Colours, kimonos and compliments on Japanese imperial visit (Extra)

May 26, 2007, 11:35 GMT

Vilnius - If this week's visit by Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to the Baltic states is any guide, the hardest job in Japan must be that of the empress' dressmaker.

'There's no rule that says visiting dignitaries should make use of the national colours in their dress, but it's a great compliment when they do,' Daina Lasmane, press secretary to Latvia's President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

In the last 72 hours, the imperial couple have visited Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on a whistle-stop tour aimed at strengthening diplomatic relations with the Baltic states.

For the imperial couple, it has been a question of statesmanship, of courtesy, and of interest in these three newly-independent states.

'In 1991, the three Baltic States became the first independent states from the former Soviet Union, and I recall the deep emotion that I felt when receiving word of this event which seemed to indicate a great current of history,' the emperor said in Riga.

But for the empress' dressmaker, it must have been a nightmare.

The official colours of Estonia are blue, black and white. The colours of Latvia are burgundy and white.

And the Lithuanian flag is marked in yellow, red and brilliant green - a combination guaranteed to fill any diplomatic dress designer with dread.

The visit began on an easy note. On Thursday, in Tallinn, the empress wore a white hat with blue ribbon, white jacket with blue belt, and black skirt - a combination so neatly contrived that its reflection of the Estonian flag was not immediately evident.

When watching journalists realized the significance of the choice, they began to speculate whether the empress - who favours pastel shades - would adjust her costume to Latvia's striking tones.

In the event, she appeared in Latvia in a cream hat with a burgundy ribbon, and a cream jacket with fine burgundy trimming, before changing into a dove-grey kimono in the evening.

But the greatest challenge was still to come with Lithuania's tricolour. Could the world's only empress appear before the crowds in yellow, green and red?

As the imperial couple emerged from their car at the Lithuanian presidential palace, the answer became apparent. Once again the empress had chosen a cream jacket - but this time, a neat bouquet of red, green and yellow graced her buttonhole.

'For Lithuania and its people, your visit is a symbol of remarkable openness, confidence, and mutual respect,' Adamkus told his guests as he opened a welcoming banquet on Saturday.

If that symbolism has largely been shaped by diplomats, the supporting role played by the empress' dressmaker should not be forgotten.