Sunday 6 June 2010

Wafuku

Judy’s appearance was inspired by a piece of clipart, of all things. Her dress style was elaborated on reading Liza Dalby’s two books Geisha and Kimono.  Both give a fascinating insight into these aspects of Japanese Culture.
Wafuku means native Japanese clothing, as distinct from yofuku- western clothing. 
The main item of wafuku is the kimono. This made from a length of cloth cut up into several pieces and sewn to fit the wearer. The cloth may be plain, or very elaborately decorated (and consequently very expensive). The resulting garment is fastened with a sash or obi.  Women’s sashes in particular can be very wide and again very elaborate.  Consequently, a kimono and obi combination can be very expensive, costing literally thousands of pounds/dollars/euros.  
Judy keeps a white kimono in her chest.  It is possible she is saving it for her wedding day, as other 23rd Century wafuku followers do, however, as a confirmed virgin, this is unlikely.  More probably she is saving it for her death, when her corpse will be dressed all in white, the overlap of the kimono being reversed to right over left, as is traditional.
Oddly, the digital Judys habitually overlap their kimonos right over left for everyday use.  Possibly this is a subtle joke, seen only by other followers of the wafuku fashion.


Next: Maximum Capacity

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