Authentic Japanese kimono
**I have loads of kimonos in my shop, please take a look for the full range I can offer**
Japanese clothing is usually of adjustable fit. Western women usually wear kimono open around the house as a gown, meaning it will also fit larger sizes. I will be happy to answer any sizing concerns, please get in touch
Back width: 22.5"
Length: 26.5"
The silk is lovely and soft
The silk background is intricately woven with red, green, gold and silver, all done in urushi (lacquered) threads. The urushi threads are called this because they are gently shiny as if they have been lacquered or varnished. This was popular from the 1930s until the 1960s and I believe this kimono is from the latter of these dates. The design is really quite something, urushi is so exquisite!
Condition: Great
The kimono has a mon on the back of the neck. Mon crests stem from ancient family crests which were used during the time of the Samurai. A mon makes a garment a formal one, suitable for formal occasions. It can have one, three or five mon; the more mon it has, the more formal the occasion it is deemed suitable for. Garments with mon are divded into three types: itsutsu mon (5 mon), mitsu mon (3 mon) and hitotsu mon (1 mon).
The kimono is hand stitched in the traditional Japanese way
We have loads more kimonos in our shop - please take a look!
Additional Information
Kimono's should not be washed. They should be taken to a specialist dry cleaners. They can be aired outdoors for freshness.
This vintage kimono is not the same as many of the kimonos sold in the UK, or to tourists in Japan which are often made in China and of poor quality cotton or synthetic but rather these garments are genuine, Japanese, vintage, traditional, hand-stitched or partially hand-stitched (unless otherwise stated) garments.
Sizing: Japanese clothing is usually of adjustable fit. Western women usually wear kimono open around the house as a gown, meaning it will also fit larger sizes.
Occasionally someone asks me about a matching "belt" or sash for a kimono. Japanese women, instead, wear a kimono with an obi--usually a wide, stiff, brocaded, 15-foot long piece that wraps around the waist several times and ties in an elaborate bow in back. They rarely match these to the kimono, but rather choose contrasting colors and patterns. The only kimono that are sold with an accompanying sash in a matching fabric, are garments made specifically for the Western tourist trade or for export to the West.
One must bear in mind that most are vintage items, which I strive to describe accurately and honestly. Most are in excellent vintage condition and therefore look virtually new but all are vintage, even the unused garments, which are or deadstock. A very, very few smell of mothballs or a touch of vintage mustiness but that is rare. This can be aired out. I find hanging the kimono over a radiator works well, or if you have access to outdoor space and the weather is dry, you can hang it on a washing line. Some synthetic textile and cotton kimonos can be hand washed but do this entirely at your own risk and only use a detergent for colours, as all other detergents contain bleaching agents to brighten whites. I usually mention any mothball or musty smell, if one does have it, but one must bear it in mind it is a possibility, even if not stated in the description, whenever buying vintage and antique textiles.
Storage: Hang up your garment for a few hours prior to wearing, to remove fold creases. They should also be hung out to air 4 times per year, if not worn frequently. Hang your garment to air for a day or so immediately after purchase too, as it will have been stored for a while. The Japanese take great pains to store their traditional garments with the utmost care, which is why they stay in such exceptional condition. Some of my Japanese garments have white stitching (shitsuke) round the outside edges. The Japanese put these stitches in to keep the edges flat during long periods of storage, these stitches just get pulled out before wearing the garment.
More Kimonos in our shop so take a look!
Our reference: 1
If there is ever a problem with your purchase please contact us first and we will endeavour to sort the problem out
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