Kimonos have proved a hit with festival goers and sunseekers this summer.
They have proved to be the fashion hit of
the summer, establishing themselves on the high street after being
snapped up by thousands of sunseekers and festival-goers. With high temperatures this summer, the
light and loose-fitting jackets have been flying off the shelves at
clothes stores with sales boosted by the appearance of a number of
celebrities dressed in the Japanese-style garment.
Where did it came from?
Originally, "kimono" was the Japanese word for clothing. But in more
recent years, the word has been used to refer specifically to
traditional Japanese clothing. Kimonos as we know them today came into
being during the Heian period (794-1192).
From the Nara period (710-794) until then, Japanese people typically
wore either ensembles consisting of separate upper and lower garments
(trousers or skirts), or one-piece garments. But in the Heian period, a
new kimono-making technique was developed. Known as the
straight-line-cut method, it involved cutting pieces of fabric in
straight lines and sewing them together. With this technique, kimono
makers did not have to concern themselves with the shape of the wearer's
body.
Straight-line-cut kimonos offered many advantages. They were easy to
fold. They were also suitable for all weather: They could be worn in
layers to provide warmth in winter, and kimonos made of breathable
fabric such as linen were comfortable in summer. These advantages helped
kimonos become part of Japanese people's everyday lives.
Over time, as the practice of wearing kimonos in layers came into
fashion, Japanese people began paying attention to how kimonos of
different colors looked together, and they developed a heightened
sensitivity to color. Typically, color combinations represented either
seasonal colors or the political class to which one belonged. It was
during this time that what we now think of as traditional Japanese color
combinations developed.
