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Geisha and Courtesan: Style
 Kimono
One of the most striking features of geisha style today is the fact that they continue to wear kimono on a daily basis. Prior to the Meiji period (1868-1912 A.D.), when Western-style dress came into fashion, the kosode (short-sleeved kimono) was the standard garment for women of all walks of life. The fabric and design of the kimono as well as the type of obi (sash) worn with it varies according to the season, the wearer's age, and the occasion. Young girls and maiko (apprentice geisha) wear brightly colored kimono with long swinging sleeves called furisode with long, wide, elaborately tied obi. As a woman matures she trades her furisode for a kosode in a
more subdued color palette and ties her shorter, narrower obi in a simple box knot.
 This stems from the fashion mode of iki, an aesthetic that can be loosely defined as nonchalant sophistication. It became popular in response to Edo period sumptuary laws, which prohibited ostentatious display of wealth. By concealing their sensuality with tasteful, simple kimono, geisha became synonymous with iki and were regarded as fashion trendsetters. In contrast to the subdued style of mature geisha, courtesans wore several layers of extravagant kimono and wear their obi with the knot in the front as opposed to the back.
Women today generally wear Western clothes and reserve kimono for special occasions such as weddings and graduations. Because maintaining a kimono wardrobe that is appropriate for all seasons and occasions is quite expensive (each kimono set can cost upwards of $1,000) many women rent kimono rather than buy them.
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