The Birka 2024 Fashion Show theme was announced. Illumination and Marginalia. So I set out looking for a painting to emulate.
I turned to the illustrations in the copy of the Genji monogatari held by the Harvard Art Museums. It’s not currently on view (I did get to see it many years ago in person), but there is a wonderful digital collection. This is an album of 54 illustrations for the chapters in the Tale of Genji, painted by Tosa Mitsunobu.
I specifically thought of the illustration for Chapter 20: Asagao. This particular image I’m familiar with because I thought for a small amount of time that it could be used to document a blue kasane no irome, color layering. You can clearly see the lady in the upper left wearing a lightening blue combination. But this illustration is from the early 1500s and therefore not an accurate source for the Heian period. I have been on the hunt for a documentable blue combination for years. This Fashion Show would give me a reason to make a blue kasane, but I wouldn’t feel right wearing it again without proof Heian ladies wore it. It’s important to me that I be able to wear anything I make for as much time as possible.
So I looked at the page girls rolling snowballs. They were wearing color pairings. These seemed more appropriate to mimic, and a giant snowball sounded like a great time for an event that has been affectionately called SCA-con. I chose to wear all three colors, as a riff on yuki no shita, under the snow. This combination is usually shades of pink under white with a blue-green hitoe. For my version I used my red cotton hitoe, pink linen ginu, and a to be made white uwagi. For the snowball, the biggest white beachball I could find.
I already had red and pink layers, and the pieces of a white layer cut out. All of these were made or cut out following information provided by Saionji no Hana on her website. Only my handsewn layers are made according to the Jidai isho no nuikata. It’s something I’m working on slowly as I build a silk wardrobe. I have 3 pattern styles in my wardrobe currently, my cotton, linen, and synthetic war garb, the silk set I was gifted, and the items made for my travelling outfit.
When making the white layer, I found that one of the pieces was stained and had to be recut. Not a big deal, as I have more of the poly peau de soire satin. Yes, it’s a synthetic. It looked nice and it’s what I had. I’m not going to enter it into an A&S competition, it’s for a Fashion Show. Silk is expensive. I encourage everyone to do their best with what they have.
I managed to get most of this garment complete in time for Birka, everything but the bottom hem. It’s still not done and I’ve worn it twice more. So here’s a bit of advice for people, wear it anyway. Really. I would have been heartbroken if I didn’t wear that outfit. My whole event was centered on the Fashion Show. So I wore it anyway. And I’m so glad I did.
Enjoy some pictures of me in the hotel room.
Note the loose, or not tied back hair. This was specifically because the page girls were depicted with loose hair.
The snowball is so big I had to partially deflate it to get it through the door and out of my room. Totally worth it though. So many kids had their eyes just go to saucers as they watched me roll a giant ball through the hotel and down the “runway”.
Here is a photo by Justine Weston from the Fashion Show.
I had a great time, and was chosen as the winner of the Early Period category.
I’ve worn the ensemble with my blue-green silk hitoe, in a more appropriate color scheme for yuki no shita.
The white uwagi has taken on some fairly awful stains, and the unfinished hem is shredding a bit.
I’ll serge the dirty hem, launder the garment, and provided that doesn’t ruin it, I’ll hem it up properly and adjust the collar to be a bit shorter. If too much is compromised from staining, I can repurpose the fabric into a kosode or a karaginu. And if it dies a horrible death, I think I have enough fabric to remake it. It has brought me joy, and that is enough.
I realized only too late that I should have had someone record video of my entry so I could share it on the YouTube channel. But I did make a video with the pictures I have and talk a bit about the ensemble. Click here to watch the video. It’s my first costuming video for the channel. Exciting!
