Shakunetsu no Kimono: April 2020

Easter Social Distancing

This past weekend had some weird weather- I had planned a social distancing happy hour in my garden on Saturday but a cold-front moved in and it was a chilly 53 F and rainy! So I postponed our event until the next weekend. And sadly, no kimono.
However, the next day (Easter Sunday), the weather was lovely. After a mildly strenuous walk in a local state park, we came home and our neighbor texted to stop by for a drink in the garden. Since this was quite spontaneous, I put a wonderful dochougi over my t-shirt and jeans rather than a kimono.
This Japanese jacket was a very special find. One side is ki-zome (yellow dye) Kihachijo (Woven on Hachijo Jima in Japan) vegetable dyed plaid silk on one side and a grey, red, and blue stripe silk on the other. Fully reversible, it has pockets on both sides. It's a fabulous jacket, like a haori but with different sleeves. I wear it quite a bit at work since the sleeves don't swing, it's easy to wear. It's one of my favorite Japanese clothing pieces! And it looks great with almost anything, including a concert t-shirt. And my black bandana!
Ciao ciao,
~R

Social Distancing Happy Hour Party, April 4!

Another party, this time and my friends home, in her back yard garden. It was warmer this time, so I opted to wear a new wild zebra yukata from SalzTokyo. I wore it in the trendy new style: the obi isn't tied but it's folded and belted.

Outfit Details
SalzTokyo yukata, zebra belt from Target, black and white/violet reverse hanhaba obi from LA's Japan Town, violet bangasa from an event in downtown Tucson. Delicious vegan tacquitos from Charrovida.
Ciao ciao!
~R

Easy and chic!

Tacquitos and white wine! The perfect picnic

Social Distancing: The March 28 Party!

Hello again! We had the social distancing happy hour party at my house this time, and the weather was also amazing! I got to wear another one of my newer kimono- a soft teal kasuri, hitoe (unlined) for spring.

Outfit details
Teal silk kasuri worn with a Taisho Roman era (1912-1926) chuuya obi featuring yuzen dye techniques. The modern wild mushroom obiage is from Kimonotte. A dark red and turquoise stripe haori brings out the teal and soft turquoise in the kimono and obi.
Ciao ciao,
~R

Campari and soda anyone?

The other side of the chuuya obi is black shusu silk with turquoise stripes

Husband took this photo- there was a cactus coming out of my head, so I cropped it!

Social Distancing Party!

A friend and I decided to do a happy hour-social distancing party every weekend (Started March 21), alternating houses. It's easy: set small tables and a chair out for each guest on a lovely patio or garden, 6' or more apart. BYOB, picnic, etc. Play some music, chat, drink wine, etc. I decided it would be a kimono challenge, so I have 3 weekends in a row where I am wearing a kimono! The weather has been great- on the cool side and sunny, these parties have been perfect springtime events.
Enjoy the distancing!
~R

Outfit details.
I'm wearing one of my newer acquisitions: an indigo-dyed cotton kasuri kimono with an asanoha (Hemp-leaf) motif. It's vintage, unlined, so a good choice for spring. The color is rich and the fabric is soft like your favorite pair of blue jeans. Obi is a vintage Nagoya, striped obiage from Kimonotte. The orange tsubaki (Camellia) pin was a gift from a friend's Japanese mother-in-law. It's made of chirimen silk. The blue bracelet is from Alexis Bittar.