Tuesday 14 December 2010

Japanese Prostitutes

When we first visited Tokyo Costume, a series of fittings was held during which we were taught how to dress men and women of all social classes.
The obi tying and clothing nuances were such a lot to grasp on day one we simply followed where we were led and didn't question very much.
In my experience of western costume houses I know for sure some have a better grasp of what is considered correct period costume while the strengths of others may lie elsewhere. I wondered back at the hotel as I uploaded my photographs, whether perhaps the shapes we were creating for our prostitutes had been exaggerated for artistic or film purposes. As I explored more of the available research I was astonished by the photographs I found of prostitutes dating from 1860 onwards. You couldn't make it up, our fittings were bordering on tame.
Note the front tied obis for easier undressing.

I learnt so much in the ten days we were in Japan I can't stop studying, it was a taster of so much that I find fascinating, I am in regular contact with Kazuko Kurosawa and intend to continue picking her brains and posting details on the topic despite the fact I am now heading onto another job with a very different script.