Tag: Kimono

Montreal JCCC Fashion Show 2023

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Ooof. No, that year in the title is not a typo. I’m just three tanukis in a michiyuki when it comes to following up on things.

In the spring of 2023, I was invited to participate as a stylist and vendor in Everyone Can Kimono!, a fashion show and event put on by the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre here in Montreal. It aimed to encourage a love of kimono and show that it really is for anyone who is passionate about it! Being a giant awkward white woman, I was humbled and honoured to be considered. And yes, I stuck out like a sore thumb in the dressing areas, but I was welcomed openly and encouraged by all the other stylists, which was so lovely.

Sasa and Yurie did an incredible job organising everything, and helped me find some absolutely fantastic and gorgeous models to show off the ensembles I put together. I got to feature some of my favourite vintage pieces, including a few I’d never been able to use before on a person or mannequin. My models were all so gracious and enthusiastic and dressing them all was an absolutely dream.

Here are my lovely models. Due to the casual vintage nature of most of these coordinates as well as their unfamiliarity with kimono, I went with a looser and less restricted style of kitsuke, which I think worked perfectly. Don’t get me wrong, I love the tight, padded, nearly-regimented style of the modern kimono-school variety, but there’s something so effortless about more relaxed dressing that helps remind us that these used to be everyday garments.

Don’t they all look amazing and poised, and like they’ve been wearing kimono for years? They were so good!

Of course, there were plenty of other stylists who are all way more skilled and visionary than I am, and it was humbling to be included in such a talented group. Here’s a gallery of all the other fantastic outfits. It was an incredible blend of traditional, modern, and totally alternative stylings.

There was also a Q&A session at the end of the show, and I got roped into helping answer a few questions, particularly about vintage kitsuke. Some of the medication I’m on makes me particularly susceptible to heat, so behold me in all my fat sweaty glory. Yes, that is a tenugui with lemons on my head. It’s called fashion, look it up.

And some lovely group shots of all the models, as well as the whole team of stylists, honoured guests, and JCCC staff! I managed to avoid being in these because I was setting up a booth to sell off parts of my collection it was time to say goodbye to. A few pieces found good homes, and I hope their new owners cherish them like I did.

This has gone on to be a yearly event, but I’ve been in California for the past two years and haven’t been able to participate or attend. If you’re ever in Montreal in the spring, keep an eye out for announcements and definitely try to come see the show if you can! Maybe one day the timing will work out and I’ll be able to be involved again, but either way I still urge you to support small local kimono initiatives like this whenever possible 🙂

Classy and Creepy

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Happy Halloween! An appropriate day to raise myself from the dead, I think. I’ve just been incredibly busy, travelling and working and whatnot, but I do have some stuff in the works for the next little while.

I knew I had to get this one up today, though. The “obi” is too perfect for a classy and creepy outfit. Funny thing is, it’s not an obi at all. It’s two table runners from Target! One wrapped twice around the body, and one for the musubi. I wanted to keep the rest of the outfit subtle but still halloween-y so my bat menuki obidome and spiderweb haneri, and then remembered I had this lovely piece of soft spiderweb mesh I found in a remnant bin at the fabric store. It makes the perfect shawl, doesn’t it?

I love how this outfit feels seasonal and creepy but totally wearable, and I also love how the two star pieces are both found items that have nothing to do with kimono. The orange accessories were the finishing touch, and they add just the right amount of pop.

Items used in this coordination

Picrew.Me Kimono Avatar Creators Part 4

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You guys really seem to enjoy these fun little posts, and I enjoy making them, so here’s a fresh batch of avatar creators from over on picrew.me that are either fully kimono-based or feature kimono options for you to play with! Life is hectic but good at the moment, California continues to be wonderful. My recent trip to Vegas was lovely and I hope to have a nice little post about Morimoto Las Vegas up soon, but in the meantime I hope you have a great time playing with these!

If you’re new here or need a quick reminder on how to use picrew.me and its Japanese interface options, there’s a detailed guide in the first of these posts, which you can check out right here!

https://picrew.me/image_maker/46139

This one has a nice selection of differently-patterned kimono and coordinating juban/haneri to play with, as well as a ton of fun non-kimono accessories
https://picrew.me/image_maker/1442555

This one is fantastic. It allows for customisation of every aspect of the kimono, obi, and accessories. There are a ton of colours and patterns available, as well as things like fur stoles, hakama, kappougi aprons, and other traditional "over top of kimono" items. It's probably my current favourite, because of all these options!
https://picrew.me/image_maker/1407953

There is only one kimono in this one, available in blue or pink, but it's still quite charming and fun to poke around with!
https://picrew.me/image_maker/41305

An elegant young lady creator, with a variety of kimono colours and a huge amount of avatar customisation! All the kimono have the same design, but oyu can add accessories and things to really make it your own.
https://picrew.me/image_maker/1446612

Only two kimono options here, but a ton of options for the base avatar and some very lovely art. I think it's actually a "demon maker" but you can totally avoid any demonic-looking features, if you prefer.


https://picrew.me/image_maker/1315158

Another cute one with limited kimono options but utterly adorable art. Look at that face!
https://picrew.me/image_maker/707090

This one is listed as a dangerous woman/villain maker, but as you can see you can make some very charming and not-nasty avatars too! Again, not a ton of variety in kimono in this one but still amusing to play around with.
https://picrew.me/image_maker/1272810

Only one not-entirely-accurate kimono in this one, with a few colour options.
https://picrew.me/image_maker/1472643

This one is technically a Genshin Impact avatar creator. I fully admit I have never played Genshin Impact but there's some fun kimono and kimono-adjacent options here so it's worth checking out!

https://picrew.me/image_maker/9971 

This one has a really nice variety of kimono outfits, including a shiromuku wedding ensemble and this adorable hakama and kofurisode. There's no customisation for the outfits, but the variety and detail in them makes up for it!
https://picrew.me/image_maker/602958

A sweet little princess maker. This one is fun because the top, bottom, and sleeves are all separate so you can make a reasonably accurate kimono with or without hakama, or you can go a very kimono-hime or wa-lolita route by adding a fluffy skirt, sheer sleeves, or other fun variations!
https://picrew.me/image_maker/610761

A very steampunk-feeling literall "doll" maker. There's no pure accurate kimono options but there are some very clearly kimono and wa-lolita inspired combinations you can make, and the end results are really lovely.
https://picrew.me/image_maker/84797/

This one is technically an "angel maker", with only one kimono you can't change the colours or design of, but the end results are just so pretty I thought it made a good way to end this post!

As always, if you have fun with any of these I would really love to see your end product. You can comment here, or over on Facebook!

Gofuku no Hi 2020

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Gofuku no Hi is a bit of a play on words – May 29 is written as Go-Fu-Ku (5-2-9), and “gofuku” is also a word for traditional clothing. So it’s become an international day to encourage everyone to wear kimono!

As I’ve often mentioned, I’m currently too big to wear almost any of my kimono comfortably. I would have put on one of my modern plus-sized poly komon, but good lord is it too hot to deal with all that today. Thankfully I came across this video by stylist Sala Okabe on Facebook (who you should totally be following if you’re not already!) showing how to easily wear a kimono as a dress without any alteration or damage. It’s actually quite similar to how I styled Lynn in the mod michiyuki at the Otakuthon Fashion Show last summer.

I decided to use my beloved bright-red kiku houmongi, which also happens to be the first kimono I ever purchased. I recently cut all the blue out of my hair, which gives me a lot more leeway colour-wise. To suit the style and era of the kimono I went with a sort of kitschy-retro vibe, pairing some vintage-inspired shoes, my beloved pearls, and this ridiculously adorable purse that looks like a camera.

My intial plan was to go to the park near my house, but I ended up nixing that because it’s just way too hot to be out in the sun, so you guys get to enjoy my living room yet again.

 

Overall I think this was a very successful experiment! I love how the kimono-as-dress looks, and it’s definitely super comfortable. Next time I’ll try it with a slightly bigger one to prevent the slit up the front, but since I am wearing a little tunic underneath it’s not a huge issue.

Did you dress for Gofuku no Hi? If you did, please share photos, I’d love to see!

 

Clear as Black and White

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I’ve been rolling the idea of an all black and white coordinate for quite a while now. I find myself with a surfeit of free time now, due to my sudden lack of employment due to the COVID-19 outbreak, so I figured I may as well really buckle down and start doing all the kimono-related things I’ve had loosely percolating in the back of my mind for months now.

Of course, I started with my all-white shiromuku bridal furisode. The black anchor came from the homsue-hem style juban I made last summer for the fashion show. I debated removing the ruffles afterwards but decided I liked it so much I wanted to use it in other ways. I’m very glad I kept it! To balance out the black at the cuffs and hem, I went with a black obi. For the haneri and obiage, I actually used some fabric I had left over from last year’s Halloween costume, where I went as a sort of celestial moon goddess. I really love how it works here and I’m seriously debating cutting and hemming some pieces properly, to use again in the future. The final finishing touch was a beaded silvery-white obijime that echoes the sparkle of the stars on the accessories as well as breaking up the solid black of the obi.

The fun thing about this outfit is that it allows me to use pieces that would traditionally never be used outside of specific circumstances; a wedding kimono and mourning obi and accessories! But since it’s such an out-there ensemble, and the addition of the very non-traditional ruffles on the juban, I think I got away with it just fine  😉

As I mentioned up top, I have indeed (temporarily) lost my job. The store where I work is a small, non-essential business, and we had no choice but to close indefinitely. I’m incredibly lucky to share a house with my folks which means that I’m not at risk for eviction or starvation. However, running this blog and bringing you guys new and exciting content on a regular basis isn’t exactly free. Whether it be new coordinations, book reviews, DIY projects, or even just covering the cost of hosting the blog, things might take a hit if I’m out of work for much longer. I know this crazy pandemic situation is affecting everyone, so I’m certainly not expecting anything, but if you are lucky enough to be working from home and have a steady income, I’m not too proud to add a link here to my donation & support page. Thank you for reading all this!

Items used in this coordination