The Kimono Closet

I didn’t really have a problem with kimono because our house keeper always folded them for me. However, now there are not really good kimono tailors around. No one wants to do mending. Also my husband does not tell me what to buy or not to buy, I am thankful that he is very patient….

My mother was a very stylish lady who liked both kimono and western clothes. I probably inherited my love of stylish clothing from her. 私の母はとてもお洒落な人で、洋服も和服も、どちらのお洒落も好きでした。私は多分母の影響を受けていると思います。

Mieko was raised in Shizuoka in a ryokan with a fancy Japanese restaurant. There were geisha and kimono around her all the time. There was a small stage for performances, and she remembers these. She remembers that the kimono dealer would often come to the house and lay out all the roles of cloth on…

I had this homongi made at the same shop where I bought the cat obi and komon. I thought I should have one good formal kimono that I could use for important occasions. They said that if I bought it, they would pair an obi with it, for free, so I got the obi too….

The shop where I bought the obi remembered me. They know that I really like cats. So one day, they had a roll of cloth with a cat design on it. They called me to see if I was interested. The weave of the fabric is really nice and I loved the cats, so I…

I chose this black yukata because I thought it would go with my cat obi. Also it has a very cute rabbit on it. I think it will be easy to coordinate. この黒い浴衣は猫の帯に合わせるために買いました。とても可愛いうさぎがいます。多分いろんなものと合わせやすいと思います。

The shop that I really like is very expensive, so I cannot easily buy kimono there. I wish people weren’t so fussy. If you break a rule it should be just like you missed doing up a button or something like that, nothing too strict. It should be easier to mix kimono with western clothes….

I was introduced to an annual event that shows the dyeing works of Shinjuku kimono dyeing workshops, by a senior student. I took part in the meetings to organize the event, and joined the young people’s support group. I helped with the thousand people’s dyeing, where visitors get a chance to colour cloth using dye…

Kaori is in the under 34 age group, and was born and lives near Tokyo. She is a university student. She remembers wearing a yukata and heko obi at her kindergarten and elementary school, and doesn’t have much memory of it, but she wore kimono at 3 and 7 years old for 7,5,3. She remembers…

I ordered this homongi from my friend who is a yuzen dyer. The purple and grey colours suit me very well. Unfortunately the day I intended to wear it, it rained and so I have not worn it out yet. 友禅作家の友達がこの訪問着を作りました。紫と灰色が私によく会うと思います。残念ながら着たいと思った日は雨でしたので、まだ袖をとしていないです。

When I was in my thirties I first chose my own kimono. It was made by an artisan in Kyoto. It is a goldish brown homongi, with a pattern of bamboo leaves on it. The ground is very subtly coloured and shaded and I still love this kimono. 30代で初めて、自分で着物を選びました。京都の作家さんのものです。金茶の地色に竹の葉っぱが描かれています。地色は綺麗にぼかしてあります。今でもこの着物大好きです。

I always wore my middle sister’s cast-off clothes, but one day the kimono dealer came to the house and brought some kimono for me to choose from. This was the furisode for my coming of age that was made for me. It was chosen by my mother and my grandfather who was all powerful in…