Kimono dressing
Gibbs Gardens Japanese Festival is ongoing this and next weekend. It was very cold today when I arrived only 38 degrees up in Ball Ground GA. and they had had a frost!
I have such a love and interest in Japanese culture. I wanted to go see the kimono dressing demo.
The instructor told us many interesting facts about kimono--it mean "something to wear" and it used to be worn by all classes of people. Now most Japanese do not own them or know how to put them on.
It takes two or a very nimble person alone to dress someone in kimono. There are layers and ropes and of course the beautiful obi sash. Here are a few fun facts I learned:
Kimono come in one size it can be cinched up for shorter people.
The top of the front of the kimono is always put in from the right over toward the heart. When a person dies the kimono is put on them opposite side in the left toward the right arm.
To clean a kimono you take all the stitches out wash by hand and then dry and resew. Most people no longer know how to do this or have the space to do it.
Most kimonos now are made from silk.
Single women wear kimono with longer sleeves--orange one it makes a statement that they are single and looks nicer when dancing.
Kimonos that are more elaborate start at about $1000 and up!
Most modern Japanese wear them only 3 or 4 times a year.
Most people rent them now and sometimes hire someone to put them into it.
When a girl turns 20 in Japan a party is given and she gets to wear a more formal kimono.
A man's kimono is simpler and the obi is not made into anything big. There is also the option to wear a skirt like garment in front or a pant like garment in front. The man in the photo has on a skirt like garment. These are also worn sometimes by young women students. Allows for more movement /activity.
I would love to own one how about you?
Have a Pink day!
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