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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:Kimono, Qiapo and Stuff
It has been a while since I dabbled in Asian dress inspired fantasy attire for the paper dolls. Sometimes, I feel a little strange borrowing from Asian traditional attire, because I don’t feel like I have the right. I pointed this out of a friend and they asked if I didn’t have the right to borrow from Japan, why did I have the right to borrow from Europe?
I really didn’t have a good answer to that one. I am certainly not now, nor have ever been, European. I was born in Alaska, after all.
Cultural appropriation is one of those areas that I never quite know how I feel. Still, being aware is important and trying to be culturally aware matters. Respecting other cultures and trying to depict them respectfully is important.
So, today’s fantasy foray crosses qiapo and kimonos in a way that doesn’t make much logical sense, but does look neat. And looking neat is an important critera for my fantasy paper doll creations. (Hence why I once drew this and got to call it armor.)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the colors in today’s pair of Sprite paper doll pieces came from this kimono. I love kimonos and their color combinations are often surprising to me. Probably, because I lack the cultural context to understand the color choices, but I always seem to enjoy the surprise.
According to this chart I saw on the internet, and we all know how trustworthy that is, orange and purple are common colors for May kimonos. In the world of kimonos, colors signify season, status, gender, age, and all sorts of other things. It is actually a fascinating area of study, if you know, you happen to be into dress.
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This is my new favorite of your creations! 🙂
LOVE the pants. You make men’s clothing interesting 🙂
I love the colors and patterns, too, of course.
I’m learning to embrace borrowing. We all do it – it’s a human thing to do, I think. Every time I go to a museum, I see borrowing across time and location. Ideas migrate. And that comes with complicated stories, for sure. The fact that you acknowledge that and share the primary sources seems like a great way to at least start a conversation.
I love the color scheme so much that I will color my version of this the same way (which I hardly ever do, I like the creativity in coloring my own). One thing, I think that Kimonos are supposed to cross over on the left, not the right like they do here.
The color scheme is gorgeous! But kimonos are supposed to cross over on the left, not the right.
I maybe wrong, but I have always been under the impression that the right side of a kimono goes under the left side of a kimono from the POV of the person wearing the kimono, but this would appear to be left under right if you’re looking at a person wearing a kimono, as is illustrated in these photos of Kimono from my Traditional Japanese dress Pinterest board (https://www.pinterest.com/ptprlc/traditional-japanese-dress-furisode-kimono-ect/).
You_are_absolutely_right!It’s_left_over_right_from_the_POV_of_the_wearer!The_clothes_are_gorgeous!