Break out the top hats and the absinthe, cause it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Well, not really, but that doesn’t mean we rogues and knaves shouldn’t enjoy ourselves.  Today, I bring you a step by step guide to “steaming” the mundane to create the fantastical… or, in this particular case, the marginally fascinating, yet still slightly off-putting.

First, one must gather his or her materials.  Rummage around to find any strange bits or bobs that may be floating around your home (though, the adventurous may elect to pilfer from the neighbors and dive into dumpsters).

Next, we assemble the basic components and begin to bond them together, like so:

Hmm…. still looks like an old glue gun with a paper towel roll glued onto it.  Let’s add something to make the shape a bit less familiar.

Lovely.  Well, now we need something up front, don’t we?  It’s a sight… or something.  The important thing here is that this item appears to serve a function.  With steampunk props, functional pieces, or pieces that appear functional = FTW.

I say, old chaps! Wouldn’t it be delightful if perhaps this weapon ran on steam supplied by liquid crystal?  Indubitably.  Capital idea.  Well, I suppose we must create a cozy place to store our power source.  This is where an X-acto knife comes in handy.

Another functional item.  Always sensible to be able to clip your weapon to your belt securely when you find yourself without your holster.

As any sensible weapon smith knows, style is important as well.  No dashing sky captain or daring lady pirate would be caught dead with a weapon so plain any scoundrel could be its owner.  Let’s add a flower to the barrel and then use some glue to make this piece more interesting.

What now?  Well, it doesn’t look very impressive yet, does it?  Let’s go ahead and give it some paint.

First, I used black as a primer.

Next, brown to give a burnished, worn effect under the gold.

Now, metallic gold to give the impression this gun is cast from metal.

Oh, dear.  It is entirely too shiny, isn’t it?  To combat blindness, I very lightly dusted the gun with brown until I achieved the look of antique brass or copper.

Now, to make this item look well-loved and oft-used, I’ve applied some acrylic paint in various shades of brown in the low areas.

On high areas, I used watered down paint and even applied some green to give the gun a patina.

Next I attached some air tubing, the marble (ahem, I mean crystallized liquid).

Finally, wrap some gold wire around the barrel and the tubing. Spray with clear coat to seal and…. Voila!  There you have it, the finished product.

Be posting soon. : )

I love steampunk fashion so much.  If I had the time and money, I’d dress like that everyday!  Am I weird?  Maybe.  But who cares?  Steampunk is fun and really cool.

Anyway, I’m supposed to be writing about LBCC, not steampunk.  Hmm, where to begin?

Let’s start with size.  LBCC has proven the old adage to be correct.  Size doesn’t matter. LBCC is a small con.  Some people prefer small conventions, but most do not.  Unfortunately, many people associate small cons with lackluster events, poor planning, and washed-up, has-been guest.  Not so with LBCC!  Guests ranged from the legendary Stan Lee to Seth Green and the Robot Chicken team to Lou Ferrigno.  Still not impressed?  Check out the list of LBCC’s guests here. Seriously, the guest list was a righteous line up. You could have theoretically seen Stan Lee and the Hulk …in the same room… at the same time…

Back to the point, the small size of LBCC created an intimate atmosphere that really allowed the press and attendees to interact with the guests in ways not possible at larger cons. At panels, everyone was able to ask those burning questions, and the guests were able to provide genuine, well thought-out responses.

The demented minds behind Robot Chicken.

What else made LBCC awesome?   Well, the activities didn’t hurt.   LBCC had something for everyone.   A Robot Chicken Panel, a screening of Trick ‘r’ Treat, panels on writing, panels on comic art, a dealer’s hall, and plenty of artists offering original comics and commissioned artwork.  The artists’ and writers’ panels were very informative.  Only one panel was a little boring, and that was because the guy’s tablet broke and we already knew what he was teaching.  Had that not been the case, the panel probably would have pretty cool.

The Robot Chicken Panel was fun, of course.  Even Fancy India was able to laugh at the content shown to us at the panel, and she’s not the biggest fan of the show by any means.  Trick ‘r’ Treat is a great movie.  I must say, I was surprised to learn it’s going to be a straight to DVD release.  The production quality and the effects were much better than other films of its ilk.  I seem to recall something about Trick’r'Treat being originally intended for theatrical release.  Correct me if I’m wrong.  The plot is quite entertaining, far from those of the cliché hack’n'slash Halloween film.  The movie is funny, creepy,  cute (orly?!), and a little scary.  The audience was cheering and clapping all through the movie!  I was pleased with the screening, which really consoled me about not being able to see Zombieland on opening night because I was at the con.  I’m going to see Zombieland on Saturday, so no one spoil it for me!

What will I do to you if you spoil my zombie carnage?  You don’t want to know. >:)

The venue had some to do with LBCC being so fun as well.  Back when Anime Expo was at Long Beach Convention Center, I thought I hated the place. The building was packed and the structures are too far apart, leading to sore feet and sunburns (even with SPF 50 sunblock).   The truth is, AX was just too large for this venue, but LBCC was the perfect size.  The con was concentrated to a particular building in the convention center, making getting from event to event quite simple.

The dealer’s hall was also not as huge and sprawling as those of some cons, but, the limited size allowed the booths to be set up in a way that allowed attendees breathing room.  The air conditioner was effective for the size of the space, a very important fact in a con full of trekkies and nerds who may or may not have bathed recently(sorry guys, but I’m not going to sugar-coat it).  Yeah, there are lots of clean people at cons.  There are also lots of dirty, stinky ones!

Zomg!  We’re with The Predator.

Another convenient thing about the convention center: the restaurants right across the street.  Yay for CPK!  There’s lots to love about Long Beach Convention Center when a con is small.

Am I forgetting something?  The people!  We met some interesting, genuinely nice people at LBCC and that made the con even cooler.  We played Wii with a total stranger who was really interested in our site, talked to other fans of steampunk, took pictures with people in great cosplays/costumes, and the con-goers, in general, were just much more polite and less socially-awkward than people at other cons (ahem, Ax…).  Thankfully, LBCC was a glomp-free zone!

Let’s not forget the the staff!  Because of the cons small size, LBCC’s staff was more than capable of handling the number of attendees and could accurately answer questions and provide information. With small cons, it’s very important that the staff display a certain level of competency and in order to maintain the reputation and professionalism of the convention, or else the convention can seem very poorly organized and “slapped together.” I’m very glad to report that the staff at LBCC were nothing but friendly, professional, and well-informed. The Long Beach Convention Center’s staff were also very helpful and friendly, which in turn, helped Long Beach Comic Con in being a smooth-running event.

Rock on, Mystery Man X!

As embarrassing as it is, I must admit I forgot the name of the man pictured above, so I’m going to call him Mystery Man X.  He’s just one example of how awesome the people behind LBCC are.  Before the Robot Chicken panel, all the guys had to be rounded up since they were off having fun at the con.  This created a delay before the panel, but Mystery Man X hung out and kept the press and audience updated as to exactly what was going on, and, dig this, did his very best to entertain us and keep us occupied!  He had the option of keeping us in the dark and letting us sit there bored, but he didn’t do that.   Way to go!

So, interested in my opinion?  I think it goes without saying I liked LBCC.  I’ll definitely attend again, and hopefully will feel the same for years to come.  Kudos, Long Beach Comic Con for a great event, and thanks for the all the fun!

This is an example of one traditional motif, the bobbin motif.

As always, let’s start with the basics.   What is a motif?  Well, a motif is a recurring theme, element or pattern, or an overall theme.  Basically, in the case of kimono, a motif is what is on the kimono.

There are several very famous Japanese motifs which, throughout the world, have become synonymous with kimono.  Some of these include sakura*, dragons, goldfish and cranes.  While these motifs are lovely, many motifs lesser known in the western world  can be found on exquisitely beautiful kimono and other wafuku (Japanese clothing).

One of my favorite motifs is the takara motif.  Takara are treasures, usually traditional Japanese treasures from folklore.  Takara are very popular on kimono, especially in collections of seven (called shichihou).  The treasures include fabulous items such as hagoromo, magatama, gin, kin, sango, and tsuchi.  Some of the treasures are natural ones: gin is Japanese for  “silver”, and kin is “gold.”  Some of the treasures, such as the magatama, hold religious or historical importance. The magatama is a bead which was popular in with the noble class in ancient Japan and was often found interred with the dead in tombs and burial mounds.

Here’s a few takara.  Among the flowers we see kasa and hagoromo.

The stories behind other takara are old tales which have been told for centuries.  For example, the hagoromo is the feathered cloak of a tennin (similar to an angel).  The hagoromo is stolen by a fisherman while the tennin bathes in the water.  Because the tennin cannot go back to heaven without her cloak, the fisherman agrees to return the hagoromo to the tennin if she dances for him.  What is most interesting about this tale is the parallels it holds with the western “Swan Maiden” archetype tales.  The history behind the takara is fascinating, and well worth researching for anyone who likes a good story.

Items bearing a takara motif often have intricate, detailed imagery on them.  One of the fun things about takara motifs is finding and identifying which items are depicted on the piece.

Another great motif is the tabane noshi motif.  I usually like motifs with a lot of detail, and this motif almost always indicates highly detailed work.  Back in the day in Japan, gifts were sometimes presented with tabane noshi attached to them.  Tabane noshi literally means bound noshi, noshi referring to dried strips of abalone, although now strips of paper are also used.  Dried abalone is full of nutrients, and it was an important food, often used as a ritual offering to the gods.  Therefore, tabane noshi has become an auspicious motif and is often found on formal items.

Here’s an example of tabane noshi.

The chayatsuji motif (country house with flowers and streams) is a great, often overlooked theme.  I love this theme for its tranquility.　　The motif has a very nostalgic feel to it as well, depicting traditional Japanese architecture which is dying in these modern times.  Because this is the case, items with a chayatsuji motif often have a magical, almost fairytale-like quality to them, giving the viewer a feeling that they are observing a scene frozen in time.  Anyone else suddenly feel like watching Brigadoon?

Doesn’t the chayatsuji motif convey a sense of peace and harmony?

*A brief digression concerning sakura, or Japanese cherry blossoms.  Sakura are quite famous worldwide, and, along with the chrysanthemum are considered by many to be the unofficial national flower of Japan.  The beauty of the sakura cannot be denied, and it is not unheard of, or even uncommon, to see kimono with sakura motifs.  That being said, there are a great many kimono enthusiasts who prefer not to own kimono or obi with sakura motifs.  The main reason behind this is the brevity of the cherry blossom’s blooming season, which provides only a short window of time in which an item bearing sakura can be worn.  Some people see this as a waste of the resources it takes to make and wear a kimono.

Are this obi and kimono a well-suited match?  It’s ok if you don’t know.  This guide will help you answer this question on your own.

There are so many things to take into consideration when coordinating kimono that things can get a little bit intimidating.  Factors to be considered are kimono/obi type, color, season, material, print/pattern, age, and how formal items are.  There are more, of course, but I’m sure you’re beginning to see how complicated this all is.

First, I’ll start with kimono/obi type, because this can help you immensely in coordinating an ensemble.  As was discussed in my previous post, Kitsuke Vocabulary, there are many types of women’s kimono, and several types of obi.  This article will be, by no means, all-inclusive, but it will discuss the most common of these items.

The least formal kimono is the yukata.  It is to be worn with hanhaba obi, sometimes called han obi.  Basically, it’s an obi that’s half the width of most other obi.  Maiko and geiko can wear nagoya obi with yukata, but the general public can’t get away with it.

Here’s DQ and me in yukata with hanhaba obi on Day 1 of AX. Like my bowler hat? lol

Next we have the komon kimono.  Komon have a small, repeating pattern on them, and can be quite casual.  Usually, they are worn with nagoya obi, but can also be worn with nice hanhaba obi.

Here’s a hanhaba obi (bottom) and a nagoya obi (top).

Now, this is where things get a little confusing.  Nagoya obi can also be worn with  houmongi, iromuji, or tomesode.  How formal an obi is will determine whether or not it is appropriate for these kimono.  I will discuss how to determine if an item is formal or not later in this article.

There is yet another obi type out there, called the fukuro obi, which can be worn with furisode, tomesode, iromuji, houmongi, or komon, depending on how formal the kimono is.  Fukuro obi are considered pretty fancy, they  are never seen in casual settings.

This is a fukuro obi. It’s patterned on only about 60% of its surface and it’s smaller than a maru obi.

It’s my favorite obi. Sugoi! Sadly, I don’t have a kimono that matches it well lol.

Finally, we have the maru obi, which is the most formal obi most women will ever wear.  The maru obi is only worn with houmongi, tomesode, or furisode. It has the largest dimensions of the obi mentioned thus far, and is usually patterned fully. It can be patterned on both sides, or just one.

Here’s one of my maru obi.

Now that we know which obi go with which kimono, we can start to look at how to create a well-matched ensemble.  One of the most obvious elements of matching is color.  First, you must decide which kind of ensemble you’re going for.  Do you want a youthful look?  Go for something colorful.  Do you want to look mature?  Go for muted tones.  But, wearing a colorful outfit doesn’t mean you need to look like clown vomit; by the same token, looking mature doesn’t mean you have to dress in drab grays or browns.  The trick is picking appropriate colors which look good together.

Some people have a good sense of which colors look good together, others don’t.  Fortunately, we have some tools at our disposal to determine whether or not certain colors will look “harmonious” together.  The color wheel and basic color theory are probably the best weapons in your arsenal.

In the following pictures, you can see I’ve divided the color wheel into the three basic color groups.

By looking at the color wheel, we can determine the relationship between colors.  Some of these relationships  are analogous, complimentary, or triadic.

Analogous colors are next to one another on the color wheel; they create calm combinations that please the eye.

Colors that are across from one another are complimentary; these are vibrant combos that really pop, but if not balanced well, they can be overwhelming.

Last we have triadic color combinations; these schemes basically use colors that are spaced evenly throughout the color wheel.

For a look at traditional Japanese color combinations, take a glimpse at this site:  Layer color. Further study of colors and their relationships and traditions will put you on the path to bulletproof kitsuke.

Season is a major influence in kimono coordination. Winter, spring, summer and fall.  Seems simple enough, right?  WRONG!!  There are purportedly 72 seasons of kimono.  There are motifs which can be worn only at specific times of the year, some of them only during a particular part of a certain month.  Flowers are worn in their blooming seasons. There is a right and a wrong time to wear certain fabrics. Some colors are best worn at particular times of the year. Learning to identify the motifs on your kimono and obi will be greatly helpful to you in coordinating your ensembles.

Here are some basic guidelines for what belongs in which season.

Winter:
Plum, bamboo and pine (especially together)
anything with snow on it
trees without leaves
rinzu (shiny damask silk)
padded kimono

Here’s an example of a bamboo motif.

Spring:
Sakura (Japanese cherry blossom)
Butterflies
Budding bamboo
rinzu

Summer:
Green grass
streams/rivers
summer flowers such as roses
hitoe kimono (unlined kimono)
ro
hemp
yukata
lace

Fall/ Autumn:
dried grass
brown wheat
falling leaves
rinzu

Sometimes you’ll come across an item that has motifs from several or all of the seasons. Guess what that means? You’ve just found a very versatile item which can be worn during each of the seasons represented on the item. Buy it. BUY IT!!!

Here’s a furisode with motifs from several seasons.  To name a few, we have ume (winter), new bamboo (spring), roses (summer), and red maple leaves (autumn).  I can wear this all year if I wish!

Now for a word on print and pattern. Print and pattern belong more in the category of seasons, but I feel the need to mention something here. Some patterns and prints just don’t go together, no matter if the colors are analogous,  if the seasons match, or if they’re both covered in metallic embroidery. Some things just don’t work together. Think of that old song from back in the day: “Polka dots, checks and stripes. Yipes!”

If you have a super busy kimono, pairing it with an equally busy obi may not be such a good idea. But, this is where personal tastes come in. This picture illustrates this well. Orange and blue look great together, but the kimono has tons of little, detailed images on it. The obi is covered in a repeating pattern with bright colors. Your eye has no idea where to settle first, and the contrast in the colors is liek WHOA!

My retinas!

Next, we’ll discuss age. A woman’s age is a very important thing when she’s wearing kimono. First, it will dictate the cut and style of kimono she can wear (for example, married women and women older than early twenties normally don’t wear furisode). Second, age will determine the colors of a woman’s kimono. Usually, the more colorful a kimono and the rounder the sleeves are, the younger the wearer is. Generally, this concept applies throughout all types of kimono. Younger women will wear brighter yukata, bolder komon, and more colorful houmongi. Older women can wear beautiful kimono, they just normally will be more demure in their color schemes. Older women wearing kimono are mature, they’re glamorous, they can wear tomesode with beautiful brocade maru obi and look fabulous!

Here’s my mom modeling a ro tomesode with a maru obi. Très chic!

Last, but not least, is determining if the item is formal or casual. As discussed previously, each type of kimono and obi has its own place and time to be worn. So, how can we tell how formal a kimono or obi is?

Well, first, there’s the material. Silk is more formal than wool, hemp or cotton. Certain types of silk are more formal than others (usually determined by the softness of touch). Dyeing techniques are also an indicator of how formal a kimono or obi is, generally the more labor intensive the dyeing technique is, the more formal the item. For example, the repeating dye patterns of komon are less formal than yuzen (free hand dyeing technique) on houmongi or furisode. Embroidery (nui), especially in gold or silver, and metallic leaf (surihaku) make an item formal as well.

Here is a wool kimono (woven) next to a silk bride’s furisode.  Notice the yuzen, nui and surihaku on the bride’s furisode.  I think it’s obvious which is more formal. ^^

Essentially, we want to be certain that our items are equally (in)formal. It would look super weird to wear a furisode with a han obi, just like a yukata with a maru obi would look weird. If items share formal elements, then they can most likely be worn together.

Take a look at this obi. Can you determine whether it’s formal or informal?

How was that?  I hope I was able to give you some useful information.  Again, feel free to leave comments or emails if you have any questions, or if I missed anything.  I look forward to hearing from you!

By kawaiiclare

In my last post, I might have used a lot of words that sounded like pure gibberish to some of you.   Maybe you’re wanting to learn more about kimono in general, but you find it’s hard to gather all the information you need at once.  Or, maybe you just need to brush up on your kitsuke vocab.  Whatever the case may be, you’re sure to find lots of information here.

The basics:

Kimono: should be obvious, but a kimono is a traditional Japanese garment, it can be made in many different styles and materials.

Kitsuke: the art of wearing a kimono.  No, you don’t just put it on and then tie a ribbon around your waist!  There is a technique you must follow when putting a kimono on.  If you’re going to do something: do it right.

Obi: the belt that ties around the kimono.  Like the kimono, there are many styles of obi.

Getting a little more advanced:

ohashori: waist fold for women’s kimono.

Juban: layer under the kimono.  This protects the kimono from your sweat and the oils from your skin.  It’s a major faux pas to wear a kimono without some form of juban.

Hakama: those poofy pants you see samurai wearing in old pictures.  Not only samurai wear them, of course.

Tabi: the “ninja socks.”  Essentially, socks where the big toe is separated from the other toes.

Can you identify everything this maiko is wearing?

by Jomind

Differences between Men’s and Women’s kimonos:
Sleeves on a man’s kimono will be sewn to the body of the kimono.  Men’s kimono should be long enough to come to about the ankle.  A woman’s kimono should be about as long as she is tall so that she can fold the extra fabric in at her waist.  Women’s sleeves are rounded at the outer corner, open on the inside, and hang free under the arm.  This is to allow easy arranging of the kimono.  Regardless of gender, the kimono is ALWAYS, ALWAYS wrapped left side over right.  The only time this is reversed is when the kimono is worn by a corpse.

Types of women’s kimono:
Yukata: any anime fan has seen the yukata.  A yukata is a cotton summer kimono.  Back in the day, everyone in Japan would wear these as bathrobes.  It is the most casual of the kimono, and is worn by both men and women.

Komon: a kimono with a small, repeating pattern.  Generally considered to be casual, but can be dressed up with the right obi and accessories.

Iromuji: a solid colored kimono which is either completely without pattern or has a subtle pattern.

Tsukesage: kimono which only has a pattern on the bottom, below the knee.  The pattern will be hidden when sitting on the knees in traditional Japanese fashion.  Not sure what the reason for this is… maybe to look more humble?

Houmongi: kimono generally with pattern across the sleeves, shoulder and bottom, and sometimes on the seams. Appropriate for formal occasions for both married and unmarried women.

Furisode: a bright, colorful kimono with long, swinging sleeves.  It is formal wear for young, unmarried women.

Tomosode: a formal kimono worn by married women.  It is generally black with a detailed, colorful pattern at the bottom.  Often mon can be found on the back.

Uchikake: A bride’s kimono with a padded bottom hem.  These are equally beautiful as they are expensive.

Bride’s furisode:  not to be confused with Uchikake.  A bride’s furisode is essentially a long, trailing furisode with a padded hem, worn by brides.  The photo below is of a bride’s furisode which is part of my collection.

Men’s kimono:

It used to be back in the day that men’s kimono could be extravegant like women’s, too.  Today, that’s not usually the case.  Of course, like women, men have yukata and more formal kimono as well.  What determines how formal a man’s kimono is are the color, material, and number of pieces a man wears on or with his kimono.  For example, a man wearing a yukata is less formal that a man wearing a pale blue kimono, who is less formal than a man wearing a dark blue kimono, who is less formal than a man wearing a dark blue kimono and haori, who is less formal than a man wearing a dark blue kimono with haori and hakama.  Got it?  Good!

by zephyr_jiza

Types of obi:
Hanhaba: Casual obi to be worn with a yukata.  It is only half as wide as other obis (thus the name).  A nicer hanhaba obi could be worn with a komon.  Look for embroidery, or gold or silver threads (gold or silver thread=automatically more formal).

Nagoya: Named for the city where it was first made, the Nagoya obi is easy to identify.  It has a narrower section at one end (it’s folded and sewn in half).  The narrow part is wrapped about the waist, while the wider part becomes the musubi.  Wear with komon, houmongi, iromuji, or tomesode.

Fukuro obi: An obi patterned on a little more than 50% of one side.  It has the same measurements as the maru obi, but because of the manner in which it is patterned, it is less expensive to make.  However, once worn, the fukuro obi looks like the maru obi and can be worn in formal situations.  Pretty smart, right?  Wear fukuro with furisode, tomesode, iromuji, houmongi, or komon kimono.

Maru obi: Most formal obi, patterned fully on both sides, with the biggest dimensions.  Due to the inconveniences of wearing it, the Maru obi is usually only worn to the most formal events.  Wear Maru obi with houmongi, tomesode, or furisode.

darari obi: a maiko’s obi

by Okinawa Soba

Heko: a man’s obi.  It is a wider obi with a softer material.

Kaku: a thinner man’s obi with a stiffer material.

Misc and accessories:

Mon (aka kamon): family seals, usually round, often found on tomesode and other formal kimono

korin belt:  Usually an elastic belt with clips on either end.  It keeps the kimono in place when worn.

datejime: also keeps things in place.  Can be a type that ties or a type that has velcro on it (the latter is sometimes referred to as a “magic belt”).  Either one is really nice to have.

kimono slip:  a slip to wear under the kimono and juban

obi-makura: as the name implies, it’s a little pillow used in tying the obi.  There are a few different kinds.

obi-age: a scarf like piece of silk or other material, used to hide the obi-makura

obi-jime: decorative cord tied over the obi

obi-dome: a bead or brooch-like decoration put on the obi-jime.  Check out pictures of maiko to see some great obi-dome.

obi-ita: a stiff board that is worn to keep an obi flat and unwrinkled.

zori: these look like platform sandals and are to be worn with kimono, although I’ve seen them worn with Western style clothing as well

geta: wooden sandals with teeth, less formal than zori

okobo (aka pokkuri): maiko’s tall geta

Musubi: various obi knots

Here’s an example of a men’s musubi

by Compound Eye

There!  Did I miss anything?!

Is your brain is about to explode from informational overload?  I hope this post was helpful.  Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Kitsuke Fun:  How to Wear Kimono!

We practiced our kitsuke on Fancy India.  Kawaii, ne?

This will be a step-by-step guide on how to wear a casual woman’s kimono ensemble.  The kimono Fancy India is wearing even has a matching haori(?!) but I forgot to put it on her.  Oops.  It would have been so stylish and chic!

Anyway, our first step was to put on a juban so that the kimono wouldn’t touch any skin directly.  This helps preserve the kimono’s condition .  This particular kimono is wool, so it would be itchy without a juban, too!  As you may or may not be able to tell, Fancy India is wearing her regular clothes under the juban lol.  In real life, the juban may not be your first step.  There are various methods of wrapping and binding in order to get a better tube-like shape for kimono wearing, there are also slips and other undergarments to be worn with kimono.  Some people also use padding over the juban to get the cylindrical figure.

Here’s step 1:

Step 2:

Put your kimono on! Fold the collar in half after it’s on.  Notice how the collars don’t sit right against her neck?  You should be able to fit a few fingers in the space between your neck and the collar.  Geiko and maiko can wear their collars back even further.  It’s so elegant!

Step 3:

Adjust the kimono to the correct length.  The hem should just brush your ankles.  You’ll do this by grabbing the ends of the collars in either hand and pulling up slowly until it’s just right.

Step 4:

Wrap yourself up.  Bring the right side of the kimono to your left hipbone.  You’ll want the bottom corner to be about 6 centimeters higher than the left corner.

Lookin’ good!

Step 5:

Bring it around town!  Line the left side up with your right hipbone.  Make sure the bottom hem is straight.   Pull all the excess fabric up and make sure the kimono is smooth over your tooshy!  You need all that excess fabric to make your ohashori (aka waist-fold).   Tie your himo around your waist.  Here, you can see me helping Fancy India to get everything wrinkle-free.

Step 6:

This one’s easy and it’s fun!  We’re going to karate chop that excess fabric to give us a nice, smooth, even ohashori.  Just reach your hands right in and chop it all the way around!  You can use the openings under the kimono sleeves and the opening at the front.

Chop, chop, chop!

Step 7:

This one has a part A, B, and C, but it’s not hard!
A) Pull the right side of the kimono out of the ohashori and fold it in a triangle, with the point at the right hipbone.

B) Stick it under the left side.

C) Pull the left side so that it’s nice and smooth and then tie your next himo over your torso.

Not necessary, but very helpful. Put a date-jime over everything you just tied.

Ok! So now your kimono is on. But it’s still missing something, isn’t it? That’s because it’s time for the obi!

Select an obi that works for your kimono. There are so many rules about kimono and obi coordination that I won’t go into them now, but you may want to check the CosplayCute.com forums or check my blog at a later date for some helpful hints on coordination! ^^

Each obi type has it’s own unique shape and dimensions, and can be used to tie different musubi. Today, we have a pretty black nagoya obi with embroidered camellia flowers and we’ll be tying the otaiko musubi. To tie this musubi you’ll need an obi, an obi makura, an obiage, an obijime, an obi ita and as many chords, belts or himo as you please.

Step 1:

Depending on your obi, you may have to fold it in half lengthwise until the point where there is a seam in the obi. Then, toss the narrow end of the obi over your left shoulder.  If you have an obi ita with ties, stick it on before you start the obi.

Step 2:
Reach your hand behind you and make a triangle fold in the obi so that the fold is toward your feet and the open side is toward your head.

Step 3:
Wrap, wrap, wrap the obi around your body.  If you have the obi ita with no ties, you can put it on by sticking it into your obi now.

Step 4:
Stop when the seam is in the center of your back. Throw the tail over your left shoulder make a triangle fold with the point going toward your feet.

Step 5:
Get your obi makura and wrap it neatly in the obiage.

Step 6:
Most obi makura will be kidney shaped. The curved part goes toward the top when you wear it. Press the obiage against the triangle fold you just made and use it to hold the fold flat against your back.

Tie the obi makura strings in front of you.

You can see we skipped a step, didn’t we? If you look closely, you’ll see Fancy India holding that tail from the beginning in her left hand. All she did was pull it from the back to the front.

Step 7:
Make the obiage neat and tie it in the front over the obi makura ties.

You can see the tail just hanging out at the right side.

Step 8:
Fold the tail at the back into itself so that it makes a nice square. There should be a flap inside the square. Then, pass a string carefully through the first loop created by the folding.

Tie that string in the front. It’s temporary, so it doesn’t have to be pretty.

Step 9:
Put the little tail through the second loop.

Step 10:
Tie the obi jime. All you have to do is put the obi jime over all the folds except the outermost one in the square and then tie it in front in a square knot. Here are several pictures to illustrate this.

Step 11: Tuck everything into the right places, take off the temporary string and you’re done!

There! That wasn’t so hard, was it?

Ok,  so now that we know how to wear our kimonos, let’s put together lots of cute ensembles and send pictures to CosplayCute!!!!!!

The good: It’s Anime Expo. There’s always something to do, and you meet tons of interesting people! The guest of honor line-up was good, too! Clicky! There were lots of concerts and dances to attend, plus tons and tons of cosplay!  Things I especially liked were the masquerade ball, the Claytime panel, and console gaming (woo Rockband every night!).  Of course, there was also the Indecent Otaku Comedy Hour panel which I helped out with by cosplaying the Shacho from DMC for them.  The panel was a hit thanks to the hard work of all those involved (How a Girl Figures, Anime Diet, Anime Genesis, Makenai). If you didn’t catch the panel, here’s my part on youtube!

The Bad: Certain events seemed very poorly scheduled, rehearsed, or planned out.  I think the best example of this was the Masquerade.  The many problems with the audio pretty much made the masquerade a joke this year.  I don’t know if the problem lies with AX staff in charge of sound or the tracks the individuals participating in the masquerade submitted.  Either way, one would assume that at some point, sound checks would be performed in order to ensure an optimal performance is given.

A particular pet peeve of mine:  kitsuke gone wrong.  I blame this one on the “vintage kimono” vendors in the exhibition hall.  I saw way too many girls wandering about in juban tied with obiage.  Kimono vendors should be knowledgeable about their product.  Instead of trying to make a quick buck, they should let these girls know what they are buying.  “Honey, this is a juban, it’s underwear.  That’s a lovely piece, and would look great under this kimono.”

I don’t know if the vendors even know enough about what they’re selling in order to truly help their customers. I was attracted to a certain booth because they had some gorgeous fukuro and maru obi on display (which were incredibly overpriced, by the way).  The proprietress  was wearing furisode even though she was way too old, and married, with  fukuro obi and no musubi.  She just clipped the obi on with a pin.  I asked her if she had any items with a chidori motif or nice zori, and she looked at me blankly.  I then proceeded to tell her that kitsuke was a hobby of mine, and that I was just looking for some good deals.  She pointed out their “bargain” bin, but I wasn’t about to pay $40 for a stained synthetic komon.  She literally knew nothing except how to spin enough BS to make a sale.  Considering the number of people I saw dressed badly in kimono, I assume she’s doing quite well.  I guess that’s good for her, but unfortunately her booth wasn’t the only booth events like this were taking place at.  Instead of becoming knowledgeable and educating their customers, vendors simply buy into the stupidity and cater to it.  It’s good for business, but it’s aggravating and drives prices up for people who actually know what they’re doing.

The Ugly:  Press affairs…. The Moi dix Mois concert.  Ugh.  We attended Anime Expo as press this year and wanted to go to this event so badly, however, we were not able to secure tickets.  Why?  Well, there are several reasons.  First- We were told that only a certain number of tickets would be given out per press outlet (2).  However, when we went to sign up for tickets, there were press outlets that had signed up 7 or 8 people.  At that point, we were told that the events were first-com- first-serve, and it didn’t matter how many people were signed up per outlet.  The staffer at press and industry affairs said we could buy an event ticket and then wait in line with everyone else, which we weren’t about to do since we had been assured we would have two free press tickets.  After the concert was over, another staffer told us that we could have waited for stand-by tickets, which would have been free.  We could have gotten in to the concert, but due to poor communication and uninformed staff, we didn’t get to attend.  I do not, by any means, expect every staff member to be be able to answer every question they are asked, however, a simple information sheet or a walkie-talkie for each staffer stationed in areas requiring specialized knowledge would help to solve communication problems such as the one I’ve described.

Another press perk gone awry was the press bag giveaway.  It was supposedly one bag per press outlet, however, we personally know one person who got a bag for each person in his press corps.  We asked around and discovered this wasn’t an isolated incident.  I know, I know, how uncouth of me to complain about a free bag.  The bag is not the problem, the problem is the selective application and liberal enforcement of the rules.   AX really needs to get it together when it comes to communication, and if a rule applies to one press outlet, then it needs to apply to all of them.  This is a very frustrating and unprofessional issue, one that I never expected to run into at an event so large and so well-known.

Like my picture jack from Dq’s site howagirlfigures.com? I attended as my alterego, and 1/3 of cosplaycute.com, Kawaiiclare. We had decided to go in Ouran cosplay (we just had to wear those terrible yellow dresses). Since Fancy India’s online buddy was hosting at the event, we had all three requested him as our host and decided to show up together and just act in general with Ouran’s special brand of ridiculousness. This would later lead to the biggest disappointment of Animaid Café, but I’ll explain that in a moment.

We had some trouble locating the venue at first, and our driver, DQ’s brother, couldn’t find parking. When we arrived it was still rather early, and the café was still being set up. Of course, it was understandable that they be slightly behind schedule due to this being their first event. Everything was nicely decorated, and a greeting had been written on a whiteboard to inform attendees of the reason for the wait, rather than leaving us in the dark, which I felt was very professional.

We saw one line, but were hesitant to join it for two reasons. For the most part, we were just waiting for our “chauffer” to park the car and wait in line with us. We had also purchased advance tickets, and supposedly we weren’t required to wait in any lines, we were just to go to the door. However, since the event was not ready, we thought perhaps the line had been formed as a result of the preparations going on. We weren’t able to get a hold of anyone to ask, though.

As we awaited our chauffer, a very nice Nekomimi Maid told us that we could join the line and wait in the shade if we liked. We got in line at that point. Instead of coming out and declaring the event officially open and asking if anyone present had advance tickets, the people at the door simply began seating the attendees. The line wasn’t horribly long, so this didn’t bother me much. But, what if the line had been long? This was just something I was thinking about as we approached the door.

When we were almost to the front of the line, I noticed the tables were set up to accommodate only two people. This was when I began to worry. We hadn’t been informed at the time we purchased our tickets that tables would seat just two people. Originally, we had planned for it to be the three of us girls. Had we only been a party of 3, I doubt we would have had a problem with seating. Kyosuke was at the door and very politely asked us to wait until they had two tables together for us. I was impressed that they went out of the way to do this for us.

Here we are waiting.

This was where things started to get a little bad, though. At first, we had fun waiting. There was a computer set up with a projector to play some anime and a little live show to entertain us. But once all the tables were full, instead of starting a wait list, they just began to seat people as tables opened up. Now, in a professional restaurant, the Maître d’ usually would not have seated anyone until the two tables opened and the group who arrived first would have been seated first. That being said, I really appreciated that they did make the effort to seat us together. I just really did not like the hour and a half wait, but I feel this is something that can be avoided in the future with a little practice.

We were seated eventually and given our personal maid to serve us. While she was very nice, she was not who we had requested (remember we requested Fancy India’s friend). At this point, I believe it is important to mention that I later went back to check the event’s site and saw there were actually no guarantees made as to which host or maid attendees were served by. How silly that we overlooked this! Be that as it may, our maid seemed a little nervous, but I could sympathize with her, especially since I think it may have been my fault… I was talking to Fancy India about how we might as well just sit down and enjoy ourselves since we had waited so long. I think our maid may have thought I was speaking to her, but I really didn’t mean anything. I felt really bad after that, so I tried to be super nice to her! I hope you read this. I’m sorry!

Next, there was the issue of the food. While I can understand that Animaid Café desired more of a Japanese/ anime feel, some of the choices didn’t seem appropriate. Now, I don’t mean to say they shouldn’t serve Asian or Asian inspired food, what I mean is that there were foods better suited to the atmosphere. For example, serving sandwichs on croissants instead of loaf bread would have added flair, fried rice and spam (which probably wouldn’t have been on my menu at all ^^) could have been fried rice and sausage octopi, the parfaits could have been actual parfaits (with yogurt, not ice cream). These are just little things that could have helped a little, but the biggest no-no was that frozen foods were used instead of freshly prepared foods. One whiff of the fishy smell wafting off my okonomiyaki almost made me not want to eat it, but I decided I should try it before judging it. It was passable, but not the best I’ve tried. However, these people are not professional chefs, so I think it would be unfair to expect perfection, but I don’t think I’m asking for too much when I suggest a small improvement. On the bright side, the menu was very creative and I can tell some thought went into it!

After the lunch, we sadly had to go, because we were late to another engagement. We didn’t get to play a game with our maid, but I was really looking forward to some Sock ‘Em Rock ‘em Robots!

But here comes the coolest part! As we were leaving we were approached by a host called Night who asked our opinion of Animaid Café. I hope he got the gist that while we felt there was room for improvement that we really had fun and appreciated their honest effort. I informed him that the thing I liked best was that everyone involved had a positive attitude and did their best. I honestly love that Night approached us. Do you know why? It means he really cared and he wanted to make Animaid Café the best it can be! That is awesome and I commend you for your A+ attitude. That sounds lame, I know, but I’m totally serious. Kudos!

So, what’s my opinion of Animaid Café in a nutshell? It’s a good event that with a little practice and more time can be an amazing event. Keep up the hard work! I didn’t get exactly what I was looking for this time, but next time I’m sure it will be just right.

Things I thought were great:

Everyone working there obviously cared a lot

Everyone had a great attitude and worked hard

Those cute little dances

Everyone matched!

Improvements I would make for next time:

The menu needs a bit more zazz

Two clearly defined lines. One for ticket purchases at the door, another for advanced tickets.

I would have hosts/hostesses, and then some “servers” to help them. This would mean attendees got more face to face time with the host or hostess while the server’s only job would be to take care of the food. This would help the employees out too, I’m sure.

Obviously, this was just a first try, and I can understand that some details still need to be worked out. Overall, it was a good experience. I know that it takes a lot of time, energy, effort, and money to put on an event like this. I hope it worked out for Animaid Café and that they will continue to do events like this. I’ll be looking forward to it.

Edit: I have recently heard that the event really picked up after some of the craziness had subsided. Unfortunately, this occurred after we had left and we missed out on a good time. Oh well, I guess that’s just another reason for me to head back next time!