Rukia Kuchiki

• From: Bleach (TV).
• Materials: Heavy cotton twill (hakama), rough silk (outer kimono), heavy cotton (inner kimono), gabardine (white wrap). Wooden prop sword (painted). Tabi and sandals.
• Design notes:This outfit is from Rukia's time as a shinigami in the Soul Society. Like most of the Soul Society costumes, the design is taken from classical Japanese clothing. The most difficult parts to get a handle on were Rukia's sandals.
• Construction notes: As the kimono layers are unlined, there were several evenings of nothing but hand work, stitching in the collar and turning in raw edges. Toasted Mochi did all of the work on the sword, including casting a tsuba (sword guard) to match the anime design.
• Additional notes:The simple, clean design makes this a nice walk-around costume.