Week seven of my quick, quick, catch up Disneybound challenge is Kuzco, the "Incan" emperor from The Emperors New Groove. He spends a lot of time as a llama, but I decided for something a lot less hairy for this look, drawing inspiration from French and Japanese cultural fashions for something imperial, and ended up with less a casual look and more a really striking, High Fashion look that would get me stared at on the street. I ended up really loving it, though - it's so impressive and over the top. I found this amazing sim named Luminarios Divide to take pictures in, which had a dreamy, haunted Japanese-style garden. One thing I think about with strongly culturally significant items, like the head-dress which is appropriate for a Japanese Oiran, is cultural appropriation - the taking, redefining, and in some cases gross lack of understanding about aspects of other cultures.
Oiran are rooted in the Edo period (1600–1868), the word becoming a general term for courtesan in the mid-1700s. They were restricted to walled districts by the Tokugawa Shogunate and only allowed out to visit dying relatives and for cherry blossom viewing. Japanese women also ended up being kidnapped or bought by Portuguese traders and their crews; the impression that Japan is more sexual, and the racists stereotypes of Japanese (and Asian) women as submissive and obedient likely has it's roots here. How much do I, a non-Japanese woman, play into these stereotypes when I wear artifacts of a foreign culture? It's difficult to say, and so while I am drawn to these symbols of complicated cultures and rarefied society, I also try to keep in mind the historical and modern implications inherent in them.
This gorgeous hair, complete with the enormous combs which indicate a wealthy Oiran, is from Tukinowaguma - an amazing hair store with a wide variety of well made, unique hairstyles. Whenever I want something that blows me away. When I saw Kuzco's hair, I knew right away I would have to go to Tukinowaguma in order to hope to match the glory of his sunburst-style crown. I added a chain bindi, a new release from Souzou Eien and a perfect fit for my brow; I love how simple and spare it is against the opulence of the rest of my look. My eyeshadow is a slightly naturalistic shadow from Elymode, in shades of red and gold to match the overall color theme, and I paired dark red lips from Heartsick wish a single stripe from La Petite Morte to loosely echo the distinctive red lower lip of the Oiran. Heartsick is currently having a sale to try to raise money for the creator to get a new computer - hers died a horrific death. Finally, the distinctive bright turquoise earrings he wears are more demurely represented by a pair of ring earrings from Earthstones.
My collar is from Rosal, and is my favorite of her many different corset styles - the Unmei - which is loosely based on the Obi, brocade fabric, and silky ties. She recently released gloves and ballet style boots to match, each with the distinctive band of brocade and stylish bow. I paired it with this simply amazing gown from Violent Seduction, based on the styles of 17th Century court gowns in France, with it's low-cute, square-necked top and the heavy, velvet overskirt and corset. My only wish from this outfit is that I could wear the corset part separately; I would love to pair it with a variety of tops and bottoms to enjoy it across the grid. The skirt is rigged to the legs, which means sometimes it's movement is a little odd, but overall it means that it remains puffed out no matter where one goes or how one moves. Finally, my boots are from G Field and come in two parts, so I was able to get the gold and black style of Kuzco's sandals. The top part are actually originally white, but since all of her shoes are modify-ok I was able to tint them to match the gold of the rest of my look.
( More pictures here. )
Credits:
Skin: De La Soul, Candace (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow (promotional item)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Autumn red/gold
Lipstick: Heartsick, Morticia
Lipline: La Petite Morte, Red Stripe Lip
Hair: Tukinowaguma, Tokie
Bindi: Souzou Eien, Precious Bindi Gold/Red
Earrings: EarthStones, Bali Hoop Earrings
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Collar: Rosal, Unmei
Corset/Skirt: Violent Seduction, Versailles Dress (promotional item)
Hands: SLink, Mesh Hands
Nails: Orc Inc, Glitterslash
Shoes: G Field, Open Boots "Vilda"
Poses: Glitterati
Location: Luminarios Divide
Light Settings: CB's Rouge 4
Water Settings: Glassy
Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only
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