For the 10th anniversary of season 2, I bring you a season 1 contestant! This wasn't even planned to release the way it did.
Just one more design to go!
Design notes and transparent versions under the cut.
You would think that given the many styles my designs have, I would be well versed in fashion, right? Well… I’m not. And it really shows with Bag here. It’s because of her and Chip that this project took longer than it should. It’s also why I struggled with Cup, whose outfit was based around 70s-90s clothing.
Bag is one of two cases where I had a season 1 design in mind from the start. Her characterization is drastically different between the two seasons, and it’s implied that she’s doing this to appear “likable”. So I opted for a modest, goody two shoes look for her season 1 design and a bolder, “mean girl” look for her season 2 design. Think of those movies where they give the girl a makeover to make her look ““”better”””.
To me, Bag gave vibes of a trend follower, so I wanted to make her look stylish in a way where you know she’s trying way too hard at it. This is where I hit a snag with my ideas. Despite the sheer amount of research and references of tacky 2010s trends, I couldn’t put together anything that was coherent. It wasn’t until earlier this year(2025 as of typing) when I finally came up with something that was satisfying.
Throughout the many, MANY iterations, I had a shopping item motif in mind. I knew I wanted to implement something that evoked the shape and look of a shopping bag(bagception!!). When I think of shopping, I think of dolls, so I wanted to make it so her outfit could be worn by one(I have never owned a doll like that). I was thinking of really high platform shoes, but then I remember that my gijinka of Slipper was also based on dolls and she had that. The bow on her tail is a remnant of that idea. I played around with the belt for a while. It then dawned on me that I could make the notch look like a price tag. The recycling arrow pattern on the pants also came naturally to me. The elaborate makeup was an addition in the later iterations, with the lipstick actually being implemented as I drew the lineart! I like to think that she does her makeup with coloring pencils. And yes, that beauty mark is drawn on.
It’s a very simple design, but that just means I had to make sure the details really mattered here. It’s a good challenge to get out of your comfort design once in a while.
FUN FACT: Her design takes some inspiration from the Lady Class Trainer designs in Pokemon XY.
