The Case of the Dying Kimono
45
Lolita indicates a Lolita whose costume includes elements of traditional
Japanese clothing. A kimono-like blouse is usually worn over a frilly
skirt and petticoat with a belt that is reminiscent of an obi. Japanese
footwear and hair styles replace the Mary Jane shoes and contemporary
methods of hairdressing. Although inspired by the Lolitas of Toyko,
American Lolitas are developing their own styles and traditions.^^
American Lolita culture is an example of the bottom-up theory
of fashion diffusion which suggests that new fashion innovations are
developed by members of non-elite groups, often teenagers or young
adults who are members of a particular fashion tribe or subculture,
usually-in an urban setting. This model alters the traditional paradigm of
high social status as the driving force of fashion and replaces it with an
age or youth driven model.^^ Would-be American Lolitas were not the
only ones influenced by popular culture; so were Japanese students
studying in the United States. Japanese Lolita fashions were
disseminated to the United States by means of anime, manga, fashion
magazines and social networking sites. eBay, Etsy, Comicons and local
specialty shops have also helped to disseminate Wa Lolita and other
fashion genres.
At the other end of the cultural and fashion spectrum are the
followers of the geisha/geiko scene. Geisha have inspired countless
admirers since the eighteenth century. The word geisha means entertainer
and geisha or geiko, as they are known in Kyoto. Most begin the rigorous
training as maiko, or apprentice geisha in their teens and become
accomplished dancers, musicians, and conversationalists who are
proficient in many traditional arts, such as Chado (the tea eeremony).
They are also wearers and eonnoisseurs of elaborate kimono. Their
beauty, grace and elaborate kimono have captured the imagination of
people in Japan and around the world. Interest in geisha culture has
recently been stimulated by the film Memoirs o f a Geisha and the novel
that inspired it. Autobiographies of former geisha like Mineko Iwasaki,
whose life was loosely profiled in Memoirs o f a Geisha, and Sayo
Masuda’s less glamorous Autobiography o f a Geisha are readily
available in English translations read by legions of geisha fans.^"* Once
again, the internet facilitated this interest through Facebook, You Tube,
photosharing sites like Flickr and Instagram and the blogs of geisha
followers. Facebook pages such as Geisha Moments, Japan Geisha and
Western Geisha attract large numbers of viewers. Websites and blogs
such as Immortal Gei ͡