It is unusual to find a women's, matching kimono and haori jacket set in the UK. 

Thiis one is particularly unusual because although it has many characteristics of a kimono set from the 1930s, it seems to be new and unused. Also it is very rare to find a long kimono that is a 'normal' wearable length, as most women's kimonos are very long indeed (see explanation below).  

The garments are both lovely, authentic, lined kimonos which I am offering at an affordable price. These garments are genuine kimonos from Japan, made in the traditional form and are both in seemingly new condition.

I bought this from Japan and the seller told me it was made of a type of silk called 'yonezawa tsumugi'.  As far as I can find out, this is a high end artisan-made fabric with a woven rather than printed design.  Like all hand-made fabrics of this sort, if you look very closely you may find some tiny weaving irregularities but these are not normally considered faults but rather are just characteristic of the hand made fabric. 

The silk fabric is not obviously like usual silk. It is strong, fine, only slightly lustrous with a smooth and warm cottony feel. 

The base colour is a deep vibrant orange.    The woven pattern is typical of this kind of silk and shows fine stripes in black, yellow and white

The pattern is woven and not printed and when seen close up looks a bit like early 20th century, Meisen ikat material. 

The lining in the kimono is a deep golden brown, silk fabric which again is unusual. I don't know if this is the original colour or if it has darkened over time but it is a uniform colour and does not look dis-coloured in any way. 

The lining of the haori jacket is fine, glossy, silky fabric which is either silk or artificial silk. It has a pretty design of ovals with concentric circles in ivory-white and pale orangey-pink. 

The original tying cords (himo) are present which is a bonus as they are often missing. These ones appear to be new as they still have one of the original cellophane wrappers on one of the tassels. They  are intricately woven in a orange and warm white with tasseled ends.

Please note: This item did not originally come with a belt. Japanese kimono are normally worn with a special obi belt and accessories which would be bought separately. On this occasion, I have supplied one of these accessories which is called an 'obijime'. It is a vintage silk cord and can be used to tie this kimono closed. It is made of a thick flat cord woven in orange on one end and warm white on the other with some black with sparkling coloured thread detailing on the other end and with typical tassels at each end. The colour of the obijime belt complements the kimono colour well.

OBIJIME -The obijime is a traditional kimono accessory, It is a long cord that is tied round the centre of the obi to keep everything in place and finish it off. Obijime normally sell for over £10+ on their own, so this is a good bonus.

AGE & CONDITION : This is a very difficult item to date. The style of silk is very traditional and has been made in the same way for many decades. The bold patterning, the shorter length, the narrow collar (which doesn't need folding in, like contemporary kimonos) are also indicative of any early date.  However, the apparently new condition suggest it is fairly contemporary.

So I I believe this kimono must be fairly recently made despite it having so many aspects associated with the 1930s. Kimonos are traditional garments which have been made in similar ways over decades. 

Although this kimono set has many characteristics of coming from a vintage date, the condition appears to be new. 

It has all the original basting threads in the lapels, sleeves, hems etc. These are large white stitches put into kimono before sale to keep them in perfect shape. They can easily be snipped and removed. The himo ties still have a cellophane wrapper on tone of the tassels. 

The only issues to bring attention to, is that the kimono's lining is a deep golden brown colour and this may have darkened over time or may be the original colour and it does not look discoloured in any way.  The obijime belt cord that I added is vintage and gently used and has some small marks. If you look very closely you can find some tiny weaving irregularities which are not really  faults but just characteristic of the hand made silk.  There are no other signs of wear to note. This is a vintage item with perhaps a little age but it does not look 'vintage' or much aged. 

SIZE:  It is an unusual size for what may be a fairly contemporary kimono, as it is smaller in the body size and shorter in length. This is normally characteristic of  antique/vintage kimonos because contemporary kimonos are normally very overlong.  The shorter length is a great bonus as it is a much more 'normal' wearable length than usual and could well not need shortening (depending on your height). 

The set should fit a range of sizes up to a maximum of UK12.

KIMONO SIZE:  Cuff to cuff, width is 124.5cm/49”, overall length is 140cm/55", width across the back (side seam to side seam) is 57cm/22.5”. The width all around at the waist, from the front of one side, all the way round the back, to the front of the other side, is about 124.5cm/49" and please remember you need a good crossover in the front. It is  It weighs about 800g.

The obijime belt cord is about 60"/152cm long. 

HAORI SIZE: This is very slightly smaller & shorter than average and would fit up to a maximum of UK 12. 

Cuff to cuff width is 127cm/50”, overall length at the back is 68.5cm/27”, the width across the back (side seam to side seam) is 58.5cm/23”.  It weighs about 440g.

The overall weight of theset with packaging is quite heavy at around 1300g. 

WHY CAN SOME WOMEN'S KIMONO BE SO LONG? Contemporary or formal kimono can be very long indeed. This is because they are traditionally shortened by hitching up at the waist and hiding the excess fabric behind the wide obi belt that would traditionally be worn with it.

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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