The Source

Bleach in its prime was one of the best shounen series around, although the series had a sharp dropoff in quality in its later years. Orihime was busty and adorable with a hint of melancholy. She also had extremely strange ideas about what constitutes a meal, which is a trait I share with her. ;) The Soul Society arc had Orihime running around in a “shinigami disguise” which I decided on making. It’s a very comfortable costume, so long as you aren’t taking it out into Baltimore summer heat at Otakon in August.

The Costume (2008-2009)

The internet was a different place back back in 2008 and information about traditional Japanese clothing could still be quite difficult to find. My usual sewing resource, the local library system, had no books on the topic at all. I tried to imitate the art as best as I could, although it was highly variable. Looking back, I think the sleeves on this style of clothing should actually be somewhat shorter. I sourced a linen-polyester blend from Jo-Ann’s for 60% off (right before they racked the non-sale price from $6/yard to $8/yard, I probably don’t want to know what they charge for it ehse days) and lined both the inner and outer layer of the top pieces since I didn’t have a serger at the time. I bought some waraji (straw shoes) and her hairpins on the internet, then made the back hair clip out of a normal hair clip and some foamies. The wig was my beloved 60cm Cyperous powerlon which I used for everything back then. Wigs were a major expense for me at the time so getting a lot of mileage out of the ones I had was very helpful.

Photos

Reference