Yuuko Ichihara - Sakura Robe #1

Yuuko Ichihara, xxxHOLiC ◇ Rei, by CLAMP

COSPLAY ID
CHARACTER Yuuko Ichihara
SOURCE xxxHOLiC ◇ Rei manga, by CLAMP
COSTUME vol. 3

Yuuko Ichihara & Kimihiro Watanuki, xxxHOLiC ◇ Rei, by CLAMP

COSTUME BREAKDOWN

• kimono style sleeveless robe, with a sakura tree print
• thin choker
• lacy slip
• paper kanzashi
  

I made this one back in 2016, to have something light and fresh, to wear at the Japan Festival, usually held near the Summer Solstice, in warm weather. The moment I opened the volume 3 of ×××HOLiC ◇ Rei, and read it, I knew this was a costume I wanted to make, and could make in a few days. As the artwork is in black & white, I could choose any colour palette. Instead of going for the classical pink on pink or pink and white sakura palette, I took some inspiration from the AriZona green tea bottle, and decided on white and pink sakuras on an acqua background. The highlights on the robe's collar were black, so I wanted a fuchsia for those, as red is usually drawn as black, in b&w. The inner shift, I'd try to find at Primark or so, and I found a nice silky black one. The shoes could be any comfortable shoes, in any of the colours,  as she's barefoot, at home.

AriZona Green Tea

I searched for an acqua silky satin at Feira dos Tecidos, but unfortunately the closest I could find was a not so cheap sky blue sablé. Fortunately, on the scrap bin, I found the perfect fuchsia cotton satin for the details, at the same shop. Then I went to buy the fabric paints, cream, brown and black. I normally use the Sétacolor, by Pébèo, fabric paints. I had some fuchsia left at home, from another project, so, I didn't need to buy some. My mom lent me her Chinese brushes, because I wanted a kitschy hand painted style, like the kitsch hand painted satin pillows, very popular during the 80's.

My sketch of the costume, with the widespread sakura pattern

Thoroughly analysing every frame in the manga, where we can see the robe, I made a flattened sketch of how the branches would fill the robe pieces. In the illustrations, the robe looks a bit like a repurposed kimono, so I decided on a kimonoesque pattern, but in an A-line shape, instead of a tube, so it would flow as I move.

the finished robe, front side

I first sewed the blue satin side seams, included an inset pocket on each side, and, with chalk, I lightly drafted the branches. Then I first painted the brown branches and tree trunk, and added some black shading and texture. After that, I started with the cream for the sakuras, painting 4 to 6 at a time, so I could add the fuchsia centers while the cream paint was still wet, for a watercolour blurry feel. After a while, a few days, I was a bit fed up of painting sakuras, and I had already filled the whole surface, so I stopped. But I'd like to saturate the robe with more sakuras in the near future.

After the paint was completely dry, I sewed the shoulder seams, added the interfacing to the armholes in fuchsia, so it would contrast with the blue. Then I added the fuchsia trim on the openings and bottom, and finally the interfaced collar and the ties. I had to be very careful with the fuchsia, as I only had about 1,5×1m of it, but it was just enough in the end. The inner ties were made in the blue, but it's fine, this way they won't be visible, although the blue isn't very transparent. And I could add pockets!

I made a choker out of fuchsia leather cord and golden metal trinkets, and the paper hair tie from rice paper, stiffened with shellac. I researched on how they should be properly made,  but I didn't have much luck. the only tutorial I found is confusing, so I ended up just gluing strips of paper, and curling them with a scissors. I still would like to know the proper name for these hair ties.

The costume is really very comfortable, nice and fresh in jot weather, and it flows nicely. But it doesn't open enough at the boobs to show the slip, and tends to twist. I think I'll add an inner belt, so it doesn't twist so much, and stays symmetrical.

Unfortunately I don't have any nice photos dressed in this costume, not ftom 2016, nor from this time. I will someday! This is the second time I've worn this costume, both to the Japan Festival in Lisbon.

+ Apart from the painting, and the blue sablé slipping like a wet fish,  this was definitely a quick and fun costume to draft and sew. I quite like the result. And there's very little wig styling, which is always a plus.

- I need to fix the twisting issue, and maybe pin the sides, so my boobs pop out, while I'm at the events. Something unwanted that happens quite often, and now that I want it,  it doesn't! 

THE CUNNING PLAN

Fix the "twist" and add sakuras. Schedule a photo session for this costume.