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YUKATA - THE JAPANESE COTTON
KIMONO
The Japanese are famous for their stunning textiles, especially
the National Dress called Kimono. Kimonos are available in silk
for special or formal occasions, but in the summertime the Japanese
like to relax in comfortable, cotton kimonos called Yukata.
Cotton kimonos were traditionally what was worn after taking
a long, hot bath, but they are also worn during the summer,
to feel cool on a hot day. Both young and old Japanese people
enjoy dressing up in them to take in the local “Matsuri”,
one of the many festivals that celebrates special days or events
during the summer months.
We sell Vintage Cotton Kimonos, kimonos that have been previously
worn two or three times or more. BRAND NEW cotton kimonos can
start at $200 and up in Japan, because they are meticulously
hand-dyed with hand-made stencils, and then hand-sewn. You can
tell if a cotton kimono is done with hand-dyed stenciling because
the pattern goes through to the inside of the kimono. When a
kimono is factory-made and printed the design is only on the
outside of the kimono. Nowadays, hand-dyed stenciled kimonos
are being replaced by the printed kind, which are made very
cheaply in China, in order to lower the cost and appeal to more
people. But if you look very closely, the designs can’t
compare to the hand-dyed kimonos, and often the quality of the
printed cotton is also much cheaper. (Hand-dyed cotton kimonos
are meant to last, and are usually woven with a very high thread
count, so even though it is a vintage garment, you will still
enjoy many years of wear.) Hand-dyed stenciled kimonos will
probably disappear in the next 50 years, so if you have one
you should consider it a soon-to-be collector’s item.
Most kimonos tend to be very long, because Japanese women blouse
their kimono over their waist, and adjust the length. They are
tied in place with a special Obi sash, which has been carefully
chosen to CONTRAST the colors in the kimono. (Japanese like
to mix and match the kimono and obi for as much contrast as
possible, so kimonos and obis are always sold separately.) For
that reason, our kimonos traditionally don’t come with
sashes, so feel free to mix and match a sash, belt, or even
a scarf that you have at home. In the future we may have them
made up for us in a navy blue color, and be available for purchase
with the kimono.
Men’s kimonos tend to be shorter than women’s kimonos,
because they don’t blouse them down like women do. Women’s
kimonos are often designed with floral patterns and more color,
while men’s are decorated with geometric shapes, small
tight patterns, or even solid, dark colors. Vintage men’s
kimonos run very small, having been meant to fit smaller sized
Japanese men, so we don’t recommend buying them if you
are taller than 5’5”, unless you are slender, and
don’t have a wide chest and shoulders.
Kimonos are also cut wide, and many people who try them on first
feel they are “too big”. Remember that kimonos are
clothing in Japan, not bathrobes, and are meant to close completely
so that no part of the body is accidentally exposed. When you
wear a kimono traditionally, the right flap folds across your
body until it touches your hip. The left flap folds completely
across the right flap, and should cross over and touch near
the hip. If you learn to wear the kimono the way the Japanese
do, you will understand that it is not “too big”,
even if you are only wearing it as a bathrobe.
With all of our kimonos listed for sale we have included a woman’s
dress size, and the length of the kimono. If you like the kimono,
but feel the length is too long we recommend you take it to
a tailor and have it shortened. This service is not available
from Old Japan.
If you have any other questions, or questions about size, please
email us at info@oldjapaninc.com
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