Vintage Japanese Kimono Fabrics by Piece Cottons_

6942: 1930s-50s Deadstock Japanese Meisen CottonFabric, Floral, by Yard

Vintage Japanese Textiles:
1930s to 1950s Deadstock
Meisen Cotton Fabric Floral Motifs, By Yard

Width: 13.75 inches / 34.92 cm
Length: 1 Yard / 91.44cm

Catalog# 6942:

US$15.00 per yard

Fabric History/Pedigree:

Fabric Description: Lightweight meisen cotton, is estimated from 1930s-1950s; found in original 13yds (11.9m) bolt, with binding and maker's labels intact; very well preserved; this is a very rare example of a cotton meisen, same look, but unusual in that it is a cotton fabric; Meisen (almost always silk) has grown in popularity in the last few years; Meisen from that period are usually larger bold patterns and bright colors. See close-ups.

Fabric Motif: Burgundy-red background fabric with classic flowers, designs are a similar look to Japanese Kasuri (ikat; colors of figures are mustard, black, and soft-white; As is typical in Meisen, note the impressionistic fuzzy edges; patterns same on both sides; this particular meisen has no sheen and is a tad stiff.

Colors: Reminder that colors and contrast differ on different devices, so please refer to our text color descriptions.

Condition: Excellent.

Cultural Notes: The best discussion we've found of Meisen silk fabric was on an old blog post by Japundit, excerpted here, from the early 2000's*:

"...Young women have rediscovered(Japan Times) the kimono, and you can see them out in Harajuku on the Sunday fashion parade. There's even a term for these girls -- not surprisingly they are called "kimono girls." There are even some nice books documenting the trend which you can check out at J-List and are definitely worth having if you are at all into fashion...."The meisen kimono, in particular, has become very popular. These kimono were made in the first half of the twentieth century, and were characterized by a glossy sheen, and brilliant patterns. There is often a sort of blurry quality to the silks...."

[*original article is no longer on the internet.] more info on meisen is here.