We Love Kimono Project 4
The base color of my kimono is selected. The next step is to decide on the kimono design. And an expert’s advice is crucial at this stage if you don’t want to screw up.
In Western culture, there is certain dress code depending on the occasions. As a mother, you don’t wear jeans for your child’s wedding reception, but choose a dress, maybe a long one.
With kimono, such a dress code exists also, only more complicated.
What determines the formality of a kimono? There are several factors.
- Material
Among different types of material, silk is the most formal. Kimono made of cotton, linen, or wool, is considered casual and not to be worn on formal occasions.
- Number and method of crests
Among silk kimono, the ones with crests, either five, three, or one, are more formal. The more crests, the more formal. Crests are either dyed or embroidered, and the dyed one is more formal than the embroidered one.
If the kimono has five or three crests, all the crests are dyed. If the kimono has only one crest, the crest can be either dyed or embroidered. The dyed one is more formal.
- Design pattern
A silk kimono with five or three crests has an elaborate design only on the bottom.
A silk kimono with one or no crest can have design all over. If the design continues across the seam lines on the left shoulder and the bottom, it’s more formal. If the design is cut off on the seam lines, the kimono is less formal.
Tea gatherings are not as formal as weddings, but they are still considered pretty formal. Even for the summer kimono, the fabric should be silk, not cotton or linen. For my kimono, Mamiya-san suggested having one crest dyed on the back, with connected designs on the left shoulder and the bottom.
This type of kimono is called Homongi 訪問着.
Mamiya-san, my retailer, sent me a rough design he sketched. It reminded me that Mamiya-san majored in art in college.