One of the main differences she posits between Western and Japanese clothing is, in her own words: "In Europe, clothing is definitely external to the body. In Japan it is a coming together of the body and the garment ... [that] derives partly from the process of dressing and the rituals – the layering and layering of the kimono, for example." Her work on Japonism in fashion, inside and outside of Japan, examines western ideas of Japanese dress and how these ideas and styles were re-imported for a Japanese audience.
