, which brought down the whole system of lights. Cue me trying not to burst into tears as our stage hand goes through all the wires in my obi bow to figure out the short. Thankfully, he is an engineer and awesome, so I was only down one strand. I also will probably redo the base wig, as wigs prove to be my weakest skill. All in all though, the costume was meant to go with my friends' and I had a wonderful time.

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