What is it?
So, you've probably heard of kimono, but just what exactly are they? Well, it may surprise you to know that originally the Japanese wore shirts and pants as we know them in the West. But eventually the Japanese adopted garments similar to the Chinese Hanfu due to heavy cultural influence from China around the 8th century. It's during the Heian period (794 to 1185 BCE) that kimono as we know them really began to develop.
Women during this time would wear complicated many layered garments called jūnihitoe, literally "twelve robes."
Women during this time would wear complicated many layered garments called jūnihitoe, literally "twelve robes."
And if you're wondering, "how did the women move?" Well, conveniently they weren't allowed to move at all when men were present! Thankfully, as time passed a more austere style took hold, and kimono eventually developed into the one layer garment that they are today. Modern kimono design and shape became standardized during the Edo period (1603–1867 BCE). Some remnants of this history can be seen in more formal kimono that will have a second fake collar called a haneri that is meant to mimic a second kimono layer underneath.
During the 1900's, kimono increasingly fell out of fashion and become less and less common. As their popularity waned, they soared in price and became known as formal wear only. But more recently, a younger generation has discovered the joy of used and vintage kimono and the second hand kimono market has started to boom in Japan.
During the 1900's, kimono increasingly fell out of fashion and become less and less common. As their popularity waned, they soared in price and became known as formal wear only. But more recently, a younger generation has discovered the joy of used and vintage kimono and the second hand kimono market has started to boom in Japan.
The Pieces
Now let's take a look at the pieces of a kimono outfit. Contrary to popular belief, kimono are not simply robes that you tie shut. An outfit can include anywhere between 5 to 15 pieces on average just to put it on. Take a look at this drawn diagram on the left, then see if you can match it up with a real kimono!
Usually the pieces for an outfit are sold separately, and you have to buy everything and put it together. Pieces are traditionally hand sewn and dyed using natural dyes. Here are all those pieces we just saw, but lain out separately.
The Materials
Yukata are always made of cotton. But kimono can be made of various materials. The most common material is silk, but other materials used are cotton, synthetic fabric, and even denim.
Kitsuke, or Putting it All Together
Kitsuke literally means "the way of wearing" and can be translated as how we put on kimono. It is a complicated process and can take anywhere from five minutes for a yukata, to over an hour for certain types kimono. We will dedicate many future posts to kitsuke, but for now, here are some videos to satiate your curiosity on how one puts all the parts together.
Here is an example video of how to put on a yukata.
And here is an example video of how to put on a kimono. (This is part 1 of a 4 part video series.)
So that's the very basics of kimono. We'll talk more about the different kinds of kimono, motifs, fashion trends, how to spot a fake, and other interesting topics in the future!
Here is an example video of how to put on a yukata.
And here is an example video of how to put on a kimono. (This is part 1 of a 4 part video series.)
So that's the very basics of kimono. We'll talk more about the different kinds of kimono, motifs, fashion trends, how to spot a fake, and other interesting topics in the future!