kimono, kitsuke, life…
Kimono-Hime
Irregular Choice are Kimono Hime shoes
06 months ago
…oh yes they are and I have loved this brand for many many years. I think my first pair of irregular choice shoes I bought in Leicester while still a student!
Well, eBay daily deal served me well and even though I would have liked the purple or black pair better – I still have a lot of kimono ensembles that go with these:
A lower heel for walking as well as a ‘complete’ shoe for the winter. I just need some white tights or frilly socks to match.
I also bought an irregular choice bag which I felt would be nice for kimono outings. I went for the blue and not pink as I have two pink bags now and don’t need more!
So next year I won’t add kimono items to my collection, but will add a few choice accessories in the hime theme that will match my wafuku and yofuku days!
Sakuran Cosplay for HyperJapan
08 months ago
Lyuba from Strawberry Kimono will be leaving the UK next year so we decided to do a Sakuran cosplay en masse as this is her favourite kimono dress up theme.
I don’t normally cosplay but hey, always up for a challenge! So this is my outfit:
A lengthened odori kimono with padded underlayer (hitoe), a hitoe green and silver ichimitsu odori obi and a massive padded melon collar! I decided a full uchikake would be too arduous so I have gone for a black sha kimono as a coat.
I have a pipe and okobo too 
I need to make matching tabi
In other news I bought a new obi:
It has been a while….but I have been busy!
19 months ago
I have also been sewing!
My latest creations:
Handmade reversible chuuya obi #1
Handmade chuuya obi #2 – The end went a bit wrong on this obi so creative kitsuke is needed to hide said fault
Double sided two part obi.
I have enough fabric left from these projects to make matching accessories, but September is another busy month so I won’t sew again till close to the end of it.
I have plans for another two part obi as I have a bit of obi shin left. I also have yukata plans. We shall see how those pan out as it is a lot of sewing and cutting!
Kimono Photoshoot – Furisode Hime!
011 months ago
Photographer: Melly Snaps
Stylist: The Eclectic Kimono Company
Sewing as Therapy? Obi and Collars…
01 year ago
Cherry fake collar:
Lolita fake collar for a friend (see how this one is hemmed nicely as it is for someone else):
Obi trial run – reversible – one side halloween pin ups and the other casino girls!
Now I have perfected my fake collar technique but this was a trial run with a ‘patchwork’ obi with old fabric with quilting wadding for the core. It is far too spongy however holds the otaiko really nicely. I plan to buy real obi shin from Rakuten next month to sew my ‘cath kidston’ obi now I have done a trial run.
I am considering replacing the quilted core on this obi once I have shin too as I made it with this in mind. The wadding will make great obi makura though so will be reused.
I will concentrate on obi for a while as I have many of the funkiest (to my mind) collars going and need to refocus efforts on a few kitch obi.
Plans:
1. Reversible retro kitch obi
2. Cat Obi
3. Goth Obi/Red/White polkadot reversible
Nice cotton is SOO expensive and needing at LEAST 3.5m for an obi (I just do 4m as it is easier cutting wise) it means that each obi still costs around £50 to make and if I want to make it reversible £70. I will reuse the rest of the obi fabrics to make a few collars, obiage, susoyoke and hopefully if I can get to a photocopier and enlarge my pattern….tabi…
I blame Yumi Yamamoto for all this sewing madness and I need to get her first book in English as well. I doubt I will ever go down the kimono route. I am BAD at cutting so will be content in making accessories.
Gardens of the World Berlin
01 year ago
On a recent business trip I got to kimono around at the Gardens of the World in Berlin:
These were the splendiferous Asian gardens, China, Japan and Korea.
My friend Sandra also took photos and is so much better at it than me!
and a few of my outfit:
More kimono collars…..and a bit of cheeky fan girl insert.
51 year ago
I know boring huh? But not to me! Over the bank holiday I finished my ‘velcro han-eri and fake collar’ system for lazy lazy kitsuke:
We have brown with forest cartoons:
Monkee…
and polka dots with spider lace…
I also made a wide fake collar for my pink kyoto hikizuri:
You might think I am boring with these collars but Loki is pleased:
What I wouldn’t give to get Tom Hiddleston into a kimono, I have one that will fit! (he is a similar height and build as my husband who will never let me dress him up, and looks a bit Loki-ish according to a few small children who point)
All men look good in real kimono. ALL OF THEM!
Kimono dressing is a 3D operation, not just about sleeve length!
21 year ago
Tokyo Fashion sometimes add in some wonderful kimono shots and I am updated via facebook. I am amazed at how people profess knowledge about kimono and most of the time tell the guys off for calling something a ‘kimono’ when ‘ya know – its a yukata because it has short sleeves. She is young so if it was a kimono the sleeves would be longer’
WRONG
It is true that the long swinging sleeved kimono are traditionally worn by unmarried women but they are a formal garment not meant for the streets.
Choosing the right kimono for purpose is a 3 dimensional process.
1. Age – Sleeve length DOES have age connotations, the longest sleeved kimono are normally reserved for younger women (but unmarried is the key) and you typically see these kimono around coming of age and graduation. However sleeve length is also subject to fashion. More vintage kimono aimed at older women have longer sleeves.
Age also dictates HOW the kimono should be worn. As a married woman my front collar is lower, as well as my obi with a more subdued otaiko. The back of collar is also sight closer in and more flat.
2. Formality – You wouldn’t wear an evening gown to Mcdonalds and the same western style formality rules are set within kimono. Streetwear for all ages are typically komon print, an all over pattern or variations on. Formality should never be thrown out the window, however age and seasonality frequently are
3. Seasonality – However, this, in modern times has been superseded by style. The only two season specific matches I can do personally are April, with sakura and butterflies and September as I have a lot of purple! Geisha really, are the only kimono wearers with such an extensive wardrobe as to match up all 3 dimensions of kimono.
This also dictates the weight of kimono. In the UK weather though, normally you mix up the kimono weights all year round as we have hot sunny weather Monday (hitoe or ro) then hail storms Tuesday (back to awase)
3.5 Style – I follow kimono-hime, angura-kei and other such funky movements with regards to kimono so for me season is quite irrelevant when dressing in kimono. I choose style over season, and this replaces this dimension for me.
3.8. Iki - loosely translates as ‘chic’ a form of styling combining the main three elements of kimono dressing in an unspeakably stylish way.
So if a young women is sporting a meisen kimono around town it is not yukata because the sleeves are too short….
</end rant>
The joys of creating your own han eri….
01 year ago
by Red Azumi
in Kimono-Hime
I have been sewing today. One of the easiest things to kimono craft yourself. Even if you are really crap at sewing, you can still do this and it is a must have for kimono co-ordination.
Han eri are just a rectangle of fabric, 14cm by about 100cm. I have just stitched two contrasting bits of fabric 50cmx14cm together then (well currently pinned but it will be sewn by hand while I watch Sherlock tonight on the BBC) sewn on, tucking under the fabric for a smooth hem.
It doesn’t matter how bad your sewing is as the sewn part will be covered by kimono
This is made out of two Cath Kidston fat quarters. It’s expensive fabric so I only use it for collars.
The blue dotty matches my zori, so now I need to find the middle bits to go out kimono-ing next weekend!
Edited to add…matching up with my dark pink obiage/obijime set:
Rose cotton fukuro obi…
and er….hmmmm…a kimono of some sorts….
Kimono Challenge 5 – Favourite co-ordination so far…
11 year ago
The challenge questions are:
1. How did you discover and get into kimono?
2. Your dearest kimono item(s).
3. Your most used kimono item(s) (not counting jubans, datejimes etc.).
4. Your least used kimono item(s).
5. Your favourite coordination(s) so far.
6. What do you like and don’t like about kimono.
7. Kimono confessions. Did you know that…
8. Your dream kitsuke items (or at least items you really really want but can’t get for whatever reason).
9. Your biggest kimono fears.
10. Your biggest kimono inspiration.
11. Your kimono collection.
12. The evolution of your kitsuke.
13. Your special kimono memory.
I have old faithfuls in everything, kimono is no exection. However my favourite ‘posh’ co-ordination in my purple furisode. I have used this many times for myself and shows:
and for ‘shopping and kimono de jack’ my failthful black and red co-ordinations..again overused at shows and photoshoots by me!
