Versatile Obi

When it comes to more casual obi, most of the pieces in my collection are fairly seasonal due to their motifs. Even if the motif isn't seasonal, sometimes it's color of the obi that makes its use limited. That is why I am very excited about this new obi I purchased a few days ago.

Its base color of cream is quite neutral and with small, colorful squares, it lends itself to nearly any kimono color. The darker cream threads are not gold, but they do give the impression of gold. This obi would work well with casual outfits, and with the right accessories, it might even pass for semi-formal.

It's currently being tailored, but when it arrives, I have so many things to coordinate with it!

Kodo Taiko Performance Coordination

Last week was my birthday, and to celebrate, we got tickets to see a performance by Kodo Taiko. The show was absolutely amazing, and if they are ever in your area, I highly recommend you go see them! My exposure to taiko in the past has been all festival style, but they took it to a whole new level! I was honestly surprised by the comedic skits they included; even with language barriers, the whole audience understood exactly what was going on, and the whole room was full of laughter.

As per usual, I used this as an opportunity to wear kimono out. Since this was a nice performance in a concert hall, I wanted to dress semi-formal. After some help from the lovely IG Facebook page, I ended up choosing this coordination:

A peachy-orange crested iromuji with a silver saga-tsuzdure fukuro obi, accessorized with a light green shibori obiage, a pink and silver sanbuhimo, and a rainbow-colored rhinestone obidome. The juban I wore underneath is a red one from the Taisho Roman era, which proved to be rather fidgety, hence the reason my haneri shows so little. I finished everything off with pale pink zori that have a little silver on the hanao to echo the sanbuhimo. 

I hope you enjoyed my coordination! It was a wonderful birthday ^_^

Title Change

You may have noticed the title of this blog has changed to Asagiri Kimono. The focus will still be primarily on kimono, but I will continue to include costuming/cosplay and craft work from time to time. I will also keep the jadexcore.blogspot.com URL for the time being. Thank you for keeping up with my blog, and I hope you will continue to follow my adventures in kimono!

The Traveling Kimono Stops in Memphis!

After two long years of waiting, I finally got my turn to wear the Traveling Kimono! The Traveling Kimono is a project where, "One kimono will be selected and sent all around the world to fellow kitsuke enthusiast[s], who will then create an ensemble representing their personal tastes and style, take photos to share and then send the kimono off to the next person" (from the Traveling Kimono Facebook page). We are also encouraged to take photos with landmarks in our area.

When I received the kimono, I had no idea what to pair with it at first. Other people had their outfits long planned out, but I opted to wait until I saw the colors in person. The kimono is quite busy looking, so deciding on an ensemble that would complement but not fight the pattern was a challenge. I also wanted to do something that hadn't been done yet. Just looking at the kimono, the obvious choices for colors could be red, yellow, or any neutrals. As these colors had been done already, I didn't want to repeat them. I also couldn't decide if I wanted to go modern or traditional. In the end, I opted for a combination of both: traditional kitsuke but with a modern pattern on the obi and modern colors. 

I ended up choosing my neko hanhaba obi. I had seen a hanhaba variation of a tsunodashi musubi a while back and was dying to use it. Even better, the musubi calls for an obiage (not typical of hanhaba obi musubi), so I was able to add an additional and possibly unexpected color: bright green. For me, this color choice was risky. I tend to go for more subdued tones. But I thought the lime green would be a focal point with this busy of a kimono as well as a hint at the coming Spring. I also went with a green and white ichimatsu sanbuhimo and a purple rose obidome, also a hint of the flowers that we hope will be blooming in the coming weeks. It's difficult to see in the photos, but the haneri is actually a pale blue color with a lace overlay. The juban is black with a white hail and sakura pattern.

A close-up of the komono

Hanhaba variation of tsunodashi musubi

On Main Street, a prime spot for trolleys and horse-drawn carriage rides

At Tom Lee Park, along the Mississippi River

 I took photos at several landmarks in the Memphis area, but you may wonder why Graceland (the home of Elvis Presley) is not present. If you know anyone from Memphis, you'll know that no one who lives here goes to Graceland. The other areas were quite touristy, but Graceland is by far the worst. ;P

Walking along the trolley lines on Main Street

Beale Street

In front of B.B. King's Blues Club on Beale Street

The stars at the Orpheum Theatre

On the banks of the Mississippi River, Hernando-Desoto bridge and the Pyramid on the horizon

At LovePop Soda Shop on South Main, Arts District

At LovePop Soda Shop on South Main, Arts District

Tall People Stuggles and Black and Green Bara Houmongi

As I have mentioned many, many, many, many, many times - finding kimono in taller and wider sizes is a hunt. You need patience and to able to handle the disappointment of finding tons of things you love but you'd never be able to wear properly. With the new year upon us, I am trying to lose some weight just like countless others. I have sadly gained 15-20 pounds since I got married, and it is starting to affect how I wear kimono. While I have some control over my waist size, I clearly have no control over my height. In all honesty, the biggest problem that I encounter is not only finding a kimono with the right length but the right wingspan. Not long ago, a kimono with a shorter wingspan didn't phase me too much. Now, especially after taking more lessons in nihon buyo and actually owning a few kimono with adequate wingspans, I can see that a proper wingspan really does makes one look more elegant - not to mention that it's near impossible to hold your sleeves for dance if they're too short! As I become more discerning (or maybe just picky!) about my size, the prey becomes even more elusive...

Enter this black and green bara houmongi, with a 173cm length and a whopping 152cm wingspan.

The seller states that it is a remade furisode, hence the really loud pattern. The super-wide wingspan was made possible by taking what was part of the old furisode sleeves and adding them to the cuffs of the remade piece. I think the seamstress did a decent job of matching the fabric so that the seams wouldn't be obvious from a distance.

This style is very opposed to what I usually select in a garment. The reason for my purchase is three-fold: the size, the price, and the need for a brighter kimono for shamisen performances (at my instructor's suggestion). With shipping, this piece ended up only around $50. And it certainly has the "in-your-face" factor of a stage piece.

As far as coordinating this piece goes, I'll likely go with an obi of minimal colors and simple design as to not compete with the pattern on the kimono. Without having the piece in my hands, I'm leaning toward a gold obi with lavender accessories that echo the color on the grid pattern overlaying the black part or red like the sakura, but that could easily change depending on what it looks like in person.

Obiage Haul!

My first post-Christmas kimono purchase is a set of obiage - brightly colored, might I add! I have been really pleased with the coordinations by 着物屋くるり (Kimonoya Kururi). They ooze Tokyo style, and mostly involve very subtle kimono and obi but with bolder obiage and obijime. I have been playing on this idea somewhat myself for a little while, but I am lacking in certain colors, so I am happy to have found many along the right lines at one shop. I would love to purchase direct from Kururi (you can do so here if you are an English speaker), but the prices are often a little rich for me. Finding the raspberry tone in the exact same shade as their かきつばたいろ ("kakitsubata") color has been near impossible, but I believe I have come close enough with this obiage.

It also came with a lovely round obijime, so no arguments there! There were two photographs the seller posted that show the obiage under different lights. The other photo (not posted here) shows a more purplish tone, but I believe that either way, it captures nearly the same effect. I would much prefer chirimen like the Kururi product, as I feel it ties and sits better, but for the price, I went ahead and bought this rinzu one.

The other obiage I chose were a bright green and a sky blue:

Both are lively colors that I hope to use in coordinations in the coming months. 

Green Kikyou Hikizuri

For anyone who has been collecting kimono for sometime, you've likely had a "this-is-too-good-to-be-true" moment. That is exactly what happened with this hikizuri, and I didn't dare post about it until I had it in my hands. Not only am I in love with the color and design (kikyou!!!), but it's a generous 210cm long with a 145cm wingspan. I have a couple taller hikizuri, but this one is the best fitting by far. I'd venture to guess that this was a dance piece, for several reasons: 

1. It has double padded hem and padded sleeves. Since kikyou is a September motif, those kimono would typically be hitoe, sometimes ro/sha. 

2. It has been greatly lengthened. Not that this is never done to geiko hiki, but it is much rarer.

3. It has a faux red sleeves sewn into the actual sleeves.

4. The date-eri is sewn down, and the fabric matches the lining.