GRYFFINDOR Geisha Wear

June fiddled with the chopsticks in her hair while she waited for her cue to go on stage. She distantly watched as Swifty hurried everywhere, checking that everything was alright. Seeing her cue, June apparated onto the g+g-shaped stage set. Carefully walking on her red high heels, June carried a teapot and a small teacup in her hands to the soundtrack of the movie, Memoirs of a Geisha, by John Williams.

At the edge of the + shaped stage, June stopped and posed, smiling, as a voiceover began: "This exclusive outfit from G+G combines the eastern japanese-style kimono with the flirtyness of the western hemisphere. The kimono is a bright red, lined in soft pink, with hand embroidered pink and white decorative squares. The kimono is off the shoulder and comes with a gold obi belt that ties in a beautiful bow in the back. Strappy bright red high-heels complete this gorgeous outfit. This G+G kimono can be accesorized with a pair of limited edition red decorative chopstick hairpieces that have dangling red beads. There is also a golden butterfly pin that matches the golden obi belt that is simply a hairpiece to die for. All together, the beautiful kimono with the gold obi belt is priced at 95 galleons while the chopstick hairpieces are 5 galleons and the golden butterfly hair pin is an affordable 7 galleons. The last touch on this outfit, the strappy scarlet high-heeled shoes are 25 galleons. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is an outfit that should not be missed out on!"

As the voiceover ended, June carefully tipped the teapot so that a small amount of tea flowed out, filling the small teacup. Smiling, June lifted the cup in a toast to the audience and then drank a small sip. At the right moment, June threw the teapot and teacup into the air, where they were vanished by some behind the scenes crew. Sashaying her hips, June walked back towards backstage as the lights, which had been a light red, changed back to their normal golden shine.

Cristina's first alter-ego, Mikako, waited nervously behind the scenes. Everything was to go according to the plan, so she waited until June was back and hi-fived her.
"How was it?", Mika-chan asked.
"It was fine, you'll do okay!", June answered before giving Mika a little push toward the scene.
Mika-chan smiled and apparated.

It was indeed better than she could have imagined! In front - the crowd looking in awe at her costume, at the sides, images from Japan's wonderful nature, for example Mount Fuji, beamed onto the wall. Kawaii!!, she thought, then stepped forwards carefully, taking small and slow steps and letting the crowd enjoy the show.



Mika could understand why they were so awed - she had read the description of her dress just earlier on that day.

"With her traditional furisode (= a special style of kimono), this Geisha-styled wear always manages to be a fresh breath of air in every room where it appears. Modeled by beautiful Mikako-san, you will of course remark the subtle mix of pink and light purple on a wonderful silk material that glistens as our model walks. A gentle touch is added by the yellow obi with red flowers. Another detail which will of course be noticed is the elaborate shimada in her hair (= a traditional way to wear the hair up) - it matches in colour with the furisode and provides our young maiko (=geisha apprentice) with even more elegance. And if the outfit is to be complete, do not, under any circumstances, forget the okobo (= wooded sandals) - they are the traditional comfortable and practical footwear for any maiko who respects herself.

You can buy the whole outfit for only 200 galleons - this is really cheap considering the furisode's usual high price. Inclued in this price, G+G will send you a professional kimono dresser to help you put on your complex, many-layered kimono. We guarantee that you will be fully pleased with the way this exotic outfit fits you!"

Remembering these words along the way, Mika-chan almost didn't notice when she got to the end of the stage. Ah, now's the moment!, she thought, taking out the fan which she had hidden in her sleeve.
A pleasant traditional music was now heard and she started to dance gracefully, waving her fan - not too slowly, but not too fast either, turning around, bending left and right and left again...
After ten minutes the music went back to the Geisha-movie-theme and Mika-chan bowed to the public. Someone in the front row shouted enthusiastically "Repeat!", but she was too modest a maiko and knew it was now her colleague's turn, so she slowly started to walk back, stunning the public with the beauty of her obi's back.

Reaching the rear of the stage, she turned around one last time, smiled mysteriously at the public, and disapparated.

Swift squeed silently, jumping up and down backstage as quietly as she could. KAWAII!!!! As she grinned like a Cheshire cat, she decided that now was the right time to add something extra into the set!

"Hey, crew... draw up a projection of the wind blowing that countryside, will you? And activate the wind machine... it's time to make things exciting!" Swift turned to the girl beside her, looking as extravagant as the others. "Be careful, okay? It's only a slight breeze but... watch your step."

"We're done up here, Swift," a voice said into her ear.

"Thanks guys... like i said before...gambatte, ne?" She smiled into the mic as she heard the hushed laughter of the crew. She watched with awe as the animated projection swept across the images of the Japanese countryside, as if a breeze was actually blowing through the trees.

"Okay, your entrance time," she whispered, looking into her fellow Gryffindor's eyes and waiting for the moment. "Don't forget to silence the music when she comes on, okay?" she said into the mic again.

"Yep, on it."

Swift sighed in relief - this was going much better than she thought it would!!

June looked at Swifty, waiting for her cue. When she was given it, June apparated out onto the stage and teh soundtrack from Memoirs of a Geisha suddenly stopped. The background of the stage looked like the Japanese countryside and June smiled as a breeze blew from out of nowhere.

As she slowly walked down the stage, June heard the commentator start talking in a hushed sort of voice. I suppose that's what a gorgeous landscape does to people, June thought.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is another beautiful addition to G+G's geisha collection. Made of the softest silk from Japan, this kimono is the epitome of the phrase, 'Simple, yet elegant.' This floorlength kimono is dyed a very light sky blue that, in a very bright setting, appears almost white. Around the bottom of this outfit, a darker blue silk is embroidered that gives the impression of the shadows of flowers. The same design is repeated along the edge of this kimono's wide sleeves, making it even more beautiful than it already is. A light blue obi belt also comes with this gorgeous outfit; after all, what kimono would be complete without an obi? To complete this design, are a pair of special wooden sandals, imported from the G+G Japanese headquarters! So for this little number, the kimono including obi is priced at 110 galleons while the wooden sandals are an affordable 25 galleons. Ladies and Gentlemen, you really don't want to miss out on this gorgeous addition to the G+G Geisha line!"

As the voiceover faded away, June stood at the edge of the stage. The two small fountains of glistening water set off the color of her kimono very well, in her opinion, and counting the seconds in her head, June reached her hand up her left sleeve and pulled out a silk fan in the same color as her kimono. Swiftly flipping it open with a quick snap, June fluttered the fan in front of her before, counting the time in her head, throwing it up into the air where it turned one, two, three times before coming down in June's hand again. Snapping it shut, June bowed to the applause and slowly walked back up the +-shaped stage. Surreptitiously apparating backstage, June flipped a thumbs-up at Swiftly and hurried away to change into her next outfit and to await her next turn.

Cristina's second alter-ego, Megumi, shyly looked out of her cabin. Her colleagues gestured her to go out there, so she quickly waved her wand that she was holding in her little red purse, and apparated onto the right G-stage.



She blinked and there she was - right in front of everybody. She slowly walked to the front of the catwalk and began miming sining a trditional japaneze geisha song - well, only miming, since she was an awful singer - the actual song was on a CD. While she was doing this, a text presentation her costume floated over her on a seemingly invisible screen.

"This is another creation of our G+G Japan, one of our company's departments, that works especially for you, ladies and gentlemen, so you can enjoy these wonderful kimonos inspired by tradition and perfected by imagination.
This time we can all admire a red kimono, modeled by Megumi-san. The bottom is decorated with white and red flowers perfectly harmonizing with the similar pattern of her obi. For your feet, G+G recommends the comfortable blue okobo - sandals. An important element that completes the kimono is the blue purse with a red circle and a trendy Japansese Kanji. At the Gryffindor fashion show, you can buy the kimono at a reduced price of 100 galleons, as well as the okobo for 10 and the purse for 15 galleons. Get the whole set and G+G guarentees sending you a professional hairdresser each time you wear the kimono in the following 3 months to decorate your hair with matching white and red flowers!"

Megu-chan smiled and patted her tails with flowers in them. "Hai," she thought, "it's enough to know you'll get this hairdo and you'll wanna get the whole outfit!". Then she stopped singing, bowed and turned around towards the apparition point.

"Great Job!" June told Cristina when her friend appeared backstage again. Suddenly seeing Swifty madly waving her arms at her, June figured that she better go, so June walked as quickly as she could in her high Japanese wooden sandals.

Apparating out onto the g+g-shaped stage set, June felt a wind blow her hair about as the soundtrack to Memoirs of a Geisha once again played. June shyly smiled as she felt that she was in her element: for once, her hair wasn't charmed... it was its natural long black again.

Giving off the impression of flowing water, June walked across the left g-shaped stage, the fountain of water to her right emphasizing the color of her simply styled kimino. The lights lighting up the g+g stage set twinkled white and light blue, in a sort of blend.

As June posed and slowly twirled, the commentary started: "This kimono by G+G is a newly released addition to it's Japan and Geisha line. A new style to hit the market, this kimono is unique from all others by its straightforward simplicity. This kimono lacks all the embroidery, intricacy, and complexity of other kimonos, but pure simplicity in this outfit is what makes it as beautiful as it really is. Incorporating a new style of geisha wear, this kimono has long flowing sleeves, made of silk like the rest of the kimono, and the kimono comes with a special blue obi that not only ties in a bow at the back, but also has long flowing tails that, as you can see, blow in the wind. Our beautiful model and designer, June, has her hair tied up in a half bun and intricate loop at the back, with a single, long, decorative Japanese chopstick and attached thin bow, also in a blue shade. THe entire outfit costs only 120 galleons, but seperately, the kimono and obi are priced at 85 galleons, the special Japanese wooden sandals that June wears are 15 galleons, and the elaborate hair accessories are 20 galleons, in total."

When the commentary ended, June knew that that was her cue. Waving her wand hidden by her long sleeves, June nonverbally cast a spell that left blue sparkles, glitter, and little blue puffs of smoke in her wake when she carefully walked towards the rear of the stage and apparated backstage.

Amy waited nervously backstage as June finished her turn on the catwalk. She glanced down at her outfit and hoped that she would be able to do the wonderful G+G designers justice. June appeared backstage, and Amy knew it was her turn to go on.

She peered through the curtains and saw that the audience were being bathed in a cool blue light, the fountains that had been specially designed by Swifty turning blue and the water dancing and swaying in time to the music.

Oriental music was playing, and when Amy got her cue from Swifty, she stepped out onto the catwalk and surveyed the audience. It was mostly made up of fellow students from Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw. She waited for a moment for the music to reach a slight crescendo, and then stepped forward confidently, as the commentator began his description of her outfit.

"Our model wears a modern twist on the classic kimono, especially designed for Gryffindor by our G+G designers in Japan. The striking orange kimono is made from silk, and detailed with hand-woven embroidery. The wide red sash accentuates the model's waist, and the flower detail adds a certain air of sophistication.

On her head, our model wears an exclusive designer headdress, of which there are only three in the world. To find out how you can buy one of these exclusive headdresses, have a look at your programme.

On her feet, our model wears stacked sandals, with red straps. This outfit is a modern take on a traditional classic, it's chic, stylish and perfect for a special occasion."

Amy reached the end of the catwalk as the commentator finished speaking, and posed, placing one hand on her hip and jutting one leg forwards. She held her pose for a few moments, then turned and strutted back up the catwalk, before disappearing behind the backstage curtain.



Outfit Details

Kimono: 20 Galleons (£100)
Headdress: 200 Galleons (£1000 - limited stock)
Sandals: 14 Galleons (£70)

June gave Amy a high-five when her friend reappeared backstage. Seeing her cue, June quickly took out her wand to perfect her blonde hair before waving her wand and muttering, "Poinsettias redimio (Poinsettias surround)". Surrounded by gorgeous poinsettia flowers that floated around her and lined the stage, June apparated out onto the g-shaped stage.

June loved her kimono this time because it was in Gryffindor colors: red and gold, though that had been purely accidental. As the commentary started, a poinsettia landed in June's hair where it stuck, thanks to a previous charm that had been cast.

"This kimono in the geisha style by G+G is made of 100% silk. It incorporates the colors of red, gold, and white in a way never seen before! This outfit has a white under-kimono, made of silk of course, that is layered with a red kimono with gold lining. The red kimono has a pattern of hand-sewn little sugarcubes, in gold thread. A pair of wooden Japanese sandals completes this outfit. The complete set is 240 galleons, but individually, the white under-kimono is 90 galleons while the red kimono is 120 galleons. The exclusive G+G Japanese sandals are30 galleons."

When the commentary ended, June swept back backstage to her friends.

Cristina felt a sudden feling of faint, then she woke up. Suddenly, she wasn't Cristina anymore, but Mitsune. She quickly slipped into her kimono designed by Cristina and smiled at her image in the mirror. Thanks, Cristina!, she thought. She called somebody from the team to do her hair and makeup, then stepped out of her cabin just in time to see June apparate. "Way to go, June-chan!", she yelled before flicking her wand and appearing on the catwalk herself.



She considered it a good omen that she heard one of her favourite songs, the ending theme of one of the greatest anime ever, Fruits Basket. It was a calm, dreamlike song and hearing it gave her confidence to step on.

The commentator began his speech, which was translated at the same time into Japanese on a wafer-thin screen floating above the catwalk. She grinned, thought Ah, Japanese technology!, and listened to the commentary.

"Beautiful like a cherry blossom, deeply rooted like politeness, modern like the latest inventions - this is our G+G Geisha line! Ladies and gentlemen, you are now watching Mitsune-san's walk with her splendid red kimono, with red, black and yellow flowers at the bottom and small yellow dots on the large sleeves. The pink obi is an additional colour accent and the japanese sandals worn with special split-toe socks are a must! We also recommend a fancy hairdo with a ribbon and two playful tails! And we know that Japan-freaked girls, like for example the kimono's designer Cristina, want the whole set at once, so we will come forward to your wishes and give you a fair price for everything you see Mitsune wear at the moment - 60 galleons!"

Mitsune-chan smiled o the public, bowed and turned back, walking slowly and waving her fan to the rhythm of the song.

Giggling at Mitsune-chan's giddiness (she was sure that Cris was the same), Swift took a moment to consider the stage. The lights shone bright, the backdrop ever-changing, yet there seemed to be still something missing. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. However, on seeing Cris... Mitsune-chan, even, walking back down the catwalk, a quick - alas, temporary - idea came to her.

Using the sway of the kimono to her advantage, Swift pointed her wand straight at Mitsune-chan. She could see the girl's face go from calm to surprised, but hoped that she knew it was Swift who was doing what she was.

Putting her wand away, Swift concentrated, holding her hands in front of her, both of them open as if holding up a load. Mitsune-chan was approaching the back of the stage, ready, Swift saw, to apparate away. Trying to get the timing perfect, she focused entirely on Mitsune-chan, willing herself to know exactly when she would disappear.

A little bit more... There... Now!

"Err... Swift?"

She lost the focus, but only a slight bit. Mitsune-chan had already gone, but not appeared, and it was in this split second that Swift moved her hands away from each other, as if to dispel something from them. On the stage, a large bunch of cherry blossoms seemed to burst out from Mitsune-chan as she disappeared.

Sighing in relief, Swift sank to the floor. It had taken a substantial amount of magic to perform the trick to the almost-perfection that it was.

"Right, what did you want? I can't believe you interrupted me in the middle of doing that. It almost looked bad!"

"Actually, it looked kinda good, although now there are sakura floating around the stage."

"Erm... You know Japanese? Hover them into the fountains or something, and make it look good? How about a constant stream of them from the fountain for the rest of the Geisha show..."

"Right on it, sensei!!"

"Sheesh..."

Mitsune turned around and watched the cherry blossoms from behind the magic glass that separated the catwalk from the backstage. She smiled. "Ahhh those look nice, Swifty-san!" She huggled Swifty and then fainted.

Cristina woke up. Oh my god!, she thought. What happened? She looked around, wondered why everybody was beaming at her, then noticed that she was dressed in a beautiful kimono. She chuckled and got up to her feet, rubbing her nose. "Hehe," she said grinning "that was a cool show, guys! I think our geisha-ness convinced the public!"