Kimono Style | Dress Up the Season!

I always enjoy speaking of the season with my clothes — but no, I do not have the ubiquitous Christmas sweater! The kimono world tends to be a little more subtle, but it can express so many things through thoughtfully combined patterns and colors.

Recently, Christmas designs have appeared in kimono, but here I have incorporated designs that are not specifically for Christmas, but hint at it through the colors and accessories.

Punk-Inspired Party Look

The first outfit I have made up is for party time! The kimono is a recent find from an antique market, and I was drawn instantly to the bizarre patterns in the dyeing. Are they flowers? Are they flames?

This could be rocked with a black leather obi belt as well, but I chose a Rumi Rock half width obi with a geometric design and a dotted red and white obi jime. The colors are screaming Christmas, so I went with red gloves. And if you look closely, you will see the Christmas present earrings adding to the seasonal feel. Since it was on the verge of being punk, I went for black boots instead of kimono footwear for this one.

An Elegant Christmas

The second Christmas outfit is more elegant, perhaps for a dinner, drinks, or a trip to the theatre. The kimono is plain but with a jacquard pattern woven into the fabric, and the magenta gives a sense of gorgeousness.

This is a half width obi perfect for Christmas. Stars and grapes that suggest tree decorations, and the obi cord is the same magenta as the kimono with a strand of gold, to give an extra special feeling to the occasion. Just for a little extra Christmas joy, I have added snowflake earrings to complete the look.

Wrapped Like a Gift

The third outfit is a simple komon, everyday kind of kimono. Red and gold say Christmas and the heko obi from Rumi Rock is reversible and in red and gold. You just tie it in a huge bow — and guess what? You are the present. This kind of obi is the easiest to tie, and a regular ribbon will do the job. Of course, add your red accessories to complete the warm feeling of Christmas.

New Year Cheer

In Japan, New Year is much more important than Christmas and many people use it as an opportunity to wear kimono, either at home or on a visit to the shrine. You see many more kimono on the television at this time of year and on posters and advertising. The New Year is a time for a restart, and it's a celebration! For that reason, many celebratory symbols are used on New Year kimono.

In the first coordination, this old kimono attracted me because of the stunning color combination and the weaving of the gnarly old pine tree pattern. The pine is a symbol of everlasting life, so it is used in New Year decorations and cheers us with its evergreen needles.

I have matched an obi with pine, too. The obi also shows chrysanthemums, an imperial flower and bamboo leaves sprouting from the ground. The bamboo, which bends in the wind without breaking is considered resilient and is also a fortuitous symbol. I added a pair of pine needle earrings, to go with the theme.

Symbols of Good Fortune

The second outfit is a more formal outfit with hexagons that symbolize the long-lived turtle. They are in the subtle muted colours favoured in Edo, and I paired it with an antique woven obi. The karakusa pattern is symbolic of eternity and a bird of paradise is rising through the pawlonia trees. I have matched the accessories with the colors in the kimono to keep the muted tonal feeling.

The third and fourth outfits are based around the plum blossom. New Year's Day is the official start of spring and plum blossom, which blooms in the coldest season as the harbinger of spring. For the simple wine red meisen kimono with sprinkles of plum blossoms, I paired it with a plum blossom obi and used the pink of the flowers as a springlike expression. The bag is not from Japan, but colorwise it seemed to fit so I added it to the outfit.

The purple kimono also has pink plum blossoms but this kimono is dyed with shibori dyeing. The vertical stripes are bamboo stems, so there two lucky expressions here.

The antique silver obi has abstracted plum blossoms which seem to match the soft feeling of the shibori ones, so I used that and added a small bead bag which almost looks like a pattern of pine trees.

A Time to Celebrate

My final outfit for New Year is the camellia covered meisen kimono. Camellias have begun to flower and will now be adorning the bushes until spring. The obi has similar iconography, plum, bamboo and some chrysanthemums. It is a feat of handmade embroidery and has a rich and gorgeous appearance. The red and white accessories are also celebratory.

It is easy to find used kimono, haori jackets and obi with these celebratory symbols on them. They are very popular designs and have very positive meanings. Perhaps you can enjoy searching for them or wearing something with a reference to this happy season in Japan. Of course, the greatest catch would be to find the image of a horse, as we move into the Year of the Horse.

For those who enjoy antique markets, Setagaya Boro Ichi will take place on January 15 and 16. I hope you find some wonderful items.

Author: Sheila Cliffe