I've emailed this off as a proposal (fingers crossed if they're still accepting them), but I just found this specific forum so I thought I'd ask: Would anyone be interested in this?
Panel: "The Kimono As Clothing, Art and Pop Culture"
- A brief overview of the kimono, its history, links to modern pop culture, and a section on how-to-wear for kimono fans and cosplayers alike.
Some sample topics would be:
-Want to buy one? Telling a real kimono apart from a fake
-A demo of putting on a summer kimono from start to finish
-Modern Japanese indies designers who use kimono or kimono motifs in their work, like Takuya Angel and h. Naoto's Gouk.
-Learning how to tell a woman's kimono from a man's, seasonal patterns, age-appropriateness
-Reconstructing kimono into new Western looks
-Possibly a prize giveaway of some kind, depending.
While I'm a lay-collector of kimono, I've been at it for nearly ten years, five spent living in Japan, and will bring at least six actual kimono as examples (from one from the late 1800s to modern examples) and a couple of Takuya Angel pieces as well.
Thanks for reading!
I'd definitely love to see a panel like this!!! I've been collecting kimono myself for a few years now and am always interested in seeing them worn. It should be a good opportunity for people to learn a little bit more about kimono. Hope it gets chosen to be part of the program!