How to dress as Sakura Kinomoto

A lifetime ago, at the corner of our childhood, we watched the original Cardcaptor Sakura and we fell in love in this beautiful magical girl masterpiece by CLAMP about a young girl who accidentally released a mysterious set of Clow Cards everywhere and was destined to seal the cards to avert an impending cataclysm. Yes, we all love that show from the late 90's, even myself, which led me to my wretched childhood because of my show (thank you, my old friends from school for that).

Finally, the arrival of the brand new Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card series signals the triumphant return of our favorite CLAMP masterpiece. In this new show, Sakura is entering middle school with her old friends, even her bestie Tomoyo, and with the return of Syaoran, the Hong Kong chap who was once Sakura's foe in the original series' Clow Card arc and later became (ahem) close to each other in the Sakura Card arc of the series, it should have been the best day of her life. However, a mysterious new threat emerges from her dreams and if that wasn't enough, the cards went blank. In the face of these new threats, the legendary Cardcaptor Sakura steps out from her retirement and she sets off for a brand new adventure uncovering the truth while doing what she does best; sealing cards to stop a major disaster and save the day!

I hope you folks enjoyed watching the new series and in honor of this new show that kicked off the year 2018 with a RELEASE, it's time to tell you how to dress as Sakura as seen in the brand new series!

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card

First, the hair: Although this is new, her hair is almost as similar from her hairstyle from the original series 20 years ago. Here's one for you; the CLAMP ladies took her hairstyle from that other Sakura from their work, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, but toned it down a little so the fans can see a much matured look. Yes, her hair is light brown and short but you need to match the details if you want to recreate her hairstyle. Did you know that ACOS can sell you a wig modeled after her for around 9,000 yen (taxes and fees included)? If you got that budget, you can get that wig right away but if not, do a little DIY to recreate her hairstyle.

The outfit: Since she's in middle school, her school uniform is different than the one from the original series but still has that black and white motif to it like the original. The folks from ACOS can sell you an inch replica of the Tomoeda Middle School girls' uniform for 13,000 Yen (plus tax and delivery) but since Sakura's best friend is good at the wardrobe department, she wears different kinds of outfits and it will be all up to you to pick whichever outfit you like for your Sakura Kinomoto cosplay. Either the outfit she wore in the opening sequence, the one when she caught the Siege Card, the other when she caught the Aqua Card, heck, there are different outfits to choose from so don't be shy.

Props: In the Clear Card TV series, Sakura now wields the power of the Dream Wand to seal the newest threats called the Clear Cards and then use them in case of an emergency. Takara Tomy will sell you replicas of Sakura's new Dream Wand or even the Dream Key necklace this April with the Dream Wand toy starting at 18,000 Yen (plus tax and delivery) and the Dream Key necklace starting at 3,500 Yen (plus tax and delivery). Sadly, it will be too late to don one of these items if you're in the rush of donning that new Sakura cosplay in case of Spring anime and comic book conventions (better be creative, ladies. A little DIY won't hurt) but in case of Summer or Fall conventions, these items will put a shine to your Sakura cosplay. The Dream Key necklace looks beautiful with your Sakura cosplay when you tuck it out like what Sakura does but holding the Dream Wand replica, that's the real cherry of the cake.

...and there you have it, ladies. Tips on how to dress as Sakura Kinomoto as seen in the brand new Clear Card series. It's incredibly beautiful, incredibly cute, and sadly, a drastic bust in the wallet because I did some calculation, of course. 

Overall, it will set you around 28,000 Yen (around $255 or Php 13,100) for the Sakura wig, the uniform, and the Dream Key necklace or 43,400 Yen (around $400 or Php 20,300) for the wig, the uniform, and the Dream Wand replica. Add a little shipping fee to it and that bumps to around 30,000 to 45,000 Yen (or more). Ouch, or in Sakura's words, HOEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Still, for big-spending cosplayers who think "cosplay time is money", it's money well spent on these items to recreate the new look of everyone's favorite magical girl who's always have a card for every dangerous situation she come across.

Good luck recreating the new Sakura cosplay!