August 23, 2010

All purple and turquoise, all the time

Hi all
This is my first posting! Woohoo! I've been thinking about doing this blog for months; now here I am. My first post is about my recent purchases at Vintage Kimono in beautiful Boulder, Colorado! Janine Thorman is a wonderful women and has a fantastic selection of vintage Japanese clothing. I went in looking for a turquoise or bright blue yukata but of course succumbed to the beauty of the silks. My birthday was coming up, so that gave me an excuse to look and buy.
My first Meisen kimono! This one is a lovely purple komon with an unexpected lining colors:
My favorite thing about it (Besides the wonderful satin-y crisp fabric) is the repair to the lining. Someone loved this kimono so much they did a beautiful hand-sewn patch in the green part of the lining. Of course it's still too short on me, but I can manage a tiny ohashori.

The yukata. I found the most perfect turquoise blue brand-new yukata with white spider mums on it. Janine only had one yukata and it was exactly what I was looking for. Like many newer ones, it's long (About 64-65"), which is great for me. Sleeves are still a bit short of course. My mom generously bought it for me as a birthday gift. How cool is that?
I do have at least two obi I can wear with the yukata: pink hakata obi and a white ro hakata nagoya obi. I also just happen to have a wonderful pink and turquoise obi jime!





The ultraviolet haori.


The ultraviolet haori was a total splurge. I don't usually wear haori often and wasn't really looking for one but this one was spectacular. It's probably pre-WW2 because of the sleeve length and I'm thinking early Showa period but I'm not exactly certain. Either way, the length is elegant and the colors are so rich: ultramarine violet with buttery yellow shibori. The lining is a subtle rinzu. I particularly love the orange. And as I hung it up to take the photos, I noticed the stylized roses!

Now I just need to find the perfect obi to go with the Meisen. And wait for my next purchase to arrive in the mail: red and white yabane komon kimono with purple andon bakama from Yamatoku! I'm post photos soon.

~Reb

PS: at some point I will post photos of me wearing all of these beautiful items, but for now, it's still hot hot Arizona summer, so too hot to wear! Soon it will cool down a bit...

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