Fashions of 32nd century

[Tassu]

While much of Rokugani culture would be recognizable to the ancestors they revere, fashions have come and gone through the ages, leading to some that would mystify or scandalize those ancient samurai. Proper attire varies greatly across the Empire, depending on what clan and world one hails from. Those from the central worlds and the Imperial City are usually the trendsetters, with the rest of the Empire playing catch up to avoid looking like backwater bumpkins when they must attend the more important courts. Some commonalities remain, such as notable disdain for showing much skin in public. The practicalities of life aboard ships and on space stations has made form-fitting clothing acceptable, but it means that such clothing is considered pragmatic and a sign that one is 'working class' or military. Courtiers delight in showcasing the exotic and impractical to set themselves apart

Fashions within court currently stress a fusion of new and old. Stylish courtiers don three to five layers of robes in various styles that usually hearken back to ancient kimono, hanfu, or other elaborate and flowing clothing. Silk is still a prominent fabric, but dozens of worlds and hundreds of years of textile development provides limitless fabrics to craft such robes from. The soft mesh of Anilan IV's snow lichens may layer atop stiff sleeves of mercury 'silk' created by the strange insects of a metal-heavy world. This decade's styles have aimed to create an air of impermanence by using thin cloth and slender designs, despite the layers. Some use internal structures to seem to float from shoulders or hips. Printed patterns are often minimalist and subtle, unless the pattern itself projects a sense of fleeting beauty. Thus cherry blossoms, fireflies and autumn leaves are currently popular motif when someone wishes bolder, or more elaborate decoration.

The Yasuki have recently been using glow-silk to fantastic effect, hoarding the secrets of their bio-engineered Tashokukeiko-type silkworms. Meanwhile, the Mantis have made it a point of pride to combine several types of cloth, each usually hailing from a different world, to flaunt their wealth. Lion and Dragon courtiers prefer relatively simple garments, embracing modest styles and subtle patterns currently in fashion. Stylish (and wealthy) Dragon have made use of the glow-silk for designs glowing in subdued greens and golds. The Spider have embraced rather anciently styled kimono made from a new material with a drape and pile that deepens shadows within the pleats and folds. The Crane have recently begun to incorporate this trend in their own styles, with shadowed blue weaves leading to the nickname 'stormbirds' for this Spider-leaning faction. In contrast, the Scorpion have adopted glittering metallic highlights, often treated to oxidize as the day progresses, providing a
highly visible show of impermanence and change. It can be somewhat disconcerting to watch the patina creep across a copper mask hour by hour in court.

More than any other clan, the Unicorn make a point of using material from their home worlds, making it easy to spot those from the newer colonies with their exotic and often experimental materials and a greater penchant for leather and fur. Those from the less 'frontier' worlds adhere to the rest of the Empire's distaste for such materials, though they're more likely than other clans to use synthetic leather or fur accents. There is some variance by age as well, with elders having a fondness for wide, large sleeves and spreading robes with colorful variance in the layers and contrasting accessories, while younger samurai keep to slender designs and a great show of harmonizing layers and accessories. On military and merchant vessels, all of the crew wears simpler and more form fitting uniforms as fancier clothing would interfere with their work. Insignia is worn on sleeves and collars, though each clan has its own system of symbols for the various ranks and departments. Otherwise, outside the courts people dress according to the situation. Most merchant patrons and diplomats show their status with elaborate, many-layered clothing or carefully tailored jackets paired with dark hakama or skirts.

Current fashions have it that humbly dressed officials offer a poor image of their Clan, though the color palettes used for the formal garbs are still rather limited. No Crane would wear bright green on official business, for example. On the other hand, people serving in stertorous or demanding duties are expected to dress accordingly. Yoriki, magistrates as well as medical crews wear simple garb that allows the freedom of movement they require. Color and materials vary from profession to profession, though artificial materials are favored over natural ones due to the ease of maintenance.

While all encompassing hairstyle cannot be said to exist within the Empire, certain insights can be drawn from the myriad styles seen in everyday life. People wearing elaborate clothing are more likely to favor complex hair-styles, using various products for gravity defying feats of hairdressing. In high society, good hair dressers are as valued as good tailors and the largest diplomatic delegations often include both among their staff. Currently, merchants and diplomats favor long hair to craft into elaborate styles capable of displaying many ornaments. Mantis diplomats and merchants show a preference for corals and pearls in their ornamentation, while others tend to favor rare woods and precious metals. Notably, the Scorpion have lately become fond of red hued gold-copper alloys, while Crane and Phoenix socialites often wear silver accessories tinted toward yellows and blues. Regardless of the material used, most hair ornaments try to reflect the beauty of impermanence, meaning that natural designs, such as flowers and leaves, are common. On the other hand, bushi and those serving on space ships prefer short, tidy cuts that keep their hair out of their eyes. Some, especially the samurai among the Daigotsu, go as far as to shave themselves entirely as hair is seen as an unnecessary complication that makes it difficult to achieve a perfect air-tight fit on protective equipment. Members of the merchant fleet and navy sometimes dye their hair as a method of identification as sometimes crew must rush to combat stations without having time to dress properly. Needless to say, bushi whom serve planetside do not follow this trend,
though Lion who join the Deathseekers have been known to dye their hair white. With the high fashions favoring long hair, wigs are popular among bushi who are sometimes expected to take part in courtly gatherings.

With swim wear, the current trends favor skillfully cut one pieces that show the skill of the designer, many swimsuits having additional frills and other decorations that mimic the movement of waves or aquatic life. This means that 'fashionable' beach wear is usually rather inconvenient for anyone planning to actually swim, a price most samurai are willing to pay in order to make a good impression. The Crane, having several talented designers working in the field have made it sure that two-piece swimwear is seen as crass and plebeian, if only to allow the Crane merchant patrons to ask for outlandish sums of money for their goods. Men follow the fashions, often wearing long trunk to the beach, the cloth showing the colors of their clan. Just as with the swim suits, the trunks tend to make swimming rather cumbersome. Those actually seeking to swim tend to prefer body-hugging wet suits that allow the body to glide through the water with relative ease.