A geisha moves with small deliberate steps with her hands cupped in front of her. Her eyes are secretive and flirtatious which is one of her most alluring features. In Japanese culture the geisha was and still is a traditional female role where young women studied to master the arts of poetry, painting, music, dance and conversation. They are often confused with courtesans who dressed similarly but were prostitutes. Geishas and courtesans were distinguished from one another by the way they tied the obi (traditional sash) at their waist. The courtesan's tied them in front while Geisha's tied them in back.

One of the most important parts of the geisha costume is the make-up. For a traditional look the face must be painted white, the lips deep red and the eyes and brows highlighted with black. To the right is a 12 minute video of a woman applying Geisha make-up:

Practice applying your make-up a few times before the big night so you can get a better feel for how to apply it and so you can make adjustments after you see how it wears after a few hours.

Geisha costumes have been made popular with the success of Memoirs of a Geisha both in print and on the big screen. You can be a talented Japanese entertainer too. Buy Costumes has a plus size Geisha costume (pictured) that fits up to size 22. It includes a beautiful red kimono, obi (sash worn with kimono), slip dress, fan and wig. You would just need a pair of white socks and flip flops.

Costume Craze has a Dragon Lady costume which shows more leg and includes a lovely blue kimono with a black dragon printed on the front, obi, and headpiece. It is only available in sizes 16 - 20. Both are under $40. There is also an inexpensive oriental parasol if you want to use that instead of fan to flirt behind.

Get your Dragon Lady from Buy Costumes
Get your Dragon Lady from Costume Craze

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M. E. Wood lives in Eastern Ontario, Canada. If you are going to find this eclectic reader and writer anywhere it is probably at her computer. For more information visit her official website.