Welcome to the amazing world of kimono! I’ll speak below mostly about kimono ABC. For more insights

Welcome to the amazing world of kimono! I’ll speak below mostly about kimono ABC. For more insights about Geisha specifics, I warmly recommand you to read:Liza Dalby’s Geisha, Mineko Iwasaki’s Geisha a life and if you read french, Inoue Yuki’s Mémoires d’une Geisha On tumblr, you can safely turn to @missmyloko who knows much more than me about ranks and daily life in the Karyukai :)I tried to stress as many ressources as possible but covering every particularities in one go is impossible. Please also note that some might not apply/need in-depth look for your OC (especially if she’s a pre WWI Geisha). In any case, MP me if you wish to learn more about a point!Seasonality is indeed a big deal in kimono wearing - especially for Geisha who has somehow become nowadays the ambassadors of Japanese flair. Geisha are now considered the epitomeof traditional Japan, but note that it has not always been the case. Before WWI/Taisho era, they were trend-setters and many fashions now set in stone (like the taiko musubi) are said to have been created by Geisha. Even today, some hanamachi are more in touch with modernity than others, so take rules listed below with a pinch of salt ;)On a side note, if you are a complete beginner, I also recommand you to have a look at kitsuke (kimono wearing) articles and videos: it’s always easier to speak about kimono when you understand how they work :) What you need to dress in a kimonoHow to put on a juban, kimono and obiHow to stand, walk etc. in a kimonoDressing a maiko (video quality is horrible but it shows all the steps)Ready? Let’s begin :D   Seasonality is the incarnation of the Japanese love for harmony in an idealized natural world. Paired with a love for clear ranking system, it rules all the kimono outfit, from the TPO (time/place/occasion) of the kimono itself to its accessories, and depends of : The setting = relaxed to highly formal The weather = types of fabrics, lined or unlined, etc.The seasons = seasonal motifs and colors   ___________ Setting ___________Setting is pretty easy once you understand the different types of kimono (video!). Shorts and Tshirts are not meant to be worn at a formal wedding, same goes for a yukata ;) See comparaison below (source?):This chart is debatable but gives you a first idea of formality scale :Not shown on this chart : yukata which is the less formal of all, and special kimono such as brides ones’. Geisha can wear all those kimono in their daily lives or when their appointements don’t require high formality. If so, they dress in hikizuri, long skirt kimono always on the formal side. Hikizuri formality follow the same scale as above chart : kurotomesode hikizuri are more formal than irotomesode hikizuri etc.  Setting is reflected in kimono and all its accessories, from outerwear (uchikake are super formal) to obi belt (a maru is more formal than a fukuro obi etc.) and shoes (ex.: the more layers a zori heel has, the more formal it is. Shoe material and hanao straps colors also count). Golden or silver threads usually mark a formal piece (especially if woven in rich brocade, like nishiki obi).Now, setting also covers the age and rank of the wearer (for ex. long sleeves, exhuberant belt knots, and big and colorful patterns for young girls, where older ladies’ outfits are far quieter). Those rules have mostly emerged during Edo period and the Karyukai follows them extensively. Trained eyes can recognize the rank of a Maiko/Geisha at a glance thanks to many little details. But core rule is: a Geisha look always much more strict/demure than Maiko. Maiko’s “loud” outfits do the talking for them, while an accomplished Geisha don’t need that kind of artifice: their art talks for them!Find more insights about Maiko/Geisha specifics here (with a LOT of pictures)   ___________ Weather ___________Weather is a pretty sraightfoward rule. Japanese winters are cold (and heating was and is still pretty fickle in many houses) and summers smothering, clothing had to adapt.You can see below a calendar showing the (ideal) time where lined (awase) / unlined (hitoe)clothes are to be worn (bigger version here)As you can see, weather influences all parts of an outfit, from outerwear (haori, Michiyuki) to undergarnements. Shoesare not mentionned here but they also change depending of weather (geta are worn in summer, zori can be covered if snow or rain etc)Some fashions are now less likely to be found, such as layered/padded kimono ensembles (dounuki -inner kimono- were a must have when central heating did not exist) or padded hems (a feature still found on Geisha hikizuri: hem padding is more or less thick depending of season, and is doubled in Winter).Weather also conditioned the type of fabric used. Silk was and is expensive and is a well loved fabric. Many types exists, from buttery rinzu to feathery ro and sturdy tsumugi. As it ishard to wash, it is customary to protect it as much as possible from contact with skin, for ex. with decorative over-collars (haneri).Note that others fibers can be used: hemp, wool, cotton, rayon, etc.   ___________ Seasons ___________Japan follows the 72 micro-seasons (this app is very nice if you wish to learn more), a calendar unherited from China and used since Heian era. Kimono wearers now use motifs to hint at the coming season, much like haiku writers use kigo (seasonal words => have a look at this super handy list). Season can be a flower, an animal, a scenery, an event. Some patterns are considered all-season (for ex. kiku/chrysanthemums) while others are short-lived and worn only for a few days.Patterns are usually always worn a bit ahead of time. Traditionally, it is considered stylish and more demure to not outmatch nature (= sakura patterns should be worn when blooms are peeking not when sakura are in full bloom). Note that obi and kimono should always balance each others. It is considered pleasing to the eyes to match organic pattern with a geometrical one. Likely, it is traditional to pair a dyed kimono with a woven obi - but this last rule is mostly reserved to formal settings.Colors associations in fashion comes from Heian era, and its kasane no irome used for junihitoe layering. Since then, Japanese have always taken great care in matching colors with season - with a few tweaks here and there, especially when Edo period sumptuary laws changed the game and made the iki trend appeared (Geisha were huge influencers of this movement).You can find more about Japanese colors in @otterintheflightdeck color serie. I have reblogged those and other ressources here. And patterns wise, ImmortalGeisha wiki has a nice overwiew.The Kimonolady has posted many ressources about seasonality. She has translated this great monthly guide (=> March, April, May, June, July, August to February) and made this amazing chart (bigger version here):(I could not talk about everything and this subject is huge, so if you need to know more about a special color association or pattern, drop a MP :) )   ___________ Hairstyles ___________Like kimono, Japanese traditional hairstyles (nihongami) reflected the status of wearer (age, occupation, rank) and were more or less exhuberant depending on the setting.@koikishu​ has made nice overview of different karyukai hairdo (Geisha/Maiko/Courtesans).And I have linked a few articles about ancient hairstyles. You can also have a look at those Edo costume charts I translated which show how the different hairpins types are set. As stressed in your ask, Geisha nowadays wear wigs (katsura) but in the past, hairstyles were made from their own hair. Geisha now mostly wear their hair shimada style, a common styling with many versions (see this post). Geisha and Maiko are among the last few women wearing nihongami in their daily lives (and even geisha also favor western yohatsu updo). In the past, combs (kushi) and hairpins (kanzashi) were worn by all women, girls and adults, and more or less luscious depending of their family wealth. Geisha and Maiko reflect those ancient trends:Maiko styles are bold, inspired by ancient rich merchants daughters and noble princesses. The flashier the younger: Junior maiko wear big flowery clusters of many tiny silk flowers (hana kanzashi, made with tsumami technique) with shidare dangling falls, while senior ones favors refined single blossoms. Geisha hairstyle is stern in comparison. Like their kimono attire, their quiet hairdo reflect their seniority and perfect mastery of Arts which needs no help to shine. Their hairpins are made from precious materials, like turtle shell (bekko), coral (sango), silver, etc.Geisha and Maiko hairpins follow strict rules (depending on the event, setting, rank, etc), and is also guided by seasons. Kanzashi follow the same seasonality as kimono, you can find calendar and examples here, here or here (bottom of the page). -- source link

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