Such a pretty yukata! So delicate, so charming. And such a lovely young maiden…too bad she’s a DRAGON.
The story of Kiyohime is the original Fatal Attraction. She fell in love with a handsome young Buddhist monk, and when he spurned her, her rage was so great that she turned into a ferocious dragon. We suspect the monk had it coming to him. The two images above are both 19th century Japanese prints depicting crucial moments in the story. On the left, Kiyohime is in pursuit of her lover but hasn’t yet turned into a dragon. On the right we see her in the terrible moment of actual transformation—and it’s definitely terrible, because we have no idea what’s going on with that kimono. Our costume concept is the next stage: she still has her kimono on, but her head and body have already turned dragony.
We suggest wearing a yukata or kimono over a zentai suit, with a dragon headpiece and a tail:
1. Cotton yukata with obi. Very innocent and sweet.
2. Wine-colored zentai suit. Of course you probably already have a zentai suit (doesn’t everyone?), but in case you don’t have one in the right shade, here’s your ticket. Wear this underneath your kimono.
4. Dragon tail. The elastic belt can hide under your obi.
