Cotton - Not Just for Yukata

 This week I have been looking around and finding Komon and obi sets made from cotton. I personally have not seen the use of cotton in making Kimono outside of Yukata until very recently.  As normal Kimono fabric tan are rarely are wide enough to accommodate my long skinny arms or height, I have had to delve into using "fashion" fabrics. The idea of using cotton fabric instead of searching all over the place for the perfect silk or poly blend gets me excited! So many possibilities for Komon kimono now!

Obidome Roundup No.3

I really love the texture that ceramic can bring to kimono ensembles. Though this rather forward thinking when it comes to seasons, I could totally see any of these looking great with cotton and linen summer kimono ^_^

As usual, please click the picture to visit Etsy to browse the items on this list!

Book Review: " The New Kimono" by the Editors of Nanao Magazine

Book: " The New Kimono"
Author(s) Editors of "Nanao" Magazine ( Japan)
Purchase: USA Amazon

I know there has been about a year and a half between the time " The New Kimono" was first published and it finally coming into my household, but none-the-less I feel the need to blog about this fantastic book anyway because I think that it is a really important reference/inspiration piece to have in one's kimono arsenal. 

I really do wish that this book had been around when I first became interested in attempting to wear kimono. Though  pictures of perfect models in gorgeous kimono are very inspiring and beautiful, they can be a bit daunting as those models are dressed by professionals who can dive in at any second to fix a puffy ohashori or an un-even collar.  Sometimes all of the "rules" in wearing can leave a new kimono enthusiast feeling lost and or discouraged from having a " Kimono Life" because they are afraid of making mistakes.

In my opinion " The New Kimono" really makes wearing kimono a lot more fun and most especially accessible. It is incredibly refreshing to read kimono industry experts say things like " You're wrapping a flat piece of fabric around a body that has a shape, so of course you are going to have wrinkles. Isn't it the wrinkles that make a kimono beautiful?".

Beyond the oodles of lovely photos in the book ( mook?) the advice the " New Kimono" has to share to its readers is so helpful and dare I say even relaxing. I loved reading that illustrator Fujiko Ishibashi ( one of the many interviewed in the book) sometimes ditches a juban all together if it is too hot outside, or that the Otani sisters, owners of Kimono Sarasa, make obi out of all sorts of fabrics including vintage juban. 

Reading " The New Kimono" has made me realize that it is okay to do what works for me and what makes me comfortable when wearing kimono. Of course ( like we all do) I will continue to strive for neat kitsuke and well coordinated ensembles, but now it is with a sense of fun and imagination rather than trying to look like a photograph. I am sure with the advice and ideas that I have gleaned from reading " The New Kimono" that I will be wearing kimono more often, and you hopefully will too!