This, of course, is Rei's first outfit that we ever see her in in the anime, and one of the first we see her in the manga (technically, Usagi sees her in her school uniform first, but that's only for a split second.) She continues to wear it throughout the series in both forms, and I think is part of the underlying core of what makes Rei, Rei: traditional, spiritual, powerful.

I also knew, as soon as I read up on miko, that when I wore this outfit, I didn't want it to be a costume, but rather a correctly assembled, authentic kimono and hakama. Thanks to the help of my good friend Yumiko at The Kimono House, I was able to find the plain white kimono and red hakama I needed to simulate a proper miko, as well as the numerous underclothes and belts and accessories necessary. Wearing this for the first time to the Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens felt like a dream come true.