Kimono Nagoya

Ageha fashion magazine, a magazine for Hime gyaru in Japan often features Kimono.

Ignoring the make-up and hairstyling, this Kimono would be respectable and suitable for Tea.

Choosing a light obi of similar hue and value to the detail of the Kimono, choosing accent colours from the kimono for the Obijimi is Kimono 101. The obi is a fancypants variation on the Otaiko and wouldn’t be horribly out of place [depending on sensei and school] at Tea or a semi-formal event. Interestingly, although the obi is tied in a very formal fashion bordering on furisode, she is wearing her obijime lower than center—which is where an older woman would wear it, advertising that she is no longer ‘available’.

And for those of you who who plan ahead, you could wear this until You’re “OLD”..!

Rental iro-tomesode at K-Bridal. 19,800 yen to rent

Often, iro-tomesode (colored-ground kimono with design only on the hem, formal, for ‘married’ women/post-furisode age) have very dim contrast, with lots of light gold or silver threads or ink, and delicate flowers that don’t stand out much. This one is unique in its bold coloration and large flower motif. That would argue that it’s almost between a furisode and an iro-tomesode—maybe a good choice for a newlywed, or someone who doesn’t *quite* want to give up festive kimono!

Hanakomachi

Kuro-tomesode rental

インターネット特別価格24,500円 (税込) 送料込

“What does a million-yen kimono look like?” I have oft wondered. Wonder no more.

裾から方へ伸び広がるように
葡萄の蔓が大胆に描かれた訪問着です。

加熱した蝋を布に塗布して防染方法で染め上げるローケツ染めは、
蝋の種類や置き方で、半防染や亀裂の表現ができたり、
繰り返し行うことで複雑な模様が可能な、他の防染にはない特徴があります。
この訪問着では、葉の部分で亀裂の表現が見られたりと、
色味が抑えられている分、ローケツ染めの良さが際だっています。。
色味を抑えたぶどうの文様は、深まる秋に纏うのにぴったりではないでしょうか。

“Grapevines drawn carefully so that they concentrate at the bottom hem and spread out.

This kimono has been dyed with a resist technique that allows complicated designs to be made using an application of melted wax.

Because the color is unsaturated, don’t you think it would be good to wear in deepening autumn?”

Hand-dyed kimono are always expensive and one-of-a-kind. This one is quite formal and intended for a married woman.

(Price: 税込価格：1,113,000円 （本体価格1,060,000円）

Hisayo Hamada again wearing no juban (under-layer)— see the red in her sleeve? Many vintage kimono were lined with this red “beni” silk [beni is just the word for crimson or crimson dye and refers to a squeaky-feeling thin bright red silk in this case] and you can still see it in many used kimono shops.

Here Hamada is utilizing her usual method of arranging the obi in a diagonal, and saying “I KITSUKE HOWEVER I DAMN WELL PLEASE” so I assume that the juban collar visible is just an inserted juban collar (fake juban). It’s worth noting that although Hamada has done away with the full layers underneath, she has retained the juban collar because for color purposes it’s very useful to add more color into the coordination.

This kimono itself is of a color and style that are traditional and formal, and the obi reflects this. It’s a pretty typical formal obi. 

This is an uncommon design for a kuro-tomesode, a completely even and wide border at the bottom. It’s not so rare for it to go so high on the knee, but it is normally designed in a diagonal where less design shows on the back and more on the left front panel. This one seems to be using a middle-Eastern vibe with the mandala-like circles and wide stripe.

Rental from Pure-Santa, 10,800 yen [very cheap for that site!]

A formal kuro-tomesode designed by YUMI KATSURA PARIS, with a motif of orchids and relatively modern scrollwork at the bottom of the piece.

Yumi Katsura does very interesting work with areas of white on black, and very delicate shading and use of color, even though she could use high contrast within the design (bright pinks, red etc.) all her tones are washed-out with lots of white. This gives an interesting effect of fading from bright (at the knees) to greyish (at the hem) and the obi here is almost not even noticed due to the shape and brightness of the kimono design.

I have always liked Katsura’s design for tomesode kimono because they are so traditional and made for adult women, but she manages to bring them into a modern aesthetic. 

Rental from Pure Santa, 48,000 yen to rent (on sale). 

Two very formal kimono—a furisode for the young lady and a colorful tomesode for the older lady. 

These kimono are exceptionally traditional, though not the vintage old-fashioned color schemes we sometimes think of (bright purple with saturated red, blue, white and orange). The furisode’s orange, blue and olive-green is very 70’s/80’s for Japan.

Note that the furisode was paired with pink zori and hair accessories, which supports my theory that light pink is almost neutral.

Rental kuro-tomesode from Meibi Kimono (Hyogo, southwest of Kyoto).

Silver with a chrysanthemum design is traditional and subtle.

A typical Kuro-tomesode is a formal kimono that married women wear at very special occasions (such as a wedding). 

ご親族様の結婚式など、きちんとしたいおよばれに。

Wear at a relative’s wedding where you would like to be “orderly”.

These kimono are a formal kind of tomesode, but they are happily blurring the line between formal married woman’s kimono and youthful furisode. The pattern runs higher than a normal tomesode, which usually stops under the knee. These designs flow almost up to the obi! The size of the flowers, being huge and bold, is also very youthful. Third, the sleeves are a “cho-furi” length (half furisode). Though any tomesode looks formal and “orderly”, these are really fun!

For rent, 21,000 yen

Another kuro-tomesode from Yumi Katsura Paris, rental available from Pure Santa (click for Rakuten Shop)

This kuro-tomesode is even more traditional than the last one, in that blue and lavender were not common colors for this kind of kimono back in the day. (What day, I’m not positive. I’m not actually a kimono historian. Does anybody know? Please send it to my Askbox.)

Gold and oranges, like this one, besides looking opulent and sparkly, were popular in the Showa era.

Okay I just got majorly derailed by accidentally looking up “Showa era” on the Wiki and then discovered Hirohito’s white horse, Shirayuki, and then the bizarre history of how several horses were reported to be Shirayuki and bartered from owner to owner and…

ah, back to kimono. This is a very nice standard kuro-tomesode for a married woman at a formal occasion. o_o