This is a lovely, vintage, quality jacket in excellent/ very good vintage condition. Although there are some light stains, it is in remarkably good condition for its age considering that it is a pale coloured item.
The fabric is a good quality silk called chirimen kinsha which is a top quality silk used for high end garments, It is characterised by having a very fine subtle crinkle texture like crepe. The silk is not very lustrous and is quite matt. It is mid weight, fairly soft, with a slight crisp finish which is typical.
The base colour is an ivory/cream.
The pattern shows many flowers and plants with garden motifs and clouds in multi-colours.
I have looked carefully at the patterning and although there are some repeated motifs, if you look very closely at them, they are very slightly different one to the other. This implies the pattern is hand crafted rather than printed. I think by stencils.
The other clue is that if you look at the back of the haori jacket, you can see that the design crosses the back centre seam and also the sleeve/body seams without interruption. This gives a more pictorial effect than an all over repeated pattern. This is a more classy and more difficult to make type of design.
The plants include many chrysanthemum flowers and leaves. There are also plum blossom and maple leaf branches. There are large clouds with a criss cross patterning. There are bamboo poles in black and gold to give reflect a Japanese garden theme.
The main colours are black, dark red, orangey-red, deep peach pink, ivory, pale chartreuse green with leaves in grey-blues, and greens. There is some pale gold paint detailing and outlining which really enriches the design.
It is a beautiful pattern.
The lining is fine, white, glossy silky fabric which I think is artificial silk with woven grid of peacock birds. This lining is a more recent relining.
The haori is hand-made and hand-stitched in the traditional way.
The tying cords (himo) are present which is a bonus as they are often missing. These ones are particularly lovely and date to the 1920s or 1930s. They are typical of that date being wide and flat and each one a different colour. One side is a deep fuchsia pink , the other silver. I will send the buyer information on how to tie the himo correctly.
The garment is really stunning and gives a unique effect.
It is a lovely item to touch and to wear and brings something of traditional Japanese culture into everyday use. This haori would make an excellent, unique and gorgeous evening jacket or a display item.
AGE & CONDITION: This haori probably originally dates from the early Showa Period (1926-1989) around 1930s. The patterning, the himo ties and the long sleeve drop all suggest an early date. The lining, however, is much more contemporary and will be a more recent relining. Kimonos are often up-cycled in this way and kept going for generations in a family. It is sometimes difficult to be exact about dating kimonos, as they are traditional garments which were made in similar ways over decades.
The haori's condition is vintage excellent/very good. This means that I found no major faults but it is not quite perfect and has some minor typical vintage garment issues.
In this case there are some small pale yellow marks here and there. There is a little more on the cuffs. They are not very conspicuous within the busy design. They will be acceptable to many buyers of vintage clothing but not to others so please take this into consideration. This haori is a vintage garment of some considerable age so please do not expect it to look like new.
SIZE: This haori would fit a few sizes up to a size UK14 although it would also be fine on someone a bit smaller as it is supposed to be large and flowing.
Cuff to cuff width is 125cm/49".
Overall length is 76cm/30".
The width across the back (side seam to side seam) is 61cm/24”.
It weighs at about 600g.
HAORI are short kimono jackets worn over full length kimonos. They are not designed to close in front but can have two tying cords called Himo that are knotted across the chest ( included with this garment). The sleeves are worn shorter than other kimonos. Traditionally they were only worn by men but in the early 19th century, it became fashionable for women to wear them. They make excellent and unusual evening jackets or wall displays, the fabric is often used to make cushions or home décor items. This haori’s could also be used for display.
CLEANING: Vintage silk items should not be washed. They can usually be dry cleaned. Old stains are not usually removable and some finishes like gold paint may be diminished by dry cleaning.
If you need any more information or pictures just send me a message.
All information is to the best of my knowledge. Please bear in mind, that colours do not always show absolutely accurately on photos and on monitors although they should be close to reality.
My items are mostly vintage and are not returnable unless grossly mis-described, so please check the details and measurements before bidding/buying. Please be aware that vintage clothing does not usually 'look like new' even when it is in excellent condition. Some slight general signs of ageing and use should be expected. If these are conspicuous, they will be mentioned in the description.
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