1971

Woman's Ensemble: Cape, Bodysuit, Chaps, and Clogs

This ensemble was inspired by the extravagant costumes and makeup of Japanese Kabuki theater, stylized drama that often parodies the lifestyle of the nobility. The appliqués on the cape depict popular Kabuki characters and a Japanese mask kite. The bodysuit is knitted with the face of a Kabuki samurai actor, presaging the patterned knits for which Kansai became known in the late 1970s and 1980s. The high-heeled clogs are modeled after traditional Japanese okobo, black lacquered platform geta with red straps worn during the summer by apprentice geisha.