DENVER, USA: Taylor Swift’s mother said she didn’t call police to report allegations that a radio station DJ groped her daughter before a concert because she didn’t want the moment to define the pop star’s life. Likewise, a liaison for Taylor Swift who deals with radio stations across the country asked the DJ’s boss to keep a photo of the alleged assault confidential.
Wednesday’s testimony highlighted an initial attempt to keep the encounter in Denver out of the spotlight. Yet four years later, Swift and former DJ David Mueller are embroiled in a widely publicized federal court case.
“I did not want to make her relive this moment over and over again,” said a tearful Andrea Swift, who described her daughter as “humiliated” and “really shaken” after a meet-and-greet with Mueller.
“We absolutely wanted to keep it private, but we didn’t want him to get away with it,” she said.
Mueller sued Taylor Swift after her team told his bosses at a country music station that he had reached under her dress and touched her backside during a photo op in 2013. He is seeking at least $3 million, saying the allegation cost him his job and reputation.
Swift countersued Mueller, claiming sexual assault. She is seeking a symbolic $1, saying she wants to serve as an example to other women who have been assaulted.
Andrea Swift testified Wednesday that her daughter never urged any specific action against Mueller.
She also said the encounter changed their interactions with the public, explaining that Taylor Swift’s meet-and-greets are now smaller and her interaction with fans at concerts is more limited.
“It absolutely shattered our trust,” Andrea Swift said. “It scared us, scared us very badly.”
The final testimony of the day came from Frank Bell, Swift’s liaison.
He said he e-mailed the photo of Swift, Mueller and Mueller’s girlfriend to Robert Call, KYGO’s general manager, for use in Call’s investigation of Mueller. In the e-mail sent the morning after the concert, Bell asked Call to keep the photo confidential.
Bell, a longtime friend of the singer-songwriter’s father, also said he didn’t ask that Mueller be fired but that “appropriate action be taken.”
Earlier in the day, Mueller testified that the photo taken before the concert was “weird and awkward,” but he insisted that he touched Swift in the ribs, not in the rear, as she alleges in her lawsuit.
Swift’s attorney Douglas Baldridge repeatedly asked Mueller why his right hand was behind Swift in the picture.
Mueller said his hand was touching Swift’s skirt after he put his arm around her and their arms got crossed.
“My hand was at rib-cage level and apparently it went down,” Mueller said.
In the image, shown to jurors during opening statements but not publicly released, Mueller’s hand is behind Swift, just below her waist. Both are smiling.
McFarland told jurors that the photo does not show Mueller’s hand under Swift’s skirt and that the skirt was not rumpled.
Baldridge, however, said several people noticed the pop star was upset after meeting with Mueller.
Her bodyguard, Greg Dent, has testified in a deposition that he saw Mueller lift Swift’s skirt, Baldridge told jurors.
In addition, Baldridge quoted a deposition by Swift’s photographer Stephanie Simbeck, who said Swift uttered “that guy” had grabbed her behind.
Dent and Simbeck are listed as possible witnesses at the trial.
Baldridge told jurors in his opening statement that Swift is “absolutely certain” she was sexually assaulted by Mueller, and the photo is “damning” proof of it.
Taylor Swift’s mom wanted to keep groping allegation private
Taylor Swift’s mom wanted to keep groping allegation private
Japan’s traditional kimonos are being repurposed in creative and sustainable ways
- A genuine silk kimono, which literally means ‘worn thing,’ lasts a hundred years or more
- In a Japanese family, it’s handed down over generations like heirloom jewelry, artworks and military medals
TOKYO: The kimono, that elaborate, delicate wrap-around garment worn by geisha and samurai from centuries back, is getting a vibrant remake, appreciated these days for a virtue that’s more relevant than ever: sustainability.
A genuine silk kimono, which literally means “worn thing,” lasts a hundred years or more. In a Japanese family, it’s handed down over generations like heirloom jewelry, artworks and military medals.
It never goes out of style.
The design of the kimono and accompanying “obi” sash has remained basically the same since the 17th century Edo period depicted in Akira Kurosawa samurai movies.
But today, some people are taking a different creative approach, refashioning the traditional kimono, and also taking apart and resewing them as jackets, dresses and pants.
“I noticed that a lot of beautiful kimono is just sleeping in people’s closets. That’s such a waste,” said Mari Kubo, who heads a kimono-remake business called K’Forward, pronounced “K dash forward.”
Hers is among a recent surge in such services, which also turn old kimono into tote bags and dolls.
The most popular among Kubo’s products are “tomesode,” a type of formal kimono that is black with colorful, embroidered flowers, birds or foliage at the bottom.
She also creates matching sets, or what she calls “set-ups.” A tomesode is turned into a jacket with its long, flowing sleeves intact, and its intricate patterns placed at the center in the back. She then takes a kimono with a matching pattern to create a skirt or pants to go with the top. Sometimes, an obi is used at the collar to add a pop of color.
Kubo said many of her customers are young people who want to enjoy a kimono without the fuss.
A remade kimono at K’Forward can cost as much as 160,000 yen ($1,000) for a “furisode,” a colorful kimono with long sleeves meant for young unmarried women, while a black tomesode goes for about 25,000 yen ($160).
Reuse and recycle
What Tomoko Ohkata loves most about the products she designs using old kimonos is that she doesn’t have to live with a guilty conscience, and instead feels she is helping solve an ecological problem.
“I feel the answer was right there, being handed down from our ancestors,” she said.
Recycling venues in Japan get thousands of old kimonos a day as people find them stashed away in closets by parents and grandparents. These days, Japanese generally wear kimonos just for special occasions like weddings. Many women prefer to wear a Western-style white wedding dress rather than the kimono, or they wear both.
Many of Ohkata’s clientele are people who have found a kimono at home and want to give it new life. They care about the story behind the kimono, she added.
Her small store in downtown Tokyo displays various dolls, including a figure of an emperor paired with his wife, who are traditionally brought out for display in Japanese homes for the Girls’ Day festival every March 3. Her dolls, however, are exquisitely dressed in recycled kimonos, tailored in tiny sizes to fit the dolls. They sell for 245,000 yen ($1,600) a pair.
The art of putting on a kimono
The original old-style kimono is also getting rediscovered.
“Unlike the dress, you can arrange it,” says Nao Shimizu, who heads a school in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto that teaches people how to wear a kimono and how to carry oneself while wearing it.
“In half a year, you can learn how to do it all by yourself,” she said, briskly demonstrating several ways to tie the obi to express different moods, from playful to understated.
Besides its durability, said Shimizu, that versatility also makes the kimono sustainable.
Younger Japanese are taking a more relaxed view, wearing a kimono with boots, for instance, she laughed. Traditionally, kimono is worn with sandals called “zori.”
Although it requires some skill to put on a kimono in the traditional way, one can take lessons from teachers like Shimizu, like learning a musical instrument. Professional help is also available at beauty parlors, hotels and some shops.
Most Japanese might wear a kimono just a few times in their lives. But wearing one is a memorable experience.
Sumie Kaneko, a singer who plays the traditional Japanese instruments koto and shamisen, often performs wearing flashy dresses made of recycled kimonos. The idea of sustainability is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, she says, noting that the ivory and animal hide used in her musical instruments are now hard to obtain.
She calls it “the recycling of life.”
“The performer breathes new life into them,” says the New York-based Kaneko.
“In the same way, a past moment — and those patterns and colors that were once loved — can come back to life.”
