Kataginu puzzlings

[ariaste]

Okay, so... My usual panel width is 16-17". A kataginu is two panels wide, so this looks like it's going to be crazy wide... Having looked at a couple pictures of other peoples' kataginu, I think a 13" panel would be more than generous, otherwise whoever wears it is going to look like some kind of pointy-shouldered...strange thing. Or am I looking at these garments all wrong?

Also, should I starch it or just put lining and interfacing on the shoulders to make them all crisp and pretty?

[Yamanouchi Eidou]

You should keep your panel width and add some stiff lining but not starch them. I totally promise it's going to be okay. It won't be as pointy as you think.

[ariaste]

XD Okay! I suppose it's better to cut too big and have room to resize than to cut too small and fail utterly.

Thanks

[ariaste]

*uncertain* So I sewed it up... doesn't have a collar on yet, but... Are you *sure*? Because on me it is terrifying, and on my housemate (who has wider shoulders than I do) it looks like some kind of freakish futuristic superhero cape. My boyfriend (who will be the one wearing it) does not have shoulders wider than my housemate... they're probably about the same.

I'm scared of it, you guys. It looks too pointy and triangular. If I put some sparkles on, or, like, glued a spatula to it, Lady Gaga could probably wear it. =/ Is it supposed to look like that? I'm not sure how I feel about someone wearing this in public.

[ariaste]

Okay, never mind, I just tried it on with a couple kosode underneath and it looks SO MUCH BETTER. A hundred thousand times better Whew! The big sleeves of the kosode help balance out the enormousness of the shoulders. *so relieved*

[Yamanouchi Eidou]

I know, right!

I did something similar with my first kataginu. When i was walking around with it I thought, "I can see my shoulders moving back and forth out of the corner of my eyes. That's weird."

But take the following into account whenever you think of garb.

In the SCA it is perfectly acceptable and even a little 'cool' to see a man walking around with giant puffy pants that only go halfway down his thighs that are worn over a pair of tights, with a giant banana shaped thing hanging off his crotch while simultaneously wearing a vest that ends at his belly button and purposely makes him look fat. Oh, and also, he's wearing lace. If you stop and think about it, you cannot possibly look more stupid than that.

You spend your money, and hours upon hours of your free time devoted to a group where grown adults dress up in homemade armor and hit each other in the face with sticks. You kind of need a sense of humor about it.

If you want to look like a samurai, you must make samurai things in a samurai style. If you trust the pattern, everything will turn out OK. The best way to get the same results as person x is to follow the same process person x did using the same materials and methods.

Trust the pattern.

[Saionji Shonagon]

Can we say "aggressive threat display?"
www.sengokudaimyo.com/garb/graphics/garbphotos/kamishimo_sugata.jpg

Kataginu make one look physically imposing.

www.wodefordhall.com/samurai.htm has some nice examples by our fellow board members. Note the soft shoulders on most of them: pre-Edo period kataginu were not stiffened as far as I know.
If you look at this detail shot, you can see how Ii-dono has folded in pleats at the back beneath his obi:

www.wodefordhall.com/iikataginuback.jpg

[ariaste]

Aah, I'm always suspicious of patterns. I've had to adjust so many of them--both for Western garb and with non-SCA related commercial patterns. But this one turned out well, so I'm happy. I'll get pictures up sometime.

[solveig]

Noble Cousins!

Greetings from Solveig! A fair amount of pre-modern Japanese clothing for both genders is designed to make the wearer look sort of BIG and IMPOSING.

[Deleted]

Made this post to my new blog today about a pair of heraldic kataginu I just made.

www.ee0r.com/blog-new/kaminari-kataginu/

Normally, I use somewhat narrower panels and much larger hems because I am a somewhat narrow person, but these are meant to be "one size fits all" so I can loan them out. The linen is very soft, so it drapes over the shoulders instead of sticking out.