Page
2: Frequently Asked Questions about Yoko Trading/Yokodana's
Vintage Japanese Garments/Textiles:
NOTE: These
are our opinions & are not necessarily the definitive answers. We
welcome more informed input to share with all who visit here. Also, as
you are dealing with mostly vintage, one of a kind items, we recommend
that in making an individual purchase-- from us or anyone-- please make
sure you are satisfied with all the details before finalizing your purchase.
If getting from us, please see our other statements re our quality &
return practices. Thanks for visiting! Yoko & Dana Lewis
Here are some ways that our customers have used obi and vintage Japanese fabrics creatively:
- Do You have any decorative suggestions (obi, kimono etc), possible ways to use vintage kimono fabrics and Obi.
- Table Runners
- Centerpiece for Table (tied into ribbon)
- Place Mats
- Coasters
- Frame, make a picture out of it.
- Matting for pictures/framing.
- Wall hanging
- Window Treatment (swags)
- Clothing items (vest, or as part of other accessory)
- Handbags/purses
- Luggage rack (placed over a folding wooden frame luggage stand)
- Coffee table (used wooden stand, place obi, then glass top)
- Pillows, cushions Just wear them as obi!
- "Katana" bag (samurai sword holder.)
- Tote bag.
- Cabinetry, as runner in groove of sliding door of antique cabinet (NYC Pier Show Customer, March, 2000)
- Furniture (hand-made chairs and benches)
- High end fashion designers used kimono silks in making one-of-kind designer dresses, garments, accessories(Europe, India, China)
- Dyers and mixed media artists used kimono fabrics in their artwork and projects.
- Laptop computer bags (New, 2005)
- Costume Face Mask (2010)
- Add your own & let us know!
- Want to learn more, see samples of how people have used kimono fabrics? Click here. To search for images of maru obi as wall hanging click here.
Does Yokodana carry hangers or display stands for kimono?
We were able to get the traditional style wooden (& some of plastic) stands used by stores to display the heavier uchikake. However, the costs -- even wholesale for us to buy directly in Japan -- were exorbitant. So, we will not carry them as we doubt anyone will be willing to pay far more for the stand than for our better uchikake. We attempted to make our own uchikake stands using local artisans -- but the cost ended up being as exorbitant as the ones we got from Japan. So, no future plans or ability to offer the kimono stands.If anyone finds a source for good reasonably priced stands, please let us know, so we can refer others to it. We do get frequent requests for these.
Addendum: January, 2005 -- Resource for reasonably priced kimono stands, see links page.
The arched hangers (not for uchikake, but for regular kimono), which we had the catalog for 6 or more months, are now discontinued. If we can get a new supply we will, but these were close-outs, so we cannot promise on how soon.
As for options for displaying your ceremonial kimono, we still recommend the fancier curtain rods (usually in black caste iron or solid metal) which are at Home Depot kinds of places: They have various decorative pieces for the end & work well -- only caution is that many of them are rough along the rod, so could catch on any embroidery. We suggest covering the rough part with saran wrap, tape or cloth before sliding the kimono over it. Some decorative wooden towel racks have been adapted for this purpose; Also, thick high quality velvet rope-cord (with tassels) supporting 2 inch diameter bamboo (unfinished) pole.
- What is Kasuri? Kasuri is a special country textile made in the area of Kurume, in southern Japan (very close to where Yoko's family lives even now). It is dyed before being woven (sakizome) and has a distinctly soft & blurred pattern of white against indigo-blue. This is called "ikat" in Southeast Asia. A very nice source of information & treatment of the subject of these country textiles, with nice pictures, is Japanese Country Textiles, by Anna Jackson. New York/Tokyo: Weatherhill, 1997. It has an outstanding bibliography as well.
- Read about or order Japanese Country Textiles Today!
- I was wondering what kind of footwear is to be worn with a kimono? Both modern and traditional, casual and formal, etc. All that I have seen of Japanese footwear are tatamis and getas. Are they for day-to-day casual wear or are their certain styles for formal wear, or a whole other style of shoe?
Yes, Japanese have footwear, called 'geta' & 'zori'. They run from casual to dress types. What you see with formal kimono are more formal (ie, better made, prettier) zori which are worn with 'tabi' the special sock with split for wear with geta or zori. What are called "zori" might include everything down to the rubber 'flip flops' sold by the "zillions" around the world. In Japan, zori run in wide prices & style much like shoes in the West, but they are all in the same basic design. Geta are made from wood & zori from leather,vinyl. Some have tatami top. You will see overseas (ie, outside of Japan) some commercial ones with tatami & rubber combination. These are inexpensive for the overseas market. There a many kind of zori & geta. Even the type of wood geta varies, as well as the cords used. Some are lacquered; more recently you'll see some geta with contoured surfaces (where the foot goes). Basically, the zori (shoe) is worn with kimono & in Japan they have them at all price ranges. But if I understand your question, the basic style is the zori & geta for wear with kimono, with geta being seen as far more traditional. If you look at many woodblock prints from the last century you'll see the women wearing geta, even the high ones.
Well, we can't possibly answer this to cover every conceivable social setting or cultural situation, but all I can say is that if it is worn in such a way to be respectful, even if it is not in worn in the 'stricter traditional fashion' I know that I (Yoko) take it as a compliment. Currently, an increasing number of non-Japanese women in the USA, Europe & elsewhere are taking to wearing haori modified in some way, as an accessory. ( Madonna wore such a garment to the music awards in early 1999). If you have a very specific situation Yoko would be glad to at least venture her opinion for you. In the final analysis, the responsiblity falls back on the one actually wearing it.
- A question asked by men and women: "Will Japanese be offended if I wear this (haori/kimono) to a social gathering?"
I'm studying Textiles....and have to make something Oriental. I want to make a kimono but I am unable to find a pattern anywhere. Please can you help me?
(Updated: June 20, 2011)The "Gatherings" forum for all-things sewing/textiles etc. has evolved and changed host but still can be found on Threads Magazine's online forum, here. Also a number of forums/blogs have sprung up since last we updated this question. The best kimono blog we've seen is Kimono Asobi (see following FAQ below) which has a link to site owner's favorite kimono blogs here.
Also, to see the latest about blogs/forums related to Japanese textiles here's a focused google search: click here (Suggest you go to at least first 5 result pages as some of the better -- in our opinion -- content links are found even after page 3 of the google search.)
We're keeping the rest of this FAQ which Anneli sent us in 2005: ... Thanks Anneli!...Now that Lark publishing has bought the Folkwear pattern line from Tauton Press, you could (if you want to!) answer the question with, "Get the Folkwear kimono pattern from Lark." They are at www.larkbooks.com; click on the Folkwear link, and then go to the Asian/Oriental collection. Also, there is a book called "Make Your Own Japanese Clothes: Patterns and Ideas for Modern Wear by John Marshall. This can be found on Amazon's web site....Thanks...Anneli.
Here's a link to see learn more/order this book :
There is also some very useful information (including some silk cleaning methods not seen here) gathered by Anneli, whose page is here:
http://www.idiom.com/~anneli/kimono.html.
I saw in an ebay item description somewhere that in Japan kimonos can cost thousands of dollars. What does the average Japanese pay for kimonos in Japan these days?
Periodically my brother sends me copies of advertisements for kimono from his local Sunday paper in southern Japan. Here's a clip from an August 1999 Kumanichi Shimbun (News) advertising for children's kimono with accessories. The Yen (¥) was about 110 to US$1.00 when this picture was taken. In the picture below, #13 is polyester, the others are made of silk. On the full page from which this picture is taken I noted prices ranging from $600 to $1,300 (1999 prices).
May 8, 2001: We purchased an uchikake (colorful ceremonial kimono) for sale on our site as the least expensive (already sold, June 2001), as the quality and artistry was not nearly as good as most everything else we offer. On the inside, sewn in, was a label used by the store which rented this out on a daily basis -- cost was about US$1,800 for one day rental. This is an illustration of the cost of these lovely things when they are originally made.
I see in your descriptions of your bulk kimono packages that you talk about 'silk blends'. Can you tell me more about this?
Silk Blends Kimonos: Beginning in the 1960's the Post-War Japanese economy began growing. As the economy improved so did the demand for domestic luxury items, including finer silk kimonos. As the middle class expanded in the 70's and 80's the demand for natural silks also grew considerably, making authentic natural silks increasingly expensive. Because of this demand, the Japanese textile makers began experimenting with a wide variety of blends, using silk in different combinations with other fabrics; some of these fabrics are so good that even knowledgeable people have trouble telling the difference -- short of a burn test (hardly a good idea on a lovely kimono! :} ). Many of these what we call silk blends kimono have almost the same look, feel and drape as silk. There are of course kimonos made of only Rayon and similar synthetics, but these are not considered what we call 'silk blends' and -- while nice -- can readily be identified as not made of silk.
Do you know of any other forums or resources about kitsuke (wearing kimono) and/or authentic geisha-related information?
As it happens, when we got this question we were in the process of updating some site links and learned of a new Wiki about Kimono started by a colleague of ours. Naomi is the creator of ImmortalGeisha.com (IG) and more recently KimonoAsobi.com (blog) . She is a long-time associate and customer of YokoDana.com and has perhaps the best in-depth on-line information about Geisha and Kitsuke we know of (See our original 2001[?] recommendation in our links page, here). It so happens that in addition to being a new mom, Naomi has started a Kimono Wiki, sample picture from it is below. Also, she has forum(s) on her IG site. Her Wiki is relatively new (2011) and already has a trove of info for those interested in Geisha and kimono wear etc.and will surely only grow. Click picture below to go to the IG/Kimono Asobi Wiki (What's a 'wiki'? See here), we think you'll be impressed. We've long been most impressed with Naomi's passion for and knowledge of kimono and related aspects of Japanese culture. If you're passionate about kitsuke, Geisha and traditional Japanese aesthetics you'll find a kindred spirit in Naomi, and tons of high quality information.
Immortal Geisha & Kimono Asobi Wiki
Back to List of All Our FAQ Pages
As questions come to us, particularly ones that are repeated from many different folks, we will add things here. If you have a suggestion, or know of a link which would be helpful, please drop us a note. Also, please be sure to see other references & resources on our links page.
Thank You.
Yoko Lewis
YokoDana Kimono (Yoko Trading)
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