Archipelago: the costumes

Woohoo! I have photos!
Here are images of the costume and headdress I created in May for Denise Uyehara from the magical high-tech material and the shiromoku. For those of you that missed earlier posts, this is for a performance art piece called Archipelago and was performed in LA in June. It will be performed again in Tucson, AZ early in 2012.
The whole costume is an homage to the very colorful Okinawan dance kimono and headdress called  "hanagasa". My white version of the hanagasa is similar in shape but a bit over-sized. Everything is white for a reason: during the performance, video images are projected upon both the kimono and headdress.

These photos were taken outside before the performance. The objects in her hands are kachi-kachi, traditional bamboo percussion instruments similar to castanets and are used in Japanese and Okinawan dance.
Kevin Mapp is the photographer.

If you would like to borrow these photos for your own use, please contact me. They are copyrighted.
Enjoy,
Reb

Otsukimi photos

I'm looking at different photographer.....

Myself, Emma, Murray

We had a great time at Otsukimi in Phoenix last night! It was a great turn out; the event is really getting popular. Since it starts in the evening, we only took a few photos before it got dark. My friends manage to get some nice photos of Emma and I before the sun disappeared.
I dressed Emma in her gorgeous new tea green yukata and purple and hot pink obi. She added a matching pale green open-weave obijime to dress it up and I added an  improvised a pink flower pin as an obidome! Emma has made up eri collars for our yukata; they look really cute. I'm wearing my new indigo and white yukata with a design of pine and hawk (taka) feather mon (Family crest) on a striped background. The obi is a simple woven ocher-colored hanhaba. I've added a navy and white striped obijime for a extra festive touch! Murray wore his own wonderful ensemble he got in Japan. He plays taiko with Fushicho Daiko, so we got to see him play later. Nice chappa solo Murray!

We needed those fans...it was about 98 degrees F that day (Now you know why I did not wear the usual kimono!) but cooled off nicely once the sun when down. Good thing we arrived fashionably late!
Ciao,
Reb

Otsukimi at Ro Ho En this weekend in Phoenix, AZ

The Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix is holding their annual Otsukimi, or Moon Viewing Festival this weekend! It's a wonderful event and the perfect time of year to visit the garden. Plus Fushicho Daiko is playing!

Yamato concert at Centennial Hall

 First kimono event of the fall season: Yamato concert of the University of Arizona campus. I got to wear two recent purchases- a vintage tsuzumi Nagoya obi with the turquoise chirimen obiage. It was a gorgeous day, really perfect kimono weather.

The tsuzumi (small hand drum similar to an okedo) obi is very soft silk, almost floppy, so it's doesn't make the best-looking obi musubi. However, the design and colors are really wonderful and look very elegant with the solid navy kimono; the perfect obi for a taiko concert. I also wore my first date eri! I found a tutorial online and managed to make it look pretty decent! And it stayed in place even though I'm not wearing a korin belt. It was not that difficult to attach; I will definitely try this accessory again soon!  I found a few on eBay recently for a song.
Enjoy, more photos soon: Otsukimi next weekend!
~Rebecca
















PS: I'm also "debuting" the blue mihon (Sample pattern) juban. The sodetake was a little short for the iromuji, but I wore it anyway....I was itching to wear the new juban! It's so fabulous.

The rest of the ensemble:

• Turquoise obijime from Kimono Lily (Sadly, they have closed)
• Turquoise obiage from Nichi Bei Bussan in San Jose, CA
• Date eri from ryujapan-99
• Nagoya Obi from japanese.antiques
• Kimono from kimono bestbuy 
• Lucite earrings from Alexis Bittar
• Zori from  ryujapan-99