BebeTaian - Kimono + Japan

The komon is the same one I think I posted about previously. The smell still hasn't entirely come out, despite multiple alcohol and vinegar soaks and airing out for days. I may attempt washing it without taking it apart. Or probably, the collar needs to come off anyways, so I'll take off the collar and wash THAT and see what happens. Then I can decide whether to keep this as a kimono or turn it into a Western garment.

The style of weave suggests the 30s kimono I own, but the loud colours make me think of the 60s trends in the US. What should I make if I take this one apart?

It may be 40s, since the sleeves are much shorter than the lining is white cotton. I'll have to look into it. The obi is also very old and thin. The pale yellow makes the colour of the body intensify, but it may also not be able to make itself... stand out? Maybe a higher value of yellow would work. A summery golden.

I did change to a grey-blue obiage after a suggestion on reddit r/kimono, noting the yellow looked too pale. The obiage is actually red/grey-blue variegated, with a bright metallic gold arabesque pattern painted onto it. The obijime is thinner but matches the obiage well.

I had thought about a grey-purple to go with the nearly charcoal-grey in the kimono but I lack anything in those colours. Blue is abundant, though. What do you think? Does it work better? "Well enough?"

I already had the red juban + yellow kimono on the mannequin. I was tempted to do as many outfits as I could with it on there so I don't have to fold it multiple times (eventually) but now it's been a few weeks and I haven't moved it. Meanwhile, Eris the Destroyer is walking around and sleeping on it. She's known for randomly attacking things and getting Zoomies. I do NOT want antiques just Out and in her reach.

This presented somewhat of an opportunity.

The paler yellow in the komon is brightened by the intense yellow of the iromuji. Somehow the red collar works, although I might have preferred something white with a woven pattern.

The red juban has phoenixes on it. The iromuji has flowers matching the komon, even though they are hidden. Maybe I also just like the look of date-eri, although they aren't really worn with komon. I like the visible texture of the iromuji with the woven texture of the komon. The sleeves of the komon are about 6" shorter than the under-layers, though, so they look heavy and awkward.

One thing that had put me off before was trying to figure out what to wear with it, which would be more appropriate. I can't serve both modern kimono rules and time-appropriate garments, even though I try to bridge them. I have no grey, warm brown, or teal obi in awase-weight. Most of the ones I really like are in usumono or hanhaba only. A shame most kimono are only in awase!

So brocade, it is. But then, something between brocade-level and komon informality and the silk and layers... hnnn...

The white obiage is silk, with deep pink and pale yellow kanoko shibori that matches the komon. It can't be seen in the photos, but there is also a deep orange shibori there, which is very close to the orange-brown in the obi. The woven base is a swirling wave pattern, which is akin to the wave pattern in the komon as well. Shibori is slightly* more elevated because of the production value, so I thought it would be nice with the appearance of layers, the grade of smooth silk used, and the quality of the obi. I thought the 'amount' of pattern was a visual break between the komon and the brocade without being completely plain.

The obijime is plain teal in a wide, flat fashion more popular in the late 30s and 40s. I chose a plain coloured one because everything else was already visually 'busy.' Anything else would be really too much. The teal is also slightly lighter than the deepest teal used in the obi.

I don't recall how old this obi was said to be, but it isn't a Meiji or Taisho piece made into a Nagoya later. It is made after the 1930s or so and is only about half-covered in brocade. The te end is plain. Makes it a contemporary of the komon. Although I think of brocade as being too formal for this, the extra kimono layer justified it.

In the photos, the khaki colour appears almost gold, but it isn't. The silk just shines differently in the light. I love the teal in the chrysanthemum leaves and the rich yellow-brown, which would have been the base colour of an obi I'd choose for this kimono also.

Although the patterns don't match at all, both feature a version of bamboo and chrysanthemums, so I thought... well, close enough.

I suppose it could be a good outfit for December-March. Additional layers of kimono, not just haori, were worn for warmth.

I do love the 'secret details' of an outfit, things like the iromuji layer matching patterns on the outside or the shibori colours in the obiage.