Kimono dressing

I've got tons of pictures today so you'll have to bear with me.

Tuesday afternoon English was held at Mrs. I's house but we never got around to doing English.  My other student, Mrs. O, needed to make some decisions about what she is going to wear to her son's wedding early next year.  She COULD buy a nice dark suit.  Or she COULD rent a formal black kimono (they are so expensive that unless a person has a lot of weddings to attend they don't usually own their own formal kimono).  But Mrs. I, who's son is also getting married next year, had already acquired a formal kimono from a recycle shop and she suggested that Mrs. O wear the same kimono!  Thus Tuesday turned out to be a kimono trying on day.

This is the bottom half of the kimono that Mrs. I found.  It is black silk and has a hand painted design of flowers and medallions and I guess pheasants.  Here and there are hand embroidered designs that give depth to the painting.  The beautiful colored design flows all around the bottom of the kimono, along the back also.  However there is no design around the top except for a family crest (and in this case, an 'almighty' crest that can be used by any family.)

Under the black kimono is a short top slip with an embroidered collar attached to it and an under slip tied over that. Four of five different ties and belts will be used to keep all the pieces in place while the kimono dresser adjusts the different parts.  Normally one would NOT put on a kimono (especially a formal one) on their own.  People trained and licensed as kimono dressers are hired to help a woman put on her kimono.  Mrs. O (and Mrs. I) have already made reservations for a kimono dresser to dress them on the mornings of the respective weddings. 

The wide brocade belt, called an obi, is Mrs. I's own.  She said she bought it years ago (extremely expensive!) and has worn it to various weddings.  She was especially pleased to find this formal kimono as it matched her obi so nicely.  Mrs. O is holding one folded end of the obi as Mrs. I does the tying with more belts and straps and small bustle like pillows.

As an "older woman" and one of the mother's of the wedding party, the style in which the obi is tied is already determined.  Nothing fancy or showy, just a simple turn under in the back that will show off the design elegantly.  Mrs. I, who obviously knows what she is doing, can tie obis in many different ways.  (That alone takes some studying!)

A puffy tie is fitted above the obi to hide any of the miscellaneous tie ends, and a kumihimo, a specially woven silk cord is tied tightly to hold everything together.

Here is the formal way an obi should be tied for an older woman.  Isn't it beautiful!  Mrs. O still has to figure out how she is going to wear her hair which traditionally should be up off her shoulders.  Whether she can grow it out a bit more before January is another question.

Oh and while we're at it...  A kimono isn't just hung on a closet hanger.  It has to be folded a certain way to keep the creases in their proper place.  First the bottom half is smoothed and folded...

 Then the top half...  Those are sleeves being matched there.

 And everything is tied up in special kimono paper.

Egads!  Look at that!  Mrs. I suggested that I get in on the fun and she would dress me in one of her less formal kimonos.  Ummm... Okay...  Here I am with the top half of the slip (and embroidered collar) on.  You notice that towel like thing around my waist (which Mrs. O didn't need!)  Mrs. I's nice way of putting it was,

"You have a waist so you need the towel to make your shape straight."

What she really meant is,

"You are more busty than most Japanese women and we need to hide the volume difference."

 More adjustments here and there.

 A lot of straps and ties.

 Mrs. I used a narrower obi for this kimono and she tied it in a less formal way. 

The person wearing the kimono doesn't have anything to do but just stand there and put her arms out now and then.  The kimono dresser is the one huffing and puffing and pulling and ties and arranging the heavy obi into different shapes.

This obi was interesting in that it was reversible and Mrs. I made the most of showing off both sides of the belt.

 La-di-da!  I'm ready to go off somewhere.

This is not the proper pose when wearing a kimono, that's for sure!  I need to be demurely crossing the fingers of each hand gracefully in front of the center of the obi... knees together, toes shyly turned in towards each other, the tilt of my head elegantly tipped so that my eyes can remain downcast.

This is a better way to show my thanks to Mrs. I for the lovely, spontaneous experience!