This piece was one of my favorites in the exhibit. It appealed to my visually the most out of all the pieces in the exhibit. The moment I saw this, I thought of a modern, woman samurai. The unconventional material used for the garment appears to be bells of different sizes and looking at the garment as a whole, it looks like a very protective piece – from the high collar like wall and the density and hardness that comes from the look of the metal bells. I love how her long, feminine hair is used as a mask. This also reminded me of samurai ponytails and buns. This adds to the strong and warrior like look but it is contrasted by the fact that its her own hair, something personal and vulnerable in a way. This idea was very appealing to me. This relates to my research project on Japan. Although I am not focusing on samurai in my report and studio project, I have done some reading on them and their influence in the shift to the Meiji period which is a big part of my report on Japan. This also matches my studio project, where I am making modern styled/inspired kimono garments. This dress is like a modern samurai look.