Memoirs of a Geisha

Costume design: Colleen Atwood

This production was a particularly wonderful experience. Colleen Atwood had some very special ides for the elaborate kimonos.

The bamboo leaf embroidery was used for a 20m. length of fabric, which was later made into a beautiful kimono. The motif was embroidered using lines of contour stitches to approximate the look of chain stitches in the original design.

The dragon embroidery is a reproduction of an antique piece. One of the challenges was to try and capture some of the “hand-worked” look while accommodating the necessities and limitations of the embroidery machine. To achieve a particular shade of greyish purple, two threads were mixed for the darkest shades of the scales.

Please click here to view images from the film