sakeinstyle

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Tokyo Stock Exchange 1985 . Archeofuturism in action

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In Profile

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New items arrived!

The box says "kuro no irodori" 'black hues'. Plant-dyed in Saga.

"For summer use" - don't tell me what to do, lol.

A black silk obiage and obijime. The obiage is made of tango crepe silk pongee fabric with cool touch and the obijime is hand-woven.

I got these for a mere €20 from Vinted, which is a pretty good price.

These are items of a traditional summer mourning ensemble, usually worn with crested plain black or dull coloured kimono and black obi, however, modern dressing allows for thinking outside the box, so let's see what I can use them for.

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Kimono bolts

I have just recently found out about kimono bolts (tanmono). Oh boy, did I just obsess over the fact that I would be able to have my own kimono made to my exact measurements?

I did, until I found the catch.

So I was browsing the vastness of the internets, at least the part that delivers to the EU, and came across a bunch of kimono fabrics available to buy. I spent hours picking woven tsumugi silks, chirimen silks and painted silks and pondering which will be THE ONE. Then I went down the rabbit hole and my dreams were quickly crashed - for a while.

Tsumugi - woven silk

Chirimen - crepe silk

Crying a bit over this one.

Kimono bolts are being sold as a whole roll of fabric with the exact size of one kimono panel and with a length of 12-14 metres. That is an unusual fabric size to the European eye. I learned that the whole length is supposed to go inside one kimono, which makes sense, considering the width, which is a mere 36centimetres. Then I've done my research on the Japanese search engines to find out more - and that's when I was glad I didn't buy anything just yet.

Turns out that most of the bolts I found were 36cm wide, which is not the size of modern bolts, but of vintage ones. For tiny people. Same issue as with antique kimonos. Bawling my eyes out every time I see a beautiful antique design at a very friendly price but with the length of 149cm and the width of 125 or so.... Side note, I'm already quite good at estimating the length of a kimono just by looking at it. A great way to get disappointed before obsessing too much over a piece. But I didn't have experience with bolts.

So I learned that modern bolts are nowadays 2cm wider than vintage ones. Even Japanese people get larger with time. So I emptied my basket and searched for a 38cm wide one... finding out that naturally, it is something that is available for the Japanese market only.

It was funny to realise that 40cm ones exist too, which are called "queen size", a Japanese euphemism for overweight people.

Looking at the prices of modern silk bolts I quickly gave up the idea of purchasing my first experimental kimono bolt made of silk and looked at the prices of yukata material.

I have plenty of kimono now but only one yukata purchased from a second hand shop and it's supposed to be a large size, but it's still short. And I am not easily finding a yukata, because I just don't happen to like those patterns.

Some modern ones, yes! Do they exist in a size that I can make a decent ohashori? - Of course not! So buying a beautiful designer yukata like the ones below for hundreds of euros just to be still too short is not going to happen. Sadly.

Down the rabbit hole again. This time I found some pretty decent ones, but one in particular caught my eye, because it is woven in a unique way. A way that gives it a less crisp but a more lavish feel, a slight transparency that would even be suitable for a hitoe komon.

The pattern: it's decent. It's not the modern brutalist style I was going for, but those were all made of polyester for a washable komon and I did not want to disrespect my designated bespoke tailor with polyester. I know how she feels about them.

This one is Hamamatsu cotton, which is apparently the best cotton producer in Japan, and it is woven in a way that was common in the Edo era, which makes it slightly transparent and airy.

I asked my teacher in Japan if she could send it for me, as the company doesn't deliver here. I hope there will be no issues.

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Kato Teruhide

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Late 20th century.

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KYOTO, JAPAN

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Moschino: Fall/Winter (1995) model: Kimora Lee Simmons

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Kansai, Japan 🇯🇵

From NatGeo Traveler Japan: Third Edition (2008)

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Cute fawn dots pattern for those fake fur obi and bag, most perfect pattern and texture for comfy late autumn/early winter mood

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from the book 図案百種 100 designs for kimono and obi 　1917　Japan via

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A pair of hammerhead sharks depicted in the "Oki National Products Illustration Notes" during the Edo Period in Japan, 1735.

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Outer robe (Uchikake), late 18th Century - early 19th Century (Edo Period). Japan. The MET.

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Outer Robe (Uchikake) with Maple Tree and River. first half of the 20th century. Credit line: Anonymous Gift, in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert H. Cory, 1962 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45200

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jellyfish umbrella

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I absolutely love this ensemble. It's a hitoe komon, meaning that it is unlined and suitable for summer wear, but more formal than a yukata and it can be worn with full-width obi.

Soft summer nights themed outfit, pairing a black-ground kimono with tsuyu shiba (dewy grass), and most beautiful cream summer obi patterned with embroidered white and black komori (bat).

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I always applaud a good yukata pattern, they are so hard to find!

Stepping Stones