Kimono Challenge #5

1. How did you discover and get into kimono?

2. Your dearest kimono item(s).
3. Your most used kimono item(s), not including dressing items or undergarments.
4. Your least used kimono item(s).

5. Your favorite coordinations?
6. What you like and don’t like about kimono.
7. Kimono confessions…Did you know that…
8. Your dream kitsuke items.
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.

My favorite coordination isn’t actually correct so to speak.  Out of all the items that I own my furisode with the sha nagoya is my favorite.  Technically speaking the obi is too informal to be worn with this kimono even though there is bits of silver in the maple leaves.  It is also made of a summer(usumomo) material called sha, while the kimono its self is fully lined making it a full autumn piece.  Still the colors of this really drew me and I’d love to own a black fukuro obi to go with this furi some day.

2012 Resolutions

I’m a little late on updating my resolutions for this year but I was recovering from some major dental work last week and just couldn’t focus on the pain meds.  Good news is I’m feeling much better and other than my jaw giving me some grief I’m healing well.

So before I get into this years resolutions, I’d like to take a brief look back at 2011.  One of the things I wanted to do was more panels/teaching.  I feel like this was the one thing from my list I got to accomplish.  Not only did I run a panel all by myself this year at Colossal-con Quat and I also got to do a presentation to an artist group on vintage kimono textiles.  Both were fantastic experiences and  have really fired me up for doing some more teaching based things this coming year.

Ok so on to this years resolutions!

1. I am not buying any more kimono or obi this year until I can get a few more basic accessories.  Things on my much needed list include new zori, new geta, and more obi-age.  I’ve come to realize that I really hate buying these particular items but I really do need them.  I’m just going to have to suck it up and shell out some cash for these babies.  What can I say, I cringe at these items because they are usually expensive and I’m cheap.

2. Make some sort of promotional material to hand out at panels and workshops.  I’m still playing around with the idea of business cards or pamphlets.  Also I need a lot of Quat’s input on this one but I’d really like to have these ready by spring.

3.  Acquire more research material: books, magazines, ect on kimono and kimono related culture.  I’ve thought about trying to write some informational papers for a local newspaper and want to round out my collection of these items some more.

 

I know the list is short but I feel like these are good things to accomplish in 2012.  Happy Year of the Dragon everyone!

 

Kimono Hime and Meiji school girl style

Once again my kimono buddies and myself took a trip to our local conservatory for some pictures.  This time we did two very distinct styles of kimono dressing.  Yes my friends, kimono can have different styles!  It was really fun playing around with a different way of dressing that wasn’t traditional.

I wore a style similar to Kimono- Hime. (Hime translates as princess in Japanese)  It’s a relatively new style that started around 2003 with a publication of a magazine/book by the same name.

I chose to wear my burgundy furisode, boots and crazy Lolita style wig.  I tried to make this outfit as crazy as possible while still keeping some basic kitsuke rules in place.  Originally I had wanted a black obi but we found the gold one looked better over all.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a link to more info->http://www.immortalgeisha.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fashion_Style:_Kimono-hime

 

My friends dressed in a more Meiji school girl style with ko-furisode and hakama.

Ko-furisode are shorter sleeved furisode that are typically worn with skirt like hakama by girls for graduation ceremonies in Japan.  This style was brought about during the Meiji era when young women started attending colleges.  The ‘big thing’ was to wear them with western style shoes.

Here is an interesting article talking about the  Meiji school girl->

http://hesomagazine.com/photographic/the-second-coming-of-shojo/

Bingata

About a month ago I helped Quat out with a photo project for school by modeling a few of her bingata style kimono.  She has several with all the same pattern but in different color schemes so we played around with that some.  Bingata is a traditional dyeing technique from the Okinawa area of Japan.  It is done using a combination of resist dye and stenciling often depicting scenes of water, plants, animals and houses.  It is also believed to be heavily influenced by Indian and Chinese dying techniques as well.  These particular pieces have a house pattern on them.  The blue obi is a hakata style pattern which I’m particularly fond of.  Unfortunately I was getting over a cold when we took these so I look a bit under the weather from the front views.

Kimono Challenge #4

My least used kimono item is actually the first obi I ever bought.

When I bought my first kimono from a convention the dealer told me that a blue obi would look nice with it.  So for about a year afterwards I looked for one and finally settled on this  nagoya.  It’s in pretty decent shape but it is older and a bit on the short side.  I can’t tell you how frustrating it was trying to learn to tie an otaiko with this.  As it turned out this obi really didn’t go that well with that fist kimono and I’ve never actually worn it with anything.  I just got kimono recently though that I think might work with it so I may end up using this obi for Ohayo-con.

 

1. How did you discover and get into kimono?

2. Your dearest kimono item(s).
3. Your most used kimono item(s), not including dressing items or undergarments.
4. Your least used kimono item(s).

5. Your favorite coordinations?
6. What you like and don’t like about kimono.
7. Kimono confessions…Did you know that…
8. Your dream kitsuke items.
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.

Uchikake

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to buy anything but I saw this and it was an amazing deal so I gave in.  Originally it had been posted on eBay as a buy it now special and I let it slip by once.  A few days later the seller re posted it with a very low starting bid price.  I continued to watch it off and on for a few days and finally threw out a bid with one day left.  I’m not sure how no one else bid on this but I got it!  In total I actually paid less for it than what it cost to ship!

The flowers on it I believe are Azalea which bloom in April and May.  Unlike most Uchikake it doesn’t have any metallic threads but there is a subtle peach and green shimmer on the back ground fabric.  It is lined fully in red as well with a generously padded hem line.  All of the flowers are embroidered and other than having a few minor loose threads and being slightly wrinkled is in very good condition.  Quat and I have been looking for one of these for panel demonstrations for quite some time so expect this piece to show up again.

On Friday I’m helping Quat with a photography project for school so we’ll be using this piece as well as some others for portraits.

Franklin Park Conservatory

Earlier last month Quat, her grandmother from visiting from Germany and myself visited the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio. Quat and I dressed up and spent a couple of hours looking at the beautiful plants and taking a few pictures. We didn’t realize there was an Ikebana show going on at the same time and stumbled into it wearing out kimono. A couple of Japanese women who were running the show came and talked to us about our kimono and we very impressed that we were wearing them ‘just for fun.’ One of the ladies was telling us about the times she used to dress in kimono when she was younger for the Ikebana shows. Overall it was a nice day but we were so busy running around we didn’t get many pictures.

Quat let me borrow the striped hitoe kimono and the obi is from the giant bundle she just got in the mail.

Kimono Challenge # 3

3. Your most used kimono item(s), not including dressing items or undergarments.

 

My most used kimono items seem to be obi actually.

There is this orange nagoya obi which is actually more of a burnt umber color in real life.  I’ve worn this one a lot since I’ve got it.  It is newer so it is quite a bit longer which makes it easier for me to tie, plus I mean come on it has a triforce!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second most used item would be the pink hanhaba obi.  It’s just one of the cheap, synthetic duel colored ones but it goes with both my yukata and is easier to tie than the yellow check one.  I also use this obi for demonstrations at panels a lot since it’s pretty durable and I have no qualms about washing it if it gets dirty.

Toldeo Botanical Gardens

On October 1st Quat, her sister Elizabeth and myself drove up to see Kelsey for her birthday and visit the local Gardens.  Despite a morning full of rain the afternoon cleared up quite nicely and we were able to get some lovely photos.  We spent about 3 hours getting dressed at Kelsey’s home and then realized that the Gardens were only open for another hour.  So we rushed out the door and hurried on over.  Imagine our surprise when we got there and they were setting up for a fall festival that would last well into the evening!  There was dancing and a trick or treat event for the kids, plus various other activities.  Also there were these delightful Jack O’ Lantern’s all along the pathways.  We left before it got dark but I imagine they would have been quite a sight all lit up.  After wards we went for sushi  and then the three of us bid Kelsey fair well and headed back to Columbus.

Three little bunnies, sitting on a bench…yeah cause we can’t take serious shots to save our lives!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quat looking lovely next to a tree.  Ok so I lied…sometimes we can take serious shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this particular Jack O’ Lantern.  He just looked so doofy.

Kimono Challenge #2

2. Your dearest kimono item(s).

This one is a little more difficult since I’m pretty attached to most of the pieces that I own.  If I had to choose though I’d have to narrow it down to these three items.

This casual komon was the first kimono item I ever bought and even though my husbands refers to it as the ‘couch’ kimono I’ve always been very fond of it.  It has some beautiful and subtle detailing that really appeals to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My burgundy furisode…yeah the furisode that I said I’d never, ever buy cause I’m technically too old to wear one.  I love to stylized kiku on it and the fact that it isn’t overly flashy.  It fits me perfectly too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Meisen haori with origami cranes.  It’s not in the greatest condition but the color is my favorite and my godfather used to make me paper cranes as a child whenever we would go to visit.  I always think of him whenever I get a chance to wear it.