#bonnetbaby | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

meandmyechoes · 4 years

Note

I really wanna know the 7 ways to make a togruta hood PLEASE go off king

Seven Methods to Construct the Togrutan Hood (not)

(oh Nonnie, my mouth was working faster than my brain but come to think of it… there could really be seven methods to construct a Togrutan head… hat? THANK YOU FOR ENABLING ME. WHAT A SPIRAL.)

Part 1: What

Let's approach from a regular tailoring angle. First, you have to decide how many pieces (panels) there is and where the seam lines should go. Clothes are often simplified in animation so one has to figure out the what and where with the closing (e.g. zipper, button, ribbons etc.) as well. Basically, for every seam line there is, the garment will imitate closer to your body curve. Darts is another option finer adjustments. As a rule, I try to minimize seams to give that animation accuracy.

In the same principle as a human hood, the basic pattern can be made from either 1, 2, or 3 panels.

(2-piece vs 3-piece hood)

With the beginner's one-piece Hood, you'll be surprised how much can be done with a semicircle. Start with a capital D shape, and stitch them together along the curved edge. The difference between one and two identical D-pieces is a visible frontal central seam which causes the hood to dip in front. The Rebels White cloak is notably the only one that features an explicit frontal central seam. (LA cloak debatable) Note that both methods give you a traditional triangular hood, unless your fabric is super drapey. Regardless, it's easy to snuff it in so you won't see it from the front. With three panels, a rectangular piece is added between the two D pieces. There you'll have a flat top instead of a triangle on your round head. I've also tried one-piece + darts for a trapezoidal shape in the 304 cloak.

Fun fact, 304 most likely is Riyo's since it was embroidered with the same pattern on her dress. In the same vein 310 is Padmé's since theirs share the same linen material, orange accents and pastoral style. Since Ahsoka grew taller between these two episodes, and 310 can't be pulled down as much as 304.

But with the Togurtan hood, I figure one could try to cut it out of Front & Back, i.e. two trapezoids. We don't do this for human spherical heads, but it's great for montrals. It also helps to be screen-accurate with negligible side seams than a central back seam. I've mocked this pattern for the Snow Outfit with the Christmas hat. However, a drawback of this method would be it requires bespoke for best result. You need to know the exact height of, and width between the montrals, otherwise the hood would just hover above them in ill fit.

Hind Lek Pocket

The other defining feature is the hind lek. As seen in the Snow Outfit and the Finale Cloak, there is an extended pocket to accommodate the hind lek. The size of the pocket and its congrousness with the back silhouette is then points of consideration. Simply increasing hood height was not enough as I discovered making a basic hood for 304, the proportions look skewered and the person looks shorter than pleasing. The reason why Snow Outfit captured so many of our hearts is because, it's practically bespoke for Ahsoka, by Dave Filoni.

Growing Up

(Comparing increase in montral height and hood volume.)

That said, real lekku are soft flesh and not hard plastic like my doll. In younger Ahsoka's hoods (Film and 415), there was no hind lek pocket. Her lekku then are probably short enough to sit in a normal hood with a slight bent. The hood should go under her hind lek or the collar will constrict it. The togrutan hood must then be enlarged for the comfort of its owner. Otherwise, for a beanie or alpaca hat, I suppose hind lek coverage can be omitted. After that, it becomes more a problem for the stylist than the tailor, how much of one's head to cover/accessorize to balance the entire look. (bonnetbaby and fancy hats ahsoka are still on my wishlist uwu)

It seems in the span of the war, Ahsoka outgrew a cloak every year, which wouldn't be a surprise since she's also under a growth spurt. In the Film cloak, her left lek can still stay inside the hood. I wonder if it's already growing too small for her. It's still the same model underneath, but Ahsoka's round baby montrals are gradually replaced by higher, pointed growth. Then comes the Onderon cloak. Her "cat ears" are huge in this look, compared to a similar style in 310 or 412. It was to the point while recreating it, I almost whispered, "faked". I don't mean to suggest "montral pads" a la shoulder pads, don't I? The hood is perhaps simply sewn in a M-shape stitch line, not unlike the Front-Back method. Then again, I'm very inspired to develop a whole timeline of togrutan beauty standards in hand with societal functions. (physical) anthropology man.

(concept art from 519 episode guide)

Cheats: Cutout and Wire

The fifth method is, montral holes. I'm sorry that sounds weird, but it's inevitable for any togrutas should they still want a hood coming of age. I must mention since a togruta's head is the widest part of their body, it's not easy to make clothes without a (center) opening. You can't even hide a side zipper like some gowns do. Something like a poncho (god forbid, t-shirt) could only fit through their heads if the collar is really wide, that in turn creates a dilemma of the garment falling off your shoulders. If not, think of a (shoulder) snap button like baby onesies in materials (like leather) where elastic isn't applicable. Perhaps this is the strange Watsonian motive to why Ahsoka's S3 outfit must have that area of a bare back.

Though I haven't formally try Green Cloak yet, I've been thinking it's an excellent specimen of ready-to-wear or perhaps fast fashion in Star Wars. It manages to cater to mass body types with a generic silhouette (or lack thereof). Ahsoka bartered it of a goat guy, who is an adult male, but is just bit taller than her. It looks very much like tweed but if I'm to argue it's cheapest of the cheapest, with that paint stroke style, I could say it's a digital print synthetic, serving no warmth but a mere fad to be forgotten next season. Alas, I am making this up as it is equally possible Goat Guy got it at Space Goodwill and it's actually a designer item from fifteen years ago or he just, cut the holes himself.

Here's a not-so-secret: Wire. Just a thin craft wire inserted into the channel of a proper, double-hemmed outfit to create the pose of your delight. Often we see Ahsoka's hood pulled very up front/down to the brow. Let me tell you gravity alone is not enough for the brim to stay in place, especially for this bell shape here. See that pinch around her cheek, wired to achieve this shape. So is this dramatic floating Anakin's vest, wired at the bottom hem to fake levitation so you don't have to bring out industrial fans for a photoshoot. (this will not turn into a detour of how inaccurate the HT cloak is)

Wow I've actually managed to make up five methods of the Togrutan hood, just two more to complete the bluff huh? To sum up the first section, in order to make a togrutan hood, please allow the pattern to be roughly twice at tall, accommodate the hind lek, wire the front brim for poses, and carefully choose whether to cut up montral holes or not.

Part 2: WHY

(from the Kiros post I always reference)

Yet, we haven't even begin to talk about the at least two, other montral types here. Butterfly is shortest but widest, heart is wider at the top as opposed to Ahsoka and Shaak Ti's classic arch. Let alone the male montrals that grow in all sorts of directions. All of which affect the location and area of montral holes hypothetical. I ask again, what could sizing be like in Star Wars? If I am to make an adult togrutan hood, I can't find it pretty to succumb to practicality of a central zipper. I wonder if it would be haute couture, avant-garde even, to incorporate the togrutan hood on space runway. However, it is fun to imagine if the hood is a particularly fashionable trend among teenagers since after all, they will soon be impossible to wear.

Now we have come to the curious dilemma of togrutas and hood. Apparently, it's impossible to fit a hood on adult togrutas. So, what's the point of it all? Do hats even hold value in togrutan society? The function a hat, is primarily sunshade. How then, does the multitude of togrutan skin colours correlates to a response to UV radiation? If it's to conceal one's identity, the montrals are a dead giveaway regardless of holes. But I digress.

Yes, hoods is part of Jedi Aesthetic™ so I'm concluding with my favourite part of Shaak Ti's robe - the capelet, doubled by an XL hood. It's adorable. The emulation of a shawl on her shoulders further adds to her celestial, hearth image. So glad am I does the Onderon Cloak has it. But it brings out the question of why is there a hood at all on her robe. From the top of my memory, I don't recall a lot of tall-headed species around the temple. If there's not an entire frustrated costume department, I insist there must be a poor Master of the Robes, whose Tuesday nights are spent trash-talking with the Temple Treasurer over a beer. Anyway, I do like the involvement of ordinary folks in the temple staff. At the rate Obi-wan's (and his Padawans') dramatic robe drops, I do hope Jedi robes are mass produced on a factory scale (my mind leaping to costumes already). And it is their hard work of coordination to make sure every humanoid, tall-headed, lekku, four-arm, furry Jedi got properly clothed.

As an extension of the topic, we've been talking about togrutan hood exclusively, what about headdresses? Specifically, what's the difference between a simple headband and a strapped one (i.e. walkabout arc)? What's the function of holding one's hind lek in place? Would one's head feel similar pull as in hair pulled into a bun or ponytail? Again, what period in togrutan history prefer short montral/lekku and enforce binding to an extreme? What about eras that praise long lekku? What about montral braces for the developmentally delayed? How does modern lekku accessories work? What do working class women wear if not the elaborate jewels? What about heirlooms of these valuables? How has the meaning of togrutan headresses change according to time? And of the surrounding etiquette? How much of one's social hierarchy is displayed in just the headband? Ritual ensemble like wedding and funeral to name the most mundane!

P.S. I realize this post is quite devoid of the actual steps (and maths! :) involved in tailoring a togrutan hood. I'm still practising and experimenting. If anyone's interested in an honest tutorial, wish me luck coming up with diagrams and materials ref.

#sw species #star wars #the clone wars #ahsoka tano #togruta #my sw meta #replies #long post #idk this isn't showing up in the tag and it's too long to censor keywords now #normally I'll wookiee what Goat Guy's species is but #the episode guide already listed him as 'drunk Gotal' so that's self-explanatory #also I don't know what a Goodwill is but quarantine has allowed me to watch more than a healthy dosage of thrifting videos #yuki continues to talk jack about areas she knows nothing about - the saga

227 notes · View notes