This is a program that the community center on base offers every few weeks. Well, I had found the information a while back and told one of the other wives about it, so she (because she's awesome) made all of the arrangements!
In this first picture, our teacher/dresser (and this is how it sounds, not how it's spelled) Chicago is laying out all of the kimonos we can choose from:
I ended up picking out a yellow kimono with orange, green and blue flowers, an orange and gold obi, and green accessories. It sounds weird doesn't it? Well, it looked fabulous!
It was also important for us to put on accurate footwear, the Tabi:
After we had all picked out our kimonos and accessories, Chicago asked for a volunteer to go first. I'm sure no one is surprised that I volunteered to be the model!
To start it off, I had to put on the appropriate undergarments. Well, I'm technically not supposed to show this, so I'll just post an "in-process" photo that doesn't show much...
Yeah, I still had on my jeans and tank-tops, no worries.
After tying the undergarments on with shreds of fabric, then came the kimono:
Which was, again, tied on as tight as possible at the waist and under the bust line. The goal with a kimono is to straighten the body and eliminate all the curves we Americans are obsessed with emphasizing. Also, she's lining up the front so that it's perfectly overlapped. The left side is always over the right side on living women. Not until death does the right side go over the left. That is important to remember!
The kimonos were actually a little long, so by tying the kimono at the waist, Chicago could shorten it to my height. Then she added the Obi...
The board, an Obi-ita, is added to the front of the Obi to flatten it even more, keep the Obi from creasing, and create a more uniformed column look.
The Obi can be tied in a few ways, but mine was tied in a "box bow," Chicago also demonstrated a "butterfly bow."
The accessories were the Obiage, a sash that went along the top of the Obi and kept the bow in place, and the Obijime, the rope tied around the middle of the Obi. I don't have a good picture of the front of my Obi, but here's an example of one of the other ladies':
The knot of my obijime was a traditional style that represented Happiness, but the other ladies had more contemporary knots that look really cool without having a lot of meaning.
My final product...
And after everyone was dressed, we had a photo shoot with some accessories Chicago brought:
A few more notes about the kimonos:
- My kimono was a "high-class" kimono because the pattern differed on the right and left-hand sides. In fact, the right side was pretty plain in comparison. The other women's kimonos had a uniform pattern over the entire fabric, making them more casual. (Take a look at the final product picture to understand what I mean...)
- The kimonos and all the accessories were 100% silk.
- In Japan, a good quality kimono can cost up to $10,000 U.S. dollars. Yes, U.S. Dollars! We paid $23 for this experience...I think we got a pretty good deal!
- It is a very traditional practice to dress someone in a kimono, there are many rules/traditions/etc. that go into making sure everything is absolutely perfect. From collar position, to hair, to shoes and other accessories, everything has a meaning. I don't think there is anything in the mainstream or traditional American culture that compares...if you can think of something, let me know!
2 comments:
I was thinking, and the only thing I can think of that comes close is wedding dresses/ensembles. However, I think they have lost a lost of their meanings since the Victorian era. There used to be a lot of symbolism wrapped up in the color of dress and flowers in your hair, but we've pretty much abandoned those 'meanings' as a culture.
This looks like a lot of fun! What a great experience. And I think you picked a great kimono to try on. Of course you would choose the "high class" kimono. :-)
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