Monday 26 April 2010

Upcoming fashion show

I am currently getting ready for a kimono fashion show on Saturday at the Akasaka Prince Hotel. I wore this kimono for my students' college graduation party and also at new year, but it is kind of stylish and bright, so I will wear it again for the fashion show. It is early showa, (probably 30s) and is a cheap redye. The patterns don't match well at the seams and some of the colours have not been fixed properly and have bled into each other. I will wear an orange collar with embroidery on it, because it will look better with the orange obi, and maybe some different zori on my feet, too. I think red and gold would be good. It is one of the great things about kimono that you can still go on wearing it, so long after it was made. It still looks stylish and fun after eighty years. Most western clothes, not so much. The styling and coordination is more important in kimono than the actual garment, per se. Of course, it is not really appropriate for a woman of my age to have such long, (technically wide) sleeves, waving around. Only enka singers would really do that, but this is a fashion show, and the rules are off, for the catwalk. When I had this picture taken I was wearing the most wonderful purple lipstick, which I promptly lost and have never found again. Somehow I have to find another one, cos it looked so strange and interesting, but I have tried, and I cannot find the same colour. I have a rehearsal on Thursday night, and the show is on Saturday!

2 comments:

  1. I love vintage kimono! If only it didn't cost an arm and leg. Maybe some turqoies zori or obi-age/obi-jime it would pull that lovely eye-catching blue out even more. Have fun, kimono fashion shows are fun!

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  2. Thanks, Aki, I never buy anything expensive. It takes a while to collect all the right accessories. I think blue is a good idea, I don't have many blue accessories, though. I will have to have a look and see.......thanks for the idea!

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