Moving on to our third new book, this one’s a bit of a read but well worth the effort!



Book’s cover courtesy of Amazon.



Kimono: Kyoto To Catwalk Edited by Anna Jackson (ISBN 9-781851-779925)

Date of Publication: 2020

Language: English

Format: Hardcover

Availability: Can Be Purchased New

Price: $50

Errors: 0



First off, this book is MASSIVE! Like, it is “heckin’ thicc” as the kids would call it, which performs two tasks really well; first, it’s jam packed full of beautiful images of kimono and garments that the kimono inspired (there’s over 250). Second, it really brings to light the history of the kimono as we know it, where it’s at now, and where it’s headed into the future. So, let’s take a look at the various sections of the book to highlight some of its strong points:



Introduction

Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk is the all around intro to the book and kimono itself. It’s a great start to a great book with the basic history of kimono. This section is written by Anna Jackson.





Kimono In Japan

Status, Style and Seduction seeks to educate on the ways in which kimono were both made during the Edo Period and how the first style guides showed women the latest ways to wear their kimono and hair. This section is written by Anna Jackson.



Creation and Commerce looks at how kimono were produced by taking a look at books of kimono drawings and follows how different styles, such as yuzen, came to be the must have fashions of their day. This section is written by Anna Jackson and Iwao Nagasaki.



Clothed in Splendor: Bridal Kimono from the Edo Period to the Present Day goes over the changing fashions of bridal kimono, from the extravagant uchikake to the kurofurisode of the Taisho Period to the new uchikake of today along with the various reasons for these changes. This section is written by Masami Yamada.



Picturing Fashion in Edo-Period Japan takes a look at woodblock prints and how kimono was portrayed to the public. This section was written by Masami Yamada.





Fashion For The Foreign

A Taste For The Exotic: Foreign Textiles and Japanese Dress shows how even the limited trade with other countries during the Edo Period influenced patterns and materials found in kimono and everyday products. This section is written by Anna Jackson.



The “Nippon Kimono” Voyages To Europe takes a look at the first trade between Dutch sailors and the Japanese and how kimono first arrived in Europe. This section is written by Yuzuruha Oyama.



Interwoven Gowns: A Tale of Global Trade continues on the themes begun in the previous section but adds in the addition of foreign fabrics made into export kimono. This section is written by Ariane Fennetaux.



Geographically Confused but Familiarly Exotic: The Influence of Kimono in Seventeenth-Century England explores, just as the title states, how the kimono came to influence fashion in England in the seventeenth century, including paintings for the first time. This section is written by Susan North.





Shifting Styles

Fashioning Modernity in Japan takes a look at how Japan’s reopening during the Meiji Period changed the colors, patterns, and production of kimono and how it continued to evolve until the end of World War II. This section is written by Anna Jackson.



The “Kimono Craze”: From Exoticism to Fashionability looks at the craze for all things Japanese in Europe in the late 18th century and early 19th century. This section is written by Elizabeth Kramer and Akiko Savas.



Picturing Kimono in Britain, Europe, and America takes a look at the array of art created at the time of the Kimono Craze and how it came to be a fashionable object of women everywhere in the West. This section is written by Elizabeth Kramer.



Radical Restructure: The Impact of Kimono looks at how the kimono influenced popular fashion in both its structure and shape. This section is written by Akiko Fukai.





Kimono as Costume

Kimono Codified: Uniform For The Nation examines how kimono became codified through kimono schools after World War II in an effort to standardize the wear and movement of the garment. This section is written by Josephine Rout.



Geisha: Perpetuating the Kimono Mystique gives a basic background of geisha and how geisha became synonymous with kimono in the West. This section is written by Lesley Downer.



Kimono Rental, Tourism, and Sartorial Expression looks at the growing industry and kimono rentals that allow tourists, both Japanese and foreigners alike, the chance to experience the garment. This section is written by Elizabeth Kramer.



Behind the Screen: Kimono as Costume looks at the ways that popular culture, especially in the West, has taken the traditional garment and adapted it for film and stage use. This section is written by Josephine Rout.





Kimono Reinvention

Kimono Reborn looks at the new way that Japanese artists have chosen to express themselves through kimono by bringing back old techniques and making them new again along with new influences in their patterns and styles. This section is written by Rupert Faulkner.



Moriguchi Kunihiko examines the artist of the same name and how his production of fine kimono as brought kimono into modernity. This section was written by Anna Jackson.



Kikuchi Nobuko: Stylish Rebellion looks at the collection of Kikuchi Nobuko and her way of mixing tradition with modernity. This section is written by Kohka Yoshimura.





Kimono Transformation

Kimono Dreams explores how kimono have influenced high fashion for decades with the most prolific designers all turning to the iconic garment for inspiration. This section is written by Claire Wilcox.



Statement Piece: The Kimono Jacket Trend looks at the recent trend of Western women wearing “kimono” jackets as a new statement piece. This section is written by Elizabeth Kramer.



Kimono Revolution focuses on how kimono is being made today in an effort to attract new people, both in Japan and abroad, into wearing the garment, including new ways of production and incorporating a variety of new motifs never before seen on the garment. This section is written by Sheila Cliff.



Jōtarō Saitō explores the work of the titular kimono designer and his impact on the future of fashion. This section is written by Anna Jackson.



From Edo to Instagram: Kimono Fashion finally looks at how kimono is being worn as street fashion once again. This section is written by Josephine Rout.



With the exception of Rupert Faulkner, this entire book is written and produced by women!



The only real drawback that I could find to this book is that some sections are a bit dryer than others, but those sections were usually shorter than some of the others and were easy enough to get through. Overall it’s a wonderful examination of the kimono both throughout history and into the present, which is a book that’s needed to be written for quite a while now!



Rating: ✪✪✪✪✪ (out of 5)

