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From a few steps away, Japanese artist Mamechiyo looks very traditional indeed, in her kimono, obi, geta sandals and socks, and a sleek updo.

But get a little closer and her look today is anything but Memoirs of a Geisha.

Over her digital houndstooth-print kimono, her denim obi sash features a rocket ship appliquéd onto the front, a rabbit pin, an astronaut cellphone charm dangling anachronistically, and, on the back, an appliquéd astronaut on the moon, surrounded by bunnies.

Her interpreter and artist's representative, Junko Wong, says that in Japan there are legends about rabbits living on the moon, so "when Apollo landed, the rabbits came out to greet them with sweet cakes."

After a language-barrier-free giggle, Mamechiyo says through Wong, "I wore this to symbolize my first step into the outside world from Japan."

Her North American debut show, Mamechiyo: The Art of Kimono, opened Thursday at Toronto's Magic Pony gallery and shop (it runs to April 2).

In addition to mannequins wearing intricately styled and accessorized kimonos like the one she's wearing, the show also features photography of models in kimonos, some superimposed on surreal miniature dreamscapes in a series about a "Planet of the Maidens," glitter-and-decoupage-decorated screens and painstakingly decorated pairs of geta -- some covered in flora and fauna (including a Bambi) and another dedicated to an East-Meets-West tea party.

"I thought it was a great chance to reach out to a different culture to show how I feel about how the traditional and the modern can combine to be adorable and cute and special."

In Japanese artist circles, the word for cute -- kawaii -- is an aesthetic principle explored everywhere from consumer products to fine art. Famed artist Takashi Murakami takes it to mean pointedly banal cartoon characters such as his good and bad toddlers Kaikai and Kiki; Sanrio's megabrand hit Hello Kitty is another outpost of kawaii.

While Mamechiyo does create mini-kimonos for a few big-eyed Blythe art dolls in this show, she generally chooses more universal icons of cute: cookies, ponies and butterflies, and blends them with the kimono form in a personal, one-of-a-kind way.

"It's like creating a collage on the human body. On the one hand, it's just a garment, but it's also a means of sending a message to the person viewing it."

For instance, a vertically striped kimono with frogs on the obi sash might inspire the viewer to think of rain. There's a vintage 1960s cherry-print fabric kimono -- with a matching custom-made doppelganger Blythe doll -- and another with matching headphones. One ensemble suggests fall, complete with an acorn pin designed by Mamechiyo.

One of the recurring motifs in the show is the daisy. One pink and white obi was inspired by a small slip of wrapping paper she found in the folds of a kimono while working as a vintage dealer.

"The previous owner had been taking special care of it. I fell in love with the idea of being in love with something so precious," she says, gesturing gently with her hands, her pink-polished nails decorated in matching flowers.

However, Mamechiyo doesn't see the kimono merely as an art form on which to juxtapose modernity; back home she agitates for its revival as daily clothing. She says it's enjoyed a renaissance in the past three or four years.

"It's about living kimono as a lifestyle, a philosophy."

For Mamachiyo (who has not seen the costume-Oscar-winning Memoirs of a Geisha), wearing a kimono is almost a meditative act.

"When you wear a kimono, it takes effort. It takes longer and is restrictive. It gives you the opportunity to think and remember things. It slows you down," she says. "Everyone has in themselves sincerity and the ability to feel delightful in things around them."

Mamechiyo: The Art of Kimono, at Magic Pony (416-861-1684, magic-pony.com). Prices range from $30 for a limited-edition book to $2,500 for a kimono ensemble.