This is a bit of a teaser image for what’s to come from Anime North 2018, but I felt that it should be shown first as its idea and conception were something that wasn’t planned but turned out better than expected. We were given a mannequin to dress up as we saw fit, and thankfully I brought a few extra kimono or this wouldn’t have happened. I did this kitsuke that day with no prior planning, and this is the result of using what I had on me. The obijime is actually a maiko obijime, and the obidome is an antique belt buckle, although we have used it on stage for maiko kitsuke in the past. Besides that, this irotomesode is one of the newer pieces in my collection and features mandarin ducks, pheasants, and a phoenix all carrying a branch of a plant. The obi is a multicolored checkered rainbow piece that I picked up last year for quite cheap. Now, why did this turn out the way it did? While setting up we had this black cloth that was just kinda laying around, and originally we had it hanging on the mannequin before we even put clothes on it. I asked one of my staff members, “what if we made a kitsuke that Muslim women could wear?” and she eagerly agreed to tie our random black cloth into a hijab. It’s not the actual size that a hijab should be (it’s slightly smaller), but it was tied correctly and did meet the requirements of how much skin and hair it had to cover. We could have tucked it underneath the kimono so that not even the skin on the chest could be seen, but by that point everything was in place and it was a bit difficult to move ^^; So, we ended up with a kimono ensemble that people from other cultures and religions can enjoy. If you are Muslim then please enjoy kimono! It truly is a garment for everyone whose style you can change to match your personal tastes and observances ^^! (Just a side note: This kitsuke did have ohashori, but due to the skinniness of the mannequin it disappeared under the obi. That’s why there’s a wrinkled section under the obi; I couldn’t get the ohashori back out unless I pulled really hard, and I didn’t want to damage the kimono in the process ^^;)