Pink and Green Accessories to arrive this week

I'm lacking in kimono accessories such as obiage, obijime, handbags, juban, and a few obi. I don't really need any more kimono, so I have decided to focus on items to make that I have work together better.

Mainly I have been looking for rinzu and chirimen obiage and round obijime (easier to tie!) in lighter pastel colors such as pink,  light grey, blue, lavender, and two-toned obiage as well as round obijime in solid colors.
A little shibori on a obiage is OK, but as a rule, I usually avoid the ultra textured full-shibori, since these are more formal and associated with young ladies wearing furisode. However, once I saw the striking vibrant green with the light pink, I knew it would be perfect for spring.  It's a gorgeous color combination and I can't wait to see it in person.

This cute and basic-looking obijime is solid pink, in a nice classic color which should be really easy to coordinate to create multiple outfits.
These two together will be pretty awesome and the green/cream obijime I just bought recently in LA will go beautifully with the obiage as well. I ordered both of these beauties from Angie at Blue Moon Antiques and Vintage Kimono and should arrive in a day or two! I've bought from this vendor before and they are very nice to deal with and ship from Texas, so shipping is much less than coming from Japan, if you live in the United States.
I'm going to a Sakura Matsuri (in a mysterious city to be announced soon!)  in April, so I wanted to create a nice spring ensemble that included a little light pink as a nod to the cherry blossoms which may already have bloomed by the time I get there! I will be very happy to say I was there, even if the warmer weather has caused the trees to put on their show a month early.

Fun Friday: sake packaging

I was just at our local "Joy Asian Market" near my home and stopped in for rice and gomashio and found this wonderful sake! I admit I bought it just because of the lovely packaging. It's in the fridge chilling now, so I will have to update you on the taste later.

Detail of the label.

Hakutsuru is a well-known brand of sake, so it should be pretty good!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Kimono-wearing opportunities coming up in Phoenix

There are several events open to the public in March and April where you can wear yukata and kimono, all at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix.  Anime Night is tomorrow at 7:00pm and the Taiko Experience show with Fushicho Daiko is Saturday, March 24th. My favorite event is their spring fundraiser, Strolling in Yukata in April.

I'll be at Taiko Experience this weekend and now I just need to determine if I want to wear a ro kimono or a yukata! Weather might dictate what I end up in, so stay tuned for photos.

Obiage Collection: 14

I don't have a ton of obiage, but I thought I would share. I seem to wear yukata more often than not and often wear komon without obiage, so maybe that's why I'm lacking!
Right now I'm trying to collect more rinzu and chirimen rather than shibori since shibori is usually more formal and associated with younger styles. I'd also love to find a few obiage with large patterns but those are sometimes difficult to find. I need a couple more ro (silk gauze worn only with summer kimono) obiage as well. I have one and it works with both of my summer kimono but it would be nice to find some other colors, so I'm looking for teal or turquoise, yellow, or blue violet. These are all impossible colors to find in ro but maybe someday!

My one ro obiage

Rinzu a type of silk damask. I use the  light yellow and cream colors the most.

Six shibori, a type of resist-dyed silk with a bubbly, crinkly texture. I use the magenta one in the center the most. It's almost flat, so it's not quite as formal and the color is electric!

Chirimen, a crepe-like silk fabric with a distinctive texture. The eggplant/beige one is actually slightly more blue in real life.