While I do want to do all of Utena's costumes someday, this one would have been a lot further down this list if Empty Movement hadn't decided to sell the, in their own words, "90's Disaster Gym Shirt". I could just, like, BUY the shirt and be halfway done, right? Sort of!

Now normally I would just commission the rest of the outfit, but since the shirt was a 90s Disaster Gym Shirt, I decided I wanted 100% authentic 90s Disaster Gym Shorts to go with it, so I started hunting eBay and Rusty Zipper for a pair with the quintessential windbreaker material that swishes so loud it deafens you. It was impossible to get a perfect color match, especially off a monitor, but I got a pair the perfect elastic waistband. To replicate the "10" on the right leg, I photocopied the shirt at work, cut out the "10" from there, traced it onto a piece of stiff cardboard, and used a knife to cut the numbers out and create my own stencil, so I could then paint them on with fabric paint. I also bought "ketchup" red vinyl and measured the stripes on the shirt to create corresponding stripes on the left leg of the shorts, but I accidentally bought outdoor decal vinyl instead of heat transfer fabric vinyl, so while it looked fine for Otakon, I'm going to need to create something longer lasting for the next time (if? when?) I wear them. Then, for the finishing touch, I bought a pair of teal socks and a pair of red socks off of Amazon, cut strips off of the teal pair, hemmed them, and then sewed them to the red pair of socks, four times. Thankfully I could just wear my normal everyday black sneakers, and for Otakon 2021 I borrowed a soccer ball from a friend at work.