Colour of the Character

The character, Hatsumomo in 'Memoirs of a Geisha' striked me the most as she has a very powerful appearance. She is the first Geisha that Chiyo sees. It is very clear to see what type of person she is and the colours she wears make this just as clear too. When we first see Hatsumomo she is wearing red which symbolises everything she is. She is a fiery woman with a temper which associates with red as the colour of heat. She also wears red when she is caught having sex, which relates to how the colour also symbolizes lust. She is later in the film 'considered a prostitute more than a geisha' which relates back to how lustful she really is and associating with red. She wears her kimonos off the shoulder in some of the scenes she's in - this could relate to the 'lust' idea as she wants to show off more skin and look more sleazy.

When Chiyo officially meets Hatsumomo she is also wearing red. As she is being introduced to the story in red the colour's symbolism sticks to her character throughout the rest of the story along with being bitter and jealous. I'm surprised she rarely wears green!