Japanese Fashion

Kimonos

Kimonos are perhaps one of those things I know I would like to have and know I would never ever have the chance to wear without looking like a donk from a different era or area, for that matter. Kimonos are really lovely and reading Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 6 times over, made me dream about becoming one just so I can wear a Kimono but I wouldn’t want to be Sayuri with her Dr. Crab experience….. if you think that sounds dodgy, you’re right. But moving on to Kimonos, they really a treasured heritage that is upheld highly by the Japanese culture. Not many women wear elaborate kimonos anymore but some modern day maikos or geishas still do although not as elaborately as it was before. And kimonos are still worn during weddings. Just like how the white dress is a must for most weddings in the west.

Kimono (着物, literally “something worn”, i.e., “clothes”) are the traditional garments of Japan. Originally kimono was used for all types of clothing, but it came to refer specifically to the full-length garment that is still worn by women, men, and children. Kimono are T-shaped, straight-lined robes that fall to the ankle, with collars and full-length sleeves.

The original type of kimono was mainly influenced by the Chinese Hanfu through extensive cultural exchanges between the two countries starting in the 5th century ce. The modern kimono began to take shape during Japan’s Heian period (794–1192 ce). Since then, the basic shape of both men’s and women’s kimono has remained essentially unchanged.

All traditional kimono are sewn by hand, and the fabrics from which they are created are also frequently hand made and hand decorated. Various techniques such as yuzen dye resist (made with a kimono which governs where the pattern is distributed and if it is a singular or a repeating pattern. Repeating patterns that cover a large section of the kimono are traditionally done with the yuzen resist technique and a stencil.

Kimonos can be expensive. For a full piece of kimono equipped with it’s obi, undergarments, ties, socks and shoes, you are looking at about USD20,000. But these are the top of the line ones, although you can get a very cheap second hand kimono made from cheaper materials for as low as 500 yen. Anyhow, the kimono is a true masterpiece that is worth every cent – because a traditional hand sewn kimono is very precious. Who wants standard kimonos generated from a factory somewhere? Kinda beats the purpose of having a kimono in the first place.

If I have a kimono, I would like to have my family crest on it, maybe have it printed on like an LV bag. Haha. Right.

Here are some beautiful pictures of Kimonos.

Traditional bamboo print white wedding kimono