My kimono

Last night I was making props for the first Hannah Zakari lookbook (very excited about this!), and I decided to finally do something with the vintage kimono I bought in Japan. So, I found the box it's been folded in for the last few years, took it out, got my scissors and hesitated - I just couldn't do it!

I bought the kimono from Ichiroya when I was in Osaka a few years ago. After making the rather complicated hour long journey to where I thought the market was, I discovered that it is actually based online only - doh! Luckily for me the owner, Ichiro, was there and he let me and John in to have a good delve around his warehouse!

Ichiro talked us through all the kimonos we picked out, his knowledge was outstanding. He told us about how you can tell how old a kimono was by it's length and he estimated this one to be pre-world war two. I bought it for the bargain price of around 5000 yen, which was around £22 at the time and my intention was to use it for the fabric.

Before I cut it up I decided to take some photos and put it on my antique Victorian mannequin which highlighted the difference in body shapes as I couldn't get the kimono to reach around the bust or hips, but I think you can still see how beautiful it is. Even the detail on the inside lining is exquisite.





The inside lining at the top:



I decided to leave the cutting of the kimono overnight, and this morning I've decided I can't do it. It holds so many good memories for me, of that journey out to Ichiroya (it was amazing - maybe I will elaborate on the story another time) and of Japan in general. I've decided instead that I will actually take it out of it's box and hang it somewhere, maybe even use it in the lookbook as a piece in it's own right.

My thoughts are with Japan, and every other country affected by the earthquake today.